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 year, set a best lap of 1:27.869 to interrupt Mercedes’ early-season dominance.
A five-week midseason break was followed by a wave of upgrades from the leading teams, and the pecking order shifted sharply. McLaren and Ferrari brought substantial updates and saw immediate gains in pace. Mercedes introduced fewer changes in Miami and say they will return with a larger package in Canada.
Kimi Antonelli delivered Mercedes’ best showing, finishing second and 0.222s shy of pole, while Oscar Piastri underlined McLaren’s recovery with third, just 0.239s off Norris. Charles Leclerc, whose Ferrari carried 11 upgrades and topped practice, was fourth after leading SQ2. Max Verstappen put Red Bull fifth, with George Russell struggling to sixth after a tricky session and ending 0.624s off the benchmark.
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, roughly 0.749s behind Leclerc. Alpine showed competitive pace with Franco Colapinto eighth and Pierre Gasly tenth, separated by Red Bull’s young driver Isack Hadjar in ninth, who was around a second slower than Verstappen. Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hülkenberg were 11th and 12th, while drivers from Williams, Haas and Racing Bulls completed the SQ2 eliminations.
Aston Martin brought no aerodynamic updates and remained towards the rear despite Honda addressing a power-unit vibration. Lance Stroll did not set a time after an early spin into the run-off, and Fernando Alonso’s lap of 1:41.311 was not representative of the car’s potential.
Norris’s path to pole included topping SQ1, an error that left him seventh in SQ2, and then a decisive final attempt in SQ3 that made him the only driver under the 88‑second mark. “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,” he said.
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
Selected full timesheet (positions 11–22)
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 have rebooted their form after incremental progress earlier in the year, with Norris’s pole potentially signaling a more competitive phase for the reigning constructors’ champions. The championship battle now heads to Canada, where Mercedes expect to bring a larger upgrade package as the season unfolds.