Lando Norris showcased his class by cruising to victory in the Miami Grand Prix sprint, marking his first triumph of the season. Starting from pole, the world champion maintained control throughout the race, finishing comfortably ahead of McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri by almost four seconds.
Championship leader Kimi Antonelli, who lined up second on the grid, suffered from a poor start and initially crossed the line in fourth place. However, a five-second penalty for exceeding track limits relegated him to sixth, narrowing his championship lead over Mercedes’ George Russell to just seven points.
Despite missing the Chinese Grand Prix due to mechanical issues, Norris has closed the gap to Antonelli, now sitting 42 points behind the leader. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton delivered an intense battle for position; Verstappen ultimately finished sixth, promoted by Antonelli’s penalty, with Hamilton in seventh.
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“It was a strong race and great to be back on the top step, even if it was just the sprint,” Norris said. “The team did a fantastic job with the upgrades. It was hot and challenging out there, but everything went smoothly, probably the first weekend this year without any dramas, touch wood.”
Mercedes had dominated the season until now, winning every race, both sprint and full. However, McLaren’s upgraded car in Miami allowed them to break that dominance. Norris seized sprint pole on Friday night, delivering McLaren’s first pole position on a track where he also secured his first F1 victory in 2024.
Antonelli and Russell had hoped their starting issues had been resolved, but Antonelli’s sluggish reaction off the line allowed Piastri and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc to overtake him. Antonelli briefly held off Russell before eventually settling back behind him.
Hamilton overtook Verstappen early and reclaimed sixth place after Verstappen briefly lost ground. As the race progressed, Russell passed Antonelli into the final corner but the Italian fought back to reclaim fourth position. Verstappen made a clean pass on Hamilton at turn 11, despite being instructed to give the place back by Red Bull.
At the front, Norris controlled the race, keeping Piastri at bay as the younger teammate defended strongly against Leclerc to secure a one-two finish for McLaren.
Leclerc later criticized Antonelli’s close racing, calling him “bad wheel-to-wheel” on the team radio. The Monegasque driver later acknowledged his remarks were “harsh,” explaining, “We’ve had our battles, and I hope things calm down. He’s the only Italian on the grid racing against Ferrari, and I respect him, but sometimes it gets too tight and unnecessary.”