At the restart of Formula 1 after a five-week break, world champion Lando Norris sends out a sporting sign of life. The Englishman in the McLaren secures pole position for the sprint race in Miami.
01.05.2026, 23:47
02.05.2026, 08:16
SDA
Formula 1 is back! After a five-week enforced break due to the Grand Prix in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia being canceled because of the Iran war, and an ongoing debate about the new regulations, it's back to racing. Many teams have used the race-free period to completely overhaul their cars. At world champion team McLaren, this seems to be bearing fruit after a weak start to the season.
A top lap from Norris
Lando Norris, who initially struggled with the major changes to the regulations and only recorded one retirement and two 5th places in the first three races of the season, made an impressive comeback in Miami. In the decisive phase of qualifying for the sprint, the defending champion was a good two tenths faster than championship leader Kimi Antonelli in the Mercedes.
Norris' team-mate Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari will line up on the second row of the grid. Four-time world champion Max Verstappen was already almost six tenths off the fastest time in fifth place. Behind the Dutchman in the Red Bull - one of the fiercest critics of the new hybrid engines with permanent battery management - came George Russell in the Mercedes and record world champion Lewis Hamilton in the Ferrari.
Mercedes beaten for the first time
This is the first time this season that no Mercedes has taken first place on the grid. In the first three race weekends, the "Silver Arrows" had cleaned up in grand style: after the opening race in Australia, Russell also won the sprint in China; Antonelli subsequently won the Chinese Grand Prix and the one in Japan.
This is Norris' fifth pole position for a sprint stage. He has won three times in races covering around a third of the Grand Prix distance, including twice in his year as world champion. In the current world championship standings, the Briton is currently only in fifth place behind the Mercedes and Ferrari drivers.
The sprint race starts on Saturday at 18:00 Swiss time. Qualifying for the Grand Prix of Miami, which starts at 22:00 on Sunday, follows four hours later.
