Lando Norris achieved pole position in the F1 Sprint Qualifying at the Miami Grand Prix with an impressive time of 1:27.869. This marks a significant achievement for McLaren, as it breaks Mercedes’ dominance in qualifying sessions this season.
Key qualifying results:
- Lando Norris: 1st place with a time of 1:27.869
- Oscar Piastri: 3rd place with a time of 1:28.108
- Kimi Antonelli: 2nd place, just two tenths behind Norris
Norris described his SQ2 session as “woeful,” but he bounced back in SQ3 to secure pole. His performance is seen as a reward for the hard work McLaren has put into its MCL40 upgrades this season. Neil Houldey, McLaren’s Technical Director, expressed pride in the team’s progress, stating, “To come away with a Pole and third on tomorrow’s Sprint grid, given where we were in the first few races, is a strong step forward.”
Oscar Piastri also noted that the car had good potential during qualifying, saying, “The car had good potential, which was really nice to see.” This improvement comes after a challenging start to the season for McLaren.
This is the first time in the 2026 season that Mercedes has been beaten in any form of Qualifying session. As fans eagerly await the Sprint on Saturday, questions remain about whether McLaren can maintain this momentum against their rivals.
