Lando Norris Breaks Mercedes Pole Streak in Formula 1 2026

McLaren racer Lando Norris managed to score an amazing lap to beat Kimi Antonelli from Mercedes and grab the pole sprint race Formula One (F1) grand prix Miami season competition 2026.

The sprint qualification took place at the Miami International Autodrome, Miami, United States, on Saturday, May 2, 2026, morning WIB. Norris also managed to mark the first pole position for non-Mercedes so far in this year's race calendar.

The defending champion came out as the fastest with a lap time of one minute 27.869 seconds with McLaren getting a big upgrade. The British racer recorded a lead of 0.222 seconds over Antonelli in second place.

"A perfect result for us. A great way to reward the team. We have a lot of upgrades on the car. It's nice to feel good grip again," said Norris, quoted from Crash.

This is the first pole secured by Norris in the 2026 race calendar. The 26-year-old driver has never finished higher than fourth in a sprint or grand prix in an attempt to defend his title.

This result also shook the dominance of Mercedes which was seen in the first three rounds of the season which took place last March. This dominance brought Antonelli temporarily to the top of the rider standings.

"I've always loved Miami, both on and off the track. It's only the start of the weekend, so there's still a long way to go, but happy to get it all out of the way with this," said Norris.

Oscar Piastri confirmed McLaren's step forward by occupying third place on the grid, followed by Ferrari's Charles Leclerc in fourth place and four-time world champion Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing) completing the top five.

In sixth place is George Russell who is a teammate of Kimi Antonelli. The British racer, who is in second place in the standings, had a difficult time throughout the session so he had to settle for that position.

"It's quite surprising how big the jump McLaren and Ferrari made. It's really impressive. We know they may have narrowed the gap, but all day they were faster than us," said Russell.

The Miami Grand Prix is the fourth race of the year. After the first three series, the most prestigious car racing event had a long break of five weeks due to the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia grand prix as a result of the war in Iran.