Analysis of the Miami Grand Prix, brought to you by Bahrain International Circuit
F1 – Formula 1 arrived in Miami after its extended break for a sprint race weekend which had something for everyone.
The off-track spectacle in one of F1’s core growth markets in the US gave us the hype, whilst the on-track action throughout the weekend lived up to the excitement with compelling racing that you couldn’t take your eyes away from.
The gap in the F1 calendar prior to the Miami race gave a major opportunity for teams to work on car upgrades. In such an early phase of a rules cycle, significant gains are possible for teams at every level and over time there is a natural narrowing of the gaps between the top and the bottom. The FIA provides a full list of changed parts ahead of each race weekend and not surprisingly, the catalogue for Miami was quite extensive. Ferrari brought 11 upgrades in total, including for its notable “flip-flop” rear wing. McLaren had six in total, including an upgraded floor, rear wing and sidepod, whilst Red Bull had seven which also included new sidepods as well as rear wing upgrades. In fact, all the teams except for Aston Martin arrived with new packages.
All these upgrades gave a sense of unpredictability, with the Florida weather forecast also playing its part. With storms widely expected to reach Miami on Sunday afternoon, the race was brought forward by three hours. Whilst that suited us race fans in Bahrain with the earlier start time, it also meant that the race could proceed ultimately unimpeded by storms.
Prior to all of that, the sprint race offered a glimpse of how these upgraded cars were set to perform. Lando Norris, who has great memories of Miami having secured his first ever win in F1 here two years ago, took a dominant win having qualified on sprint pole in a race where he seldom looked troubled.
Backing up what appeared to be a reinvigorated 2026 Mclaren, Piastri was second, comfortably ahead of Chales Leclerc’s Ferrari in third. George Russell, who had said prior to the weekend that the style of the Miami track was not best suited to his driving, finished fourth, ahead of Max Verstappen in an improved Red Bull, with Antonelli, Hamilton and Gasly completing the top eight and sprint points scorers.
With a gap of only a few hours between the sprint race and qualifying, it came as a surprise that the McLaren pair could not continue their momentum, with Norris only qualifying fourth with Piastri seventh. It was therefore down to Antonelli to remind us of the underlying strength of the 2026 Mercedes car and indeed his own incredible start to the season, by taking pole. He was joined by Max Verstappen on the front row, in a Red Bull car that seemed far more competitive compared to the first three races of the season. Charles Leclerc was not far off the front in third, with Russell fifth, ahead of Hamilton in the other Ferrari. What was notable about qualifying was the less than one second gap separating the top eight on the grid.
The close battles amongst the top four teams carried over into the race to produce a show for fans which delivered excitement from start to finish. Antonelli had what appears by now to be a habitual struggle to get off the line efficiently, but the race pace of the Mercedes ensured he was always in contention. It was Norris who made the most progress in the first part of the race and by the time of the pit stop window, had a consistent lead over the young Italian. However, it was Antonelli who made the decision to stop first, with Norris a lap later.
The “undercut” tactic from Mercedes worked in their favour as a rapid first lap from Antonelli after his stop ensured that Norris fell behind to second place when he emerged out of the pits. Despite some pressure from the world champion, Antonelli held out for his third win in a row.
It was another remarkable and calm performance which again showed why he is now seen amongst the best of current F1 drivers, young or old. Lando Norris had to settle for second, reflecting after the race that a better-timed pit stop could have seen him secure victory. Having said that, combined with Piastri’s third place, McLaren can be content that their upgrades have delivered meaningful improvements which should see them continue to fight at the front.
Verstappen’s weekend performance also showed some hope that Red Bull can be fighting for podiums. Having qualified second, the Dutchman made a rare error spinning on the opening lap but showed his usual fighting spirit to claim a fifth-place finish, just behind Russell in the other Mercedes. Elsewhere, Ferrari felt like a bit of a mixed bag. Leclerc finished the race in sixth but was demoted to eighth after receiving a 20 second penalty for going off multiple times on the last lap, having collided with a wall. That meant that Hamilton was promoted to sixth in the other Ferrari and Colapinto in the Alpine seventh.
Following his third victory in a row, Antonelli now leads the championship by 20 points, ahead of his more experienced teammate, George Russell. Rusell will be feeling the pressure from both within his team, but also a chasing pack of McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull, all of which have the performance to fight for podium places based on the events of Miami.
F1 returns for the Canadian Grand Prix on 24 May.
– Laurence Jones is senior manager, Marketing and Communications, Bahrain International Circuit l.jones@bic.com.bh
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