F1 Miami GP: Lando Norris beats Kimi Antonelli to dash race pole with upgraded McLaren

Lando Norris has topped dash qualifying on the Miami Grand Prix, defeating championship chief Kimi Antonelli in an upgraded McLaren Components 1 automobile.

Norris topped what became a single-lap SQ3 shoot-out on the Miami Worldwide Autodrome, handing early 2026 dominator Mercedes a primary defeat.

The session on the Miami Autodrome was the primary aggressive outing following a mid-season guidelines refinement to assist drivers push flat out as an alternative of being hampered by extreme power administration, though the stop-start circuit across the Laborious Rock Stadium was not essentially the most consultant venue to guage the success of the FIA’s intervention.

It was additionally the primary qualifying session following an enforced month-long break, which most groups put to make use of to introduce huge upgrades. Whereas 2026 chief Mercedes saved its powder dry for now, Ferrari, McLaren and Purple Bull all rolled out vital updates to their respective machines.

In SQ1 McLaren’s Norris topped the charts, tantalisingly simply 0.010s faster than Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc with Oscar Piastri and Lewis Hamilton behind. Mercedes duo Antonelli and George Russell had been fifth and sixth, a primary indication Mercedes may need to pay a short-term value for being out of sync with its improve plan.

There was disappointment for Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson, he struggled for brake temperature after a compromised warm-up, with the New Zealander eradicated forward of Haas’ Esteban Ocon.

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

Photograph by: Ryan Pierse / Getty Photos

Cadillac duo Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas had been out in nineteenth and twentieth respectively, the slowest of the 20 automobiles to set a aggressive lap time. And that is as a result of Aston Martin’s woes with Honda continued, with neither Fernando Alonso nor Lance Stroll capable of set a correct lap.

Williams drivers Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon had nearly scraped via SQ1 however then stumbled on the subsequent hurdle. As Leclerc led from Piastri with a 1m28.333s lap, Audi drivers Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg had been additionally eradicated in SQ2, with Bortoleto lacking the minimize by simply 0.021s to Tenth-placed Pierre Gasly. Arvid Lindblad additionally adopted Lawson out the door in fifteenth.

Within the prime 10 shoot-out of SQ3, drivers waited till the top of the session for a single-lap run, with Norris confirming McLaren’s progress to take a dash pole. On the venue of his maiden grand prix win in 2024, the reigning world champion established a 1m27.869s as the sector moved to mushy tyres.

Championship chief Antonelli was simply over one tenth off in second, narrowly bumped the second McLaren of Piastri off the entrance row. Leclerc was fourth, with Max Verstappen additionally exhibiting some progress within the Purple Bull in fifth.

Russell was solely sixth, forward of Hamilton and a powerful Franco Colapinto, with Isack Hadjar and Pierre Gasly rounding out the highest 10.

The motion continues with the 19-lap dash on Saturday at midday native Miami time, adopted by grand prix qualifying at 4pm.

F1 Miami GP – Dash qualifying outcomes

Photographs from Miami GP – Friday

Lando Norris, McLaren