Miami Sprint: Main Grid Decided

We break down Miami’s packed weekend so far — FP1, Sprint Qualifying, the Sprint and main race Qualifying.

Transcript

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Good morning, racing fans. This is Mohan coming to you to update you on the action on the track at Miami following the four-week break that we had between the Japanese race and this race. So FP1 was the only practice session of the sprint weekend, as mentioned in our preview episode. This session was extended to 90 minutes because of the new 2026 Power Unit Rules update. And Ferrari made the first statement. Charles LeClerc topped the session ahead of Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri, while Lewis Hamilton made it to Ferraris in the top four. The big story itself was the upgrades. Ferrari arrived with quite an extensive package. Red Bull debuted their own updates, including their own version of the Macarena style rear wing as part of a broader update package. And McLaren's first development phase looked promising. Mercedes, by contrast, appeared to be on the back foot, with George Russell only 6th and Kimmy unable to complete a soft tire lap because of a power unit issue. Mercedes are reserving their upgrades for the next race in Montreal. Then we moved on to qualifying for the sprint race. This flipped the early FP1 picture with Lando putting McLaren on pole position, with the only driver coming in under 1 minute 28 ahead of Antonelli and Piastri. That snapped Mercedes' perfect 2026 qualifying streak and confirmed McLaren's upgrade had indeed given them a car with genuine one-lap grip. Although Ferrari's FP1 pace did not fully translate to qualifying, with Leclerc finishing fourth and Hamilton seventh. Verstappen was fifth, Russell sixth, and the midfield surprise was Alpine getting both Colopinto and Gasly into the top ten. While Aston Martin's weekend stayed ugly, with Alonso and Stroll at the back of the sprint qualifying order. Then we moved on to the sprint race itself. This was McLaren's best session of the weekend so far. Norris was able to convert Paul cleanly with a very good start, clearly leading into turn one, and from there controlled the 19-lap race to win by just under four seconds from his teammate Piastri, giving McLaren a 1-2 ahead of Leclerc who came in at third. This was Mercedes' only their first defeat of the 2026 season in any race format, and that was quite a shock. Antonelli started second but made another poor getaway at the start, dropped to fourth, and then spent the rest of the race fighting his teammate before finishing fourth on the road, but being demoted to sixth for repeated track limit infringements. Behind the McLaren, Leclerc's third was solid but slightly frustrating for Ferrari because they had indeed had the pace. He closed within DRS range to Piasri quite a few times, but could not make the pass stick and drifted well at one point while chasing. Verstappen and Hamilton relived previous races where they had quite a lively fight on track, including quite a bit of wheel-to-wheel contact. With Verstappen eventually finishing fifth after Antonelli's penalty and Verstappen getting promoted to fifth. Hamilton seventh and Gasly taking the final point for Alpine at eighth position. There was also trouble before the race even started with Halkenberg's Audi catching fire on the way to the grid. And Lindblad did not even start the race due to a technical issue. Later in that day, we moved on to the qualifying for the main race. This appeared to produce the clearest swap of the weekend. After McLaren spin pole 1-2, Mercedes hit back quite hard through Antonelli, who took poll for the race, which is actually his third consecutive Grand Prix poll. Ahead of a resurgent were Stappen and Leclerc. Norris recovered from a boost issue to qualify fourth. Russell was fifth, Hamilton sixth, and Piastri only seventh after narrowly escaping Q1 in 16-15th. The surprise was not just Antony on Paul, it was how close and mixed the front look with four teams, four different teams making up the two front rows. Red Bull's upgrades finally appeared to give a step on a car that he could lean on. And he himself said that he felt more in control and no longer like a passenger. Ferrari stayed in the hunt with Leclerc at third. McLaren's drop-off was quite an oddity compared to the form that they showed in the sprint race. Norris's car felt significantly slower and suggested that Friday's form may have actually flattered them, while the conditions actually being hotter on track, quite different wind issues, and quite a messier session overall probably exaggerated this swing for McLaren. Alpine again impressed with Colapinto 8th and Gasly 10th, while Bortoletter's Audi suffered a breakfire that delayed Q2 and left him last. So looking ahead to the main race tomorrow, Antonelli starts from Paul with Verstappen alongside him. Leclerc and Norris on row 2. So the launch will actually be very crucial, particularly given Antonelli's poor launches in previous races, including the sprinter this weekend. The weather forecast is quite a significant issue and will be quite a massive wildcard in this race. The mitigation picture for these conditions is already in place and appears to be looked at. The officials have discussed a possible schedule change due to the risk of lightning, which could actually in turn force a suspension of the race. The event proceeders actually allow cars to be pushed into garages during a thunderstorm red flag. And FIA has banned the 2026 boost mode in wet conditions. So, all in all, the weather and the current grid positions for four different teams sitting on those first two roads looks to see seem a very interesting list to look forward to, and I look forward to speaking to you on the other side of that race.