Miami GP: George Russell admits surprise overtaking Mercedes as Lando Norris claims sprint pole for McLaren | F1 News

George Russell admitted his surprise at Mercedes’ pole position to open the season by Lando Norris who topped the Miami Grand Prix sprint qualifying for McLaren.

Mercedes enjoyed a dominant start to the season, taking pole position and winning each of the first three races of the year, but the five-week gap since the Japanese Grand Prix has allowed rivals to bring in upgrades that look set to have a big impact on the first day of track action in Florida.

Norris was ahead of Russell’s teammate – and championship leader – Kimi Antonelli, while the Brit finished sixth, also behind McLaren’s Oscar Piastre, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.

McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull each brought significant upgrade packages to Miami, while Mercedes brought only a handful of new parts as they wait for the Canadian Grand Prix in late May to bring a bigger package.

“It’s amazing how big a leap McLaren and Ferrari have made. It’s very impressive,” said Russell. “We knew they had probably closed the gap but they were faster than us all day.

“For my part, I’m struggling. Miami is not a track I like, especially in these hot conditions but it’s only sprint qualifying, so let’s see what tomorrow brings.”

Antonelli, who leads Russell at the top of the drivers’ standings after back-to-back wins in China and Japan, edged over his team-mate all day and backed up a fine lap at the end of sprint qualifying to split the McLarens.

Antonelli said: “It was a pretty messy session. I fought a lot with the car. In medium I didn’t get a good lap, then in soft, suddenly, the car came alive.

“I think there was a bit left on the table. Despite everything, it was a decent result and we did a great job with the team to recover. For sure we’ll dig deep tonight to see what we can do to be faster.”

Norris: McLaren going forward is a ‘nice’ surprise

Norris was fast throughout Friday and Antonelli looked to have a great chance to chip into his 47-point championship deficit.

The reigning world champion said he “felt confident” in the car but was “surprised” by his two-tenths gap on the rest of the field.

“I feel very good. I’m very happy for the team. It’s always a lot of expectation. A lot of work has been done to bring these upgrades and it’s always difficult to predict or know what to expect in a new weekend,” he said.

“But from lap one, literally, turn one, everything felt good. It felt a little bit more like last year with the confidence in the car. And I felt like I capitalized on that all day today.

“So, a nice start to the weekend. Probably better than we expected, to be honest. We were definitely expecting better but quantity-wise we didn’t know how it would be. So, a bit of a surprise, but definitely a pleasant one.”

Piastre backed up Norris’ strong showing by finishing third, a result reminiscent of McLaren’s dominant form for much of last season.

Hamilton: I hoped we’d be better

While McLaren’s upgrades have taken them to the front, Ferrari’s updates haven’t had the same effect, with the Scuderia bringing the newest parts to Miami with 11 new components listed by the FIA, including a revised floor and suspension.

Lewis Hamilton was around eight-tenths behind pole-sitter Norris in seventh and was frustrated by his lack of pace.

“We didn’t really know what to expect. I expected us to be better but the car didn’t feel particularly good,” said the seven-time world champion.

“I thought we’d be stronger than we were today. We’ll have to do some work overnight to try to figure out why we’re not as quick. I came in here optimistic, positive, that we’d be a lot but…not meant to be.”

Leclerc was fastest in practice and second in sprint qualifying, so was expected to challenge for sprint pole.

However, he was unable to convert his pace on the mediums to the softs when it mattered most but hopefully Ferrari’s race pace will be stronger.

“The upgrades are fine. It’s just that everyone has brought upgrades. We expected a situation where Mercedes could beat the car but McLaren has taken a big step forward,” he continued.

“I felt they didn’t really optimize their first race, so were always there but didn’t put everything together.

“For us, today, we struggled especially with the tires. The medium worked very well but it wasn’t a good feeling on the softs, so we have to see it.”

Verstappen: Red Bull almost half the deficit

Verstappen’s disappointment with his car’s performance in the first three rounds prompted the Red Bull driver to say he was considering his future in the sport beyond the end of the season, amid discontent over F1’s new regulations for 2026.

Fans of the Dutchman will be delighted to see a much more competitive display from Verstappen in Miami, as he finished fifth behind Russell and Hamilton.

The four-time world champion qualified no higher than eighth through the first three rounds, while he is ninth in the drivers’ standings, already 60 points behind Antonelli.

Verstappen said: “It’s feeling more together. Of course, we’re still working on some things, but it was a more positive step for us. In the last few races we’ve been more than a second behind. I’d say we’ve almost halved.

“We are still very weak in the first sector, which is mainly the high-speed (corners) so we know we need to work on that, but the rest seems more together. It seems we have cleared the midfield.

“It feels a little more natural and together. It’s still not where I want to be, but it allows me to trust it a little more and I can take a little more time out of it.”

Sky Sports F1’s Miami GP schedule

Saturday, May 2
2.55pm: F2 sprint
4pm: Miami GP sprint build-up
5pm: Miami GP Sprint
6.30pm: Ted’s Sprint Notebook
8pm: Miami GP Qualifying Build-up*
9pm: Miami GP Qualifying*
11pm: Ted’s Competence Notebook*

Sunday, May 3
5.25pm: F2 Feature Race
7pm: Miami GP Build-up: Grand Prix Sunday*
9pm: Miami Grand Prix*
11pm: Miami GP Reaction: Checkered Flag*
12am: Ted’s Notebook*

*Also on Sky Sports main events

Formula 1 resumes the 2026 season in Miami for a sprint weekend, watch live on Sky Sports F1 with Sunday’s Grand Prix at 9pm. Stream Sky Sports now – no contract, cancel anytime