Lando Norris won the sprint before the 2026 Miami GP, leading it throughout the entire distance. The battle for the top positions was decided right at the start, as there were only two duels among the leading drivers during the sprint distance.
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The sprint was held in stable weather conditions, with the track temperature around 50 degrees Celsius. All drivers who took part in the sprint finished the race; there were no interruptions, and I believe there wasn’t even a single yellow flag.
Results of the sprint before the 2026 Miami GP
20 drivers participated in the sprint. Nico Hulkenberg had a failure on the way to the starting grid. Arvid Lindblad was supposed to start from the pit lane because the mechanics were still working on his car but did not prepare it in time.
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Time | Points |
| 1. | Lando Norris | McLaren | 29:15.045 | 8 |
| 2. | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | +3.766s | 7 |
| 3. | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +6.251s | 6 |
| 4. | George Russell | Mercedes | +12.951s | 5 |
| 5. | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | +13.639s | 4 |
| 6. | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | +13.777s | 3 |
| 7. | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +21.665s | 2 |
| 8. | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | +30.525s | 1 |
| 9. | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull | +35.346s | 0 |
| 10. | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | +36.970s | 0 |
| 11. | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | +48.438s | 0 |
| 12. | Esteban Ocon | Haas | +56.972s | 0 |
| 13. | Oliver Bearman | Haas | +57.365s | 0 |
| 14. | Carlos Sainz | Williams | +58.504s | 0 |
| 15. | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | +59.358s | 0 |
| 16. | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | +76.067s | 0 |
| 17. | Sergio Perez | Cadillac | +76.691s | 0 |
| 18. | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | +77.626s | 0 |
| 19. | Alexander Albon | Williams | +88.173s | 0 |
| 20. | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | +89.597s | 0 |
Antonelli finished fourth but received a five-second penalty for exceeding track limits.
Summary and discussion of the sprint before the 2026 Miami GP
Just as I praised Friday’s qualifying for the sprint, where the positive effects of regulatory changes were visible, it is hard to praise the sprint itself because it was simply boring. The modifications to engine regulations did not significantly affect the course of sprints/races, but in Miami, we had a very predictable, if not boring, sprint.
At the start, Norris, Piastri, and Leclerc got off very well. Norris maintained the lead, while Piastri and Leclerc overtook Antonelli, who was having problems. Russell briefly overtook the Italian as well, but he did not want to fight him aggressively and soon lost the position. Verstappen and Hamilton fought for sixth place, with a minor contact involving Colapinto as well. The Argentine lost a position to Gasly as a result of this situation.
Lando Norris led throughout the distance; no one threatened him. He had the best race pace and won comfortably. Oscar Piastri could not keep up with him, steadily (but slightly) losing ground. Towards the end of the sprint, Leclerc closed in on him but failed to attack, hindering himself by making one mistake. At the start of the sprint, Leclerc had to defend against Antonelli’s attacks; the time lost then largely decided that he did not attack Piastri at the end. Overall, the top three were the fastest and deservedly took the leading positions.
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Mercedes drivers fought each other for fourth place, with several duels between them. Ultimately, Antonelli came out on top, as he performs better on the Miami track. However, the Italian went off track too often and received a five-second penalty, dropping to sixth place in the final results. Earlier, Verstappen and Hamilton fought for sixth place. They had two duels, with Verstappen coming out better. The Dutchman had great pace at the end of the sprint and caught up with Russell. Hamilton gave up completely at the end, knowing he would not regain the position.
The front clearly pulled away from all rivals. The last point was scored by Gasly, who was driving in no man’s land. Hadjar, after a poor start, moved up to ninth position by overtaking Colapinto towards the end.
Among the other drivers, it is worth noting that Perez occasionally fought with other drivers. Ultimately, Cadillac’s decision to use hard tires was very costly. Aston Martins ran on soft tires and easily finished the race on them. Alonso overtook Perez at the end.
Summary
One can say about the sprint that it took place. There was not much excitement. Now we will see if teams change their setups before qualifying, as not everyone will be happy with their form. The chances of rain on Sunday are almost certain, so some teams may take risks and modify their setups. Personally, I am curious about Mercedes, as they have had problems since the start of the weekend; we will see if they manage to turn things around before qualifying.
In 2026, six sprints are scheduled. The current summary of internal duels in sprint qualifying and the sprints themselves can be checked at this link. It also includes a table of points scored this year only in sprints.
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