Lando Norris delivered a commanding performance to claim victory in Saturday’s Miami Grand Prix sprint race, leading McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri home for a dominant one-two finish. The reigning world champion, who had secured his first pole position of the 2026 season on Friday as the first non-Mercedes driver to do so, controlled the 19-lap sprint from lights to flag without facing any serious challenge for the lead.
Piastri successfully held off Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc to secure second place and complete McLaren’s perfect day, while championship leader Kimi Antonelli recovered from another poor start to finish fourth behind Leclerc. The Mercedes driver managed to beat teammate George Russell and extended his points advantage at the top of the standings to 10 points heading into Sunday’s main event.
The sprint’s most captivating moment came from an intense wheel-to-wheel battle between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, who rekindled memories of their historic championship fights. The pair engaged in a thrilling duel for sixth position that saw them running side-by-side through multiple corner sequences, with Hamilton initially gaining the advantage through a move that television cameras missed capturing.
Verstappen responded by muscling past Hamilton at Turn 17, but the four-time world champion was forced to return the position after completing his overtake by running off the racing surface. On the subsequent lap, Verstappen executed a clean pass to secure sixth place and conclude their entertaining battle, while Pierre Gasly claimed the final points-paying position in eighth for Alpine.
The field was reduced before the race even began, with Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg unable to take the start after his car caught fire on the formation lap to the grid. Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad, F1’s only newcomer in 2026, was scheduled to start from the pit lane but never appeared, joining Hulkenberg as a non-starter. Isack Hadjar rounded out the top 10 in the second Red Bull, with Franco Colapinto completing the points in the other Alpine entry.
