Antonelli and Piastri complete the top 3, while Bortoleto starts 11th after narrowly missing out on SQ3
Read more Miami GP 2026: live coverage of the F1 Sprint Qualifying in the United States
The Sprint Qualifying for the 2026 Miami GP was decided in the details, but with a dominant outcome. After a session marked by balance between Ferrari, Mercedes, and McLaren throughout the early stages, it was Lando Norris who appeared at the decisive moment to secure pole position with authority for McLaren.
With high temperatures and a constantly evolving track, SQ1 already indicated an open scenario. McLaren reacted after being hindered by a yellow flag and put Norris and Oscar Piastri at the front, while Ferrari remained close with Charles Leclerc. Mercedes, meanwhile, showed fluctuations, failing to repeat the dominant performance from other rounds.
In SQ2, the balance remained, with Ferrari and McLaren sharing the lead. Leclerc finished ahead, followed by Piastri, while Max Verstappen appeared only in fifth. In this scenario, Brazilian Gabriel Bortoleto even fought directly for a spot in SQ3 but was eliminated in 11th position after failing to improve his final lap.
SQ3, contested in just eight minutes, was decided in a single attempt. After an initial reference from George Russell, Norris went out on track and delivered the strongest lap of the day, opening more than six tenths of a second advantage—a rare difference in current qualifying sessions.
There was still time for a reaction from Kimi Antonelli, who secured second place, while Piastri confirmed McLaren’s excellent performance by finishing third.
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Leclerc finished fourth, followed by Verstappen, who again outperformed his teammate by a wide margin. Russell was only sixth, ahead of Lewis Hamilton, while Franco Colapinto, Isack Hadjar, and Pierre Gasly completed the top 10.
The session also highlighted important differences between teams and teammates: Antonelli put about four tenths over Russell, while Verstappen opened almost a second over Hadjar.
In the midfield pack, Audi showed consistency again but was unable to extract the maximum in fast laps. Bortoleto, although competitive, missed out on SQ3 by a narrow margin and starts just behind the top 10.
The Miami GP Sprint Race takes place this Saturday (2) at 1 pm Brasília time. Follow live and in real time on F1Mania.net.
Check out the starting grid for the Sprint race valid for the Miami GP of F1:
1) Lando Norris (McLaren/Mercedes), 1’27.869
2) Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), 1’28.091
3) Oscar Piastri (McLaren/Mercedes), 1’28.108
4) Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), 1’28.239
5) Max Verstappen (Red Bull/Red Bull Ford), 1’28.461
6) George Russell (Mercedes), 1’28.493
7) Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari), 1’28.618
8) Franco Colapinto (Alpine/Mercedes), 1’29.320
9) Isack Hadjar (Red Bull/Red Bull Ford), 1’29.422
10) Pierre Gasly (Alpine/Mercedes), 1’29.474
11) Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi), 1’29.994
12) Nico Hülkenberg (Audi), 1’30.019
13) Oliver Bearman (Haas/Ferrari), 1’30.116
14) Alexander Albon (Williams/Mercedes), 1’30.216
15) Carlos Sainz (Williams/Mercedes), 1’30.224
16) Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford), 1’30.573
17) Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford), 1’31.043
18) Esteban Ocon (Haas/Ferrari), 1’31.245
19) Sergio Pérez (Cadillac/Ferrari), 1’31.255
20) Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac/Ferrari), 1’31.826
21) Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin/Honda), 1’41.311
22) Lance Stroll (Aston Martin/Honda), no time
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