British leads from start to finish, while Ferrari and Mercedes fight for the podium and Bortoleto stays out of the points zone
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Lando Norris won the Miami GP 2026 Sprint race with a dominant performance, converting the pole position earned in qualifying into a comfortable victory over the 19 laps contested. The McLaren driver controlled the race from the start, maintaining the lead even amid a hectic start and intense battles in the midfield pack. Oscar Piastri finished second, Charles Leclerc was third.
Even before the start, the Sprint already showed elements of unpredictability. The grid suffered a significant loss with Nico Hülkenberg out of the race after a fire in his car on the way to the grid, while Arvid Lindblad, who would start from the pit lane, also did not participate in the race. Most of the grid opted for medium tires, with few exceptions using hard or soft compounds, indicating an approach aimed at balancing traction and durability in a short but demanding race.
At the start, Norris kept the lead without difficulty, while Kimi Antonelli had a very poor performance and lost several positions in the first few meters. George Russell, on the other hand, had a good start and advanced in the pack, as did Brazilian Gabriel Bortoleto, who gained important positions and quickly appeared in tenth place, momentarily entering the points zone.
The first laps were marked by intense battles, especially in the group fighting for intermediate positions. Charles Leclerc led a compact pack that included Antonelli, Russell, Lewis Hamilton, and Max Verstappen, forming a DRS “train” that made direct overtaking difficult and increased constant pressure among the drivers. In this context, energy management and track positioning became decisive.
Further back, Bortoleto began to face difficulties. After a good start, the Brazilian started reporting instability in the Audi car and ended up being overtaken by Isack Hadjar, who showed superior pace and quickly opened a gap. From that moment on, the Brazilian driver lost contact with the group ahead and stopped fighting directly for points.
The race continued with occasional battles, including one of the tensest moments involving Verstappen and Hamilton. The two engaged in a wheel-to-wheel battle that almost ended in contact, with both going off track. Verstappen even took the position but was instructed by Red Bull to give it back, highlighting the closeness and limits of maneuvers at that point in the race.
In the final half, the focus shifted to the fight for the podium. Oscar Piastri held firm in second place, while Leclerc began to reduce the gap and attempt a more consistent approach. Pressure increased in the final laps, with the Ferrari driver getting to less than a second, but a mistake on lap 18 completely compromised any attack attempt. Subsequently, Leclerc chose to manage the position and take the car to the finish without risks.
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In the lead, Norris maintained total control of the situation. Even with small pace variations, the British driver was never threatened and started the last lap comfortably to confirm the victory. The gap built throughout the race, combined with the absence of direct attacks, allowed a safe drive to the checkered flag.
In the midfield positions, Hadjar consolidated a good recovery by overtaking Franco Colapinto in the final laps, while other drivers managed wear and positioning without major changes until the end.
Bortoleto, in turn, could not recover pace throughout the race. After losing positions early on, the Brazilian did not directly contest with the front group again and finished outside the points zone, confirming Audi’s difficulty in maintaining consistency over the laps, especially in race conditions.
The final result consolidated Norris’s victory, with Piastri in second and Leclerc completing the podium. The Sprint also reinforced some important trends for the rest of the weekend, with McLaren taking clear prominence, Ferrari showing consistency, Mercedes presenting fluctuations, and Red Bull still seeking balance.
Formula 1 returns this Saturday (2) with Qualifying, which defines the starting grid, for the Miami GP at 5 p.m.
Check the result of the Miami GP Sprint race:
1) Lando Norris (McLaren/Mercedes)
2) Oscar Piastri (McLaren/Mercedes)
3) Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
4) George Russell (Mercedes)
5) Max Verstappen (Red Bull/Red Bull Ford)
6) Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
7) Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
8) Pierre Gasly (Alpine/Mercedes)
9) Isack Hadjar (Red Bull/Red Bull Ford)
10) Franco Colapinto (Alpine/Mercedes)
11) Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi)
12) Esteban Ocon (Haas/Ferrari)
13) Oliver Bearman (Haas/Ferrari)
14) Carlos Sainz (Williams/Mercedes)
15) Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford)
16) Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin/Honda)
17) Sergio Pérez (Cadillac/Ferrari)
18) Lance Stroll (Aston Martin/Honda)
19) Alexander Albon (Williams/Mercedes)
20) Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac/Ferrari)
DNS) Nico Hülkenberg (Audi)
DNS) Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford)
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