(Motorsport-Total.com) – Lando Norris is the first driver to break Mercedes’ pole streak in the 2026 Formula 1 season. Although the Briton’s title defense has been slow so far, a first major upgrade package from McLaren in Miami not only helped him secure the first sprint pole of the year but also gave him back the feeling that carried him to the world championship at the end of 2025.
Read more SQ3 lost due to tires, but: Is Ferrari now catching up to Mercedes?
“A lot of work has gone into these upgrades and it is always difficult to accurately gauge expectations before a new weekend,” Norris explained after the session. “But from the first lap, literally from turn one, everything felt better. I felt more like last year again and just had confidence in the car.”
At the Miami International Autodrome, Norris relegated current points leader Kimi Antonelli to second place in the sprint qualifying by two tenths of a second. His teammate Oscar Piastri completed the good McLaren result in third place, while George Russell in the second Mercedes only managed sixth place.
McLaren takes advantage of Mercedes’ weakness
The result was due to a combination of factors. McLaren brought the new parts to the track earlier than Mercedes, while the Silver Arrows struggled with overheated tires and an inferior energy recovery strategy. For Norris personally, however, the return of his confidence in the car weighed more heavily after he had problems especially in qualifying at the start of the season.
“It’s a nice start to the weekend and honestly probably better than we expected. Of course, we hoped for an improvement, but we didn’t know how big it would be. So it’s a small surprise, but definitely a pleasant one,” he said.
Read more FIA penalty in Miami: Alexander Albon’s qualifying result only taken away afterwards
Despite the euphoria over the fast lap, the pace over race distance remains a question mark. In the only 90-minute practice in Miami, both Mercedes drivers as well as the Ferrari drivers appeared superior in the long run. Since the parc fermé reopens after the 19-lap sprint, teams have the opportunity to adjust their setup for the main qualifying on Saturday evening.
Uncertainty before the sprint and the Grand Prix
Norris therefore remains cautious in his forecast: “It’s only the sprint qualifying, so there’s no reason to be overly proud in any way. We still have a long weekend ahead of us. It’s hard to know what the competition is doing in the long runs. A lot can happen, but we started as well as we could have hoped.”
Regarding the upcoming tasks, he added: “When you’re that fast in qualifying, you usually expect that to continue in the long runs. However, there are still many unknowns. The car is still new to us in this specification and we are learning as we go. We are still trying to optimize things and I’m sure we will make further improvements by the qualifying for the Grand Prix.”
Read more Coachella with Daniel Ricciardo: Why Valtteri Bottas never wants to go again