McLaren are keen to regain their bearings when the 2026 Formula 1 season resumes this weekend. After a five-week hiatus due to the ongoing war in the Middle East, we’ll finally have the Miami Grand Prix, where the Papayas have reigned supreme.
Defending world champion Lando Norris has yet to win a race this year, while teammate Oscar Piastri has come close to winning one for the Papayas. As a result, McLaren are third in the constructors’ championship with 46 points, a whopping 95 points adrift of frontrunners Mercedes. But so far, McLaren’s weekend in South Beach is off to an auspicious start, while the same can’t exactly be said for Mercedes.
Kimi Antonelli is on top of the drivers’ championship with 72 points, with Mercedes teammate George Russell in second with 63. The Silver Arrows hope that the long break won’t ruin the momentum they’ve built.
Here are some of the notable Miami Grand Prix 2026 updates, courtesy of SBOTOP.
Norris and Piastri finished within the Top 3
McLaren’s Miami Grand Prix weekend is off to an eventful start, as Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri finished within the Top 3 during the recently concluded Sprint Qualifying.
Norris will line up first for Saturday’s Sprint, having bounced back from a “woeful” SQ2, as he won by more than two-tenths from Kimi Antonelli. This marks the first time this season that Mercedes have been beaten in any form of the Qualifying session. On the other hand, Piastri finished third behind Antonelli. Norris had to earn this victory, as he struggled with his tyre temperatures during his lap, with the track surpassing 50 degrees on Friday.
Miami holds good memories for Norris, as it was where he earned his maiden Grand Prix victory back in 2024, and the defending world champion is happy to be back on the front foot. He is currently fifth in the drivers’ championship with only 25 points after P5 outings in Australia and Japan and a DNS in China due to a mechanical failure.
Piastri also has good memories of South Beach, as he won last year’s race. Like Norris, Piastri is also off to a sluggish start after back-to-back DNS’s in Australia and China before finishing second in the Japanese Grand Prix.
Mixed fortunes for Mercedes
It hasn’t been a smooth ride for Mercedes so far this weekend, as the W17 faced issues during the sole free practice session and the Sprint Qualifying. During free practice, Kimi Antonelli couldn’t complete a lap on softs due to a power unit issue, although he finished P2 in the Sprint Qualifying. Meanwhile, Russell could only go sixth with the red-marked tyres in free practice and didn’t go higher than that in the Sprint Qualifying.
Russell admitted that the W17 struggled with the sweltering heat in South Beach. After Sprint Qualifying, the 28-year-old driver also said he is “surprised” with how big a jump their rivals – McLaren and Ferrari – have made in the past few days.
Russell must pick himself up fast to close in on Antonelli at the top of the drivers’ championship. The Briton is coming off a fourth-place finish in Japan after winning in Australia and finishing second in China.
History
The Miami Grand Prix is one of the newest races in the Formula 1 calendar, as it was first held in 2022. The race takes place at the Miami International Autodrome on a 10-year contract, which was recently extended until 2041, and a Sprint has been added to the weekend since 2024. This year, the Miami Grand Prix will have two American teams for the first time, with Haas returning and Cadillac making their debut.
Max Verstappen won the first two editions of the Miami Grand Prix during his four-peat years, while Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri won in 2024 and 2025, respectively.
What are the odds?
After taking pole position in the Sprint Qualifying, the Miami Grand Prix 2026 odds have Lando Norris as the favourite to win the Sprint later at 1.70, while Kimi Antonelli, Charles Leclerc, Oscar Piastri, and George Russell are at 3.20, 7.00, 9.00, and 21.00, respectively. Previous two-time winner Max Verstappen has the sixth-best odds at 17.00, level with Lewis Hamilton. McLaren are also pegged at 1.50 to be the winning team.
But on Sunday, Norris is level with Antonelli at 3.20 to win the actual race, while Russell, Piastri, and Leclerc are the other challengers for the remaining podium spots at 6.00, 7.00, and 7.00. McLaren and Mercedes are also both at 2.20 to be the victorious team.
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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