Mercedes Finally Beaten as Lando Norris Dominates F1 Miami Sprint
McLaren’s aggressive Miami upgrade package delivered instant results as Norris comfortably defeated teammate Oscar Piastri in Saturday’s Sprint Race.
Lando Norris Dominates F1 Miami Sprint Rudy Carezzevoli - Getty Images World Champion Lando Norris put McLaren back on top in Formula 1, ending Mercedes’ unbeaten start to 2026, after winning the Sprint Race at the Miami Grand Prix. Norris led away from pole, after fronting Sprint Qualifying on Saturday, and opened a comfortable buffer over McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri to win the 19-lap encounter in hot conditions in Miami. “It was a good race, nice to be back on the top step – even if it’s a Sprint,” Norris said.
“A massive job by the team for bringing the updates, ours have really helped this weekend, I’m happy to get it done for the team. ” Mercedes had been unbeaten across the opening three rounds in Australia, China and Japan, prior to Formula 1’s enforced break due to rounds in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia being called off. But McLaren introduced a sizeable update package to its MCL40 in Miami and the upgrades have helped elevate the team back into contention after a so-so start to the campaign.
McLaren has also run well in Miami in recent years, with Norris taking his breakthrough maiden win in 2024, the Sprint Race win in 2025, while Piastri triumphed in the grand prix 12 months ago. Norris was untroubled after mastering the start, while Piastri jumped front-row starter and championship leader Kimi Antonelli, and remained in second spot throughout. Antonelli’s poor start dropped him to fourth, also behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, with a slow getaway off the line a recurring theme of his campaign.
But while previously Antonelli was able to recover lost positions in the hotter conditions in Miami Mercedes – who did not bring a sizeable package to Miami unlike McLaren and Ferrari – made no in-roads on their rivals. Antonelli instead had to fend off the advances of team-mate George Russell, the Briton passing his younger team-mate mid-race before Antonelli reclaimed the position a lap later. Antonelli finished fourth but was issued a five-second time penalty post-race due to exceeding track limits more than permitted.