Lando Norris delivered a composed lights-to-flag drive to win the Miami F1 Sprint on Saturday, May 2, 2026, at the Miami International Autodrome, converting Sprint pole into victory. He headed teammate Oscar Piastri to cap a dominant McLaren 1-2, while Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished third.
Norris established control from the opening lap and steadily edged clear over the 19-lap dash. The result was the first non-Mercedes victory of the 2026 season in either a Sprint or a Grand Prix and underscored the step McLaren found with its Miami upgrade package. The team had looked strong through practice and Sprint Qualifying, and the race underlined that form.
Leclerc threatened Piastri late on but a wide moment blunted the Ferrari’s push, allowing McLaren to manage the closing stages and lock in the 1-2.
Kimi Antonelli’s sluggish start proved costly as he slipped behind Piastri and Leclerc. Although he resisted George Russell on track to take fourth at the flag, the Mercedes rookie received a five-second post-race penalty for exceeding track limits, dropping him to sixth. Russell inherited fourth, with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen classified fifth.
Lewis Hamilton took seventh for Ferrari and Pierre Gasly claimed eighth for Alpine to complete the points. Sprint points are awarded to the top eight, with Norris collecting eight for the win and Piastri, Leclerc, Russell, Verstappen, Antonelli, Hamilton and Gasly also scoring.
Top-eight gaps from the 19-lap Sprint: Norris (leader); Piastri +3.766s; Leclerc +6.251s; Russell +12.951s; Verstappen +13.639s; Antonelli +13.777s; Hamilton +21.665s; Gasly +30.525s.
2026 Miami GP Sprint classification (19 laps): - 1. Lando Norris (McLaren) Leader - 2. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +3.766 - 3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +6.251 - 4. George Russell (Mercedes) +12.951 - 5. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +13.639 - 6. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) +13.777 - 7. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) +21.665 - 8. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) +30.525 - 9. Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) +35.346 - 10. Franco Colapinto (Alpine) +36.970 - 11. Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) +48.438 - 12. Esteban Ocon (Haas) +56.972 - 13. Oliver Bearman (Haas) +57.365 - 14. Carlos Sainz (Williams) +58.504 - 15. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) +59.358 - 16. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) +76.067 - 17. Sergio Perez (Cadillac) +76.691 - 18. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) +77.626 - 19. Alexander Albon (Williams) +88.173 - 20. Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) +89.597 - 21. Nico Hulkenberg (Audi) DNS - 22. Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) DNS
Nico Hulkenberg did not start after his Audi suffered a pre-race fire, while Arvid Lindblad was also listed as DNS following a technical issue.
Attention now turns to Sunday’s Grand Prix in Miami, with focus on whether McLaren can convert its Sprint pace into a full-distance challenge and how Mercedes and Ferrari respond.
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*Originally published on [News Formula One](https://newsformula.one/article/norris-leads-mclaren-1-2-in-miami-f1-sprint-leclerc-third). Visit for full coverage.*
