World champion Lando Norris became the first non-Mercedes driver to take pole in the 2026 season as McLaren’s upgraded MCL40 topped Sprint Qualifying at the Miami Grand Prix. Norris, who had not finished higher than fourth in a Sprint or Grand Prix so far this season, set the benchmark lap of 1:27.869 to deny Mercedes’ early dominance.
The five-week midseason break was followed by a flurry of upgrades from the leading teams, reshaping the pecking order seen in the opening rounds. McLaren and Ferrari introduced sizeable changes and saw an immediate performance jump; Mercedes brought fewer updates in Miami and plan a larger package for Canada.
Kimi Antonelli was second in the lead Mercedes, 0.222s off pole, while Oscar Piastri underlined McLaren’s recovery with third. Charles Leclerc, whose Ferrari had 11 upgrades and topped the day’s practice, was fourth after leading SQ2. Max Verstappen put Red Bull fifth following their significant upgrade work, with George Russell struggling to sixth after a difficult session.
Russell said: “Pretty surprising how big a jump McLaren and Ferrari made. That’s pretty damn impressive. We knew they had probably closed the gap but all day they were quicker than us.”
Lewis Hamilton qualified seventh in the second Ferrari, around 0.3s slower than team-mate Leclerc. Alpine showed solid pace with Franco Colapinto eighth and Pierre Gasly tenth, split by Red Bull’s young driver Isack Hadjar in ninth, who lapped 0.8s slower than Verstappen. Audi drivers Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hülkenberg were 11th and 12th respectively, while Williams, Haas, Racing Bulls and others filled out SQ2 eliminations.
Aston Martin brought no aero updates and remained at the back despite Honda addressing vibration issues on their power unit. Lance Stroll did not set a time after an early spin into the run-off, and Fernando Alonso’s lap was an unrepresentative 1:41.311, well off the pace.
Norris’s run to pole included topping SQ1, an error that left him seventh in SQ2, and then a decisive final lap that made him the only driver under the 88-second mark in SQ3. He said: “I feel very good. I’m very happy for the team. A lot of work has gone into trying to bring these upgrades… since lap one, literally, turn one, everything felt better. It felt a little bit more like last year with just having some confidence in the car.”
Miami GP Sprint Qualifying: Top 10
1) Lando Norris, McLaren — 1:27.869
2) Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes — +0.222
3) Oscar Piastri, McLaren — +0.239
4) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari — +0.370
5) Max Verstappen, Red Bull — +0.592
6) George Russell, Mercedes — +0.624
7) Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari — +0.749
8) Franco Colapinto, Alpine — +1.451
9) Isack Hadjar, Red Bull — +1.553
10) Pierre Gasly, Alpine — +1.605
Full timesheet (selected)
1) Lando Norris, McLaren — 1:27.869
2) Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes — +0.222
3) Oscar Piastri, McLaren — +0.239
4) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari — +0.370
5) Max Verstappen, Red Bull — +0.592
6) George Russell, Mercedes — +0.624
7) Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari — +0.749
8) Franco Colapinto, Alpine — +1.451
9) Isack Hadjar, Red Bull — +1.553
10) Pierre Gasly, Alpine — +1.605
11) Gabriel Bortoleto, Audi — 1:29.994
12) Nico Hülkenberg, Audi — 1:30.019
13) Oliver Bearman, Haas — 1:30.116
14) Alex Albon, Williams — 1:30.216
15) Carlos Sainz, Williams — 1:30.224
16) Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls — 1:30.573
17) Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls — 1:31.043
18) Esteban Ocon, Haas — 1:31.245
19) Sergio Perez, Cadillac — 1:31.255
20) Valtteri Bottas, Cadillac — 1:31.826
21) Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin — 1:41.311
22) Lance Stroll, Aston Martin — No time set
McLaren’s strong showing suggests they are back on the front foot after incremental gains at Suzuka, with Norris’s pole kick-starting a more competitive phase for the reigning constructors’ champions. The field now heads to Canada, where Mercedes expect to bring a larger upgrade package as the title fight continues.