Lando Norris hails upgrades after storming to F1 Sprint pole in Miami

MIAMI, FLORIDA - MAY 01: Sprint Pole qualifier Lando Norris of Great Britain and McLaren with his Pirelli Sprint Pole award during Sprint Qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Miami at Miami International Autodrome on May 01, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images) | Getty Images Over the first three race weekends of the 2026 Formula 1 season, every competitve session ended the same way: With a Mercedes driver in P1. George Russell took both pole position and the win at the Australian Grand Prix, while Kimi Antonelli did the same at both the Chinese Grand Prix (where Russell took pole — and the win — for the F1 Sprint race) and the Japanese Grand Prix.

After a long layoff, F1 returned to action this week at the Miami Grand Prix, and that break has done McLaren some good. The defending Constructors’ Champions brought a host of upgrades to South Beach, and when the dust settled after Friday’s F1 Sprint qualifying, defending Drivers’ Champion Lando Norris was atop the timing sheets. The McLaren driver hailed the upgrades — and the ability to feel “grip” again — after the qualifying session.

“This is a perfect result for us and a nice way to reward the team. We have a lot of new upgrades on the car so it’s nice to feel some grip again,” said Norris. “I’ve always loved Miami, both on and off the track, so it’s a good result for us.

We know this track has been good to us, and we knew what we were bringing might be a good step and it is. I’ve always felt good around here and although it’s only the beginning of the weekend and there’s a long way to go, but it’s nice to start with pole. ” In McLaren’s media report both Norris (and teammate Oscar Piastri who qualified third) talked about the upgrades.