Norris, winner of the Miami sprint race. Photo: REUTERS/Brian Snyder
Lando Norris proved McLaren has made the right adjustments during F1’s forced break, taking the first round in Miami by beating his teammate Oscar Piastri. Charles Leclerc completed the podium.
After a heartfelt minute of silence for the late Alex Zanardi, and with Hulkenberg and Lindblad absent due to mechanical issues, the engines roared to life for the Miami GP sprint. In the race every driver dreams of—dominating from start to finish without complications or risks—Norris demonstrated that he still possesses the qualities and the car that made him world champion last year. He defended pole position against a poorly-starting Antonelli and claimed victory with authority. It was a strong morale boost for the McLaren driver, who placed Piastri second behind him.
Behind them, the excitement came first from the Antonelli-Russell duel, then from yet another tussle between Hamilton and Verstappen. Meanwhile, Leclerc felt confident in his Ferrari and charged for third place. It wasn’t easy, but he managed to secure the podium spot. Antonelli, for his part, received a five-second penalty for exceeding track limits, dropping from fourth to sixth place. Mercedes, after winning the first three races of the F1 World Championship and the only sprint so far, found themselves off the podium. They have work to do if they want to reclaim their dominance.
Far from that close fight, Fernando Alonso, driving the slowest car on the grid by a considerable margin, enjoyed overtaking Sergio Pérez in the final meters. However, he finished 16th. That was two positions behind Carlos Sainz, who ended in 14th. Franco Colapinto performed better, finishing 10th, though he missed out on points since only the top eight score.