Lando Norris delivered McLaren's first win of the season by converting sprint pole into a commanding Miami success, leading home team-mate Oscar Piastri for a one-two finish.
The world champion made a clean launch, established control at the first corner and was rarely threatened thereafter. Piastri initially stayed close but drifted back as the stint unfolded, then had to fend off late pressure from Ferrari's Charles Leclerc to seal second place.
"Nice to be back on the top step, even if it is the sprint," said Norris. "It was a good day for us, massive job to the team in bringing the upgrades. It feels like everyone is saying the same thing, but ours have really helped this weekend."
Norris's victory followed a major upgrade to the McLaren introduced for the fourth race weekend of the season. He paced the early laps to protect the medium tyres before stretching clear, while Piastri regrouped in the closing stages to edge away from Leclerc again in the final two laps.
Kimi Antonelli won the on-track fight with Mercedes team-mate George Russell for fourth, but a five-second penalty for exceeding track limits dropped the Italian behind both Russell and Red Bull's Max Verstappen in the final classification. The sanction trimmed Antonelli's championship lead over Russell to seven points.
Antonelli endured another sluggish getaway — his fifth consecutive poor start across all races this season — and was attacked by Russell into the opening corner. Russell got by on lap seven at Turn 1, only for Antonelli to dive back ahead a lap later at Turn 11 at the end of the back straight and hold the place to the flag before the penalty was applied. The 19-year-old said: "I didn't even drive well, I made a lot of mistakes, I got track limits, which is something I need to avoid."
Russell reflected: "I'm two places forward but not much happier. The improvements from Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull are daunting."
Behind the Mercedes pair, Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton clashed repeatedly. Verstappen muscled past Hamilton at Turn 3 on the opening lap, the two cars touching wheels, before Hamilton reclaimed the position when the Red Bull's battery failed to deploy out of the final corner. Verstappen passed again on lap seven but both ran off track, and he was instructed to give the place back to his 2021 title rival. Two laps later, Verstappen completed the move for good by out-braking Hamilton into the final corner.
Alpine's Pierre Gasly secured the final point in eighth, finishing ahead of Red Bull's Isack Hadjar and Alpine team-mate Franco Colapinto. Gabriel Bortoleto placed 11th on the road but was later disqualified after the engine intake air pressure on his Audi exceeded the maximum permitted limit.
Before the sprint, the paddock observed a minute's silence in tribute to Alex Zanardi, the former F1 driver, IndyCar champion and Paralympic champion who died on Friday, aged 59.
Top eight: 1. Lando Norris (McLaren); 2. Oscar Piastri (McLaren); 3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari); 4. George Russell (Mercedes); 5. Max Verstappen (Red Bull); 6. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes); 7. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari); 8. Pierre Gasly (Alpine).
What to watch next: The Miami Grand Prix main race is scheduled for 21:00 BST on Sunday.
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*Originally published on [News Formula 1](https://newsformula.one/article/lando-norris-dominates-miami-sprint-as-mclaren-go-1-2). Visit for full coverage.*
