Norris: I'm ready for anything

However, Norris had no answer to Max Verstappen's pace in qualifying and had to settle for second while Piastri was down in fourth.

Speaking at the end of Saturday in Miami, Norris said: "A good day on track with an important Sprint victory and positive Qualifying position.

"I'm happy with my performances and the progress I've been making with the car this weekend," he said, referring to his recent struggles with the car. "It's been feeling good, and I've taken positive steps forward in every session.

"I'll continue to work hard with my team overnight as Miami seems to be full of surprises, but I'm ready for anything and keen to see what we can do into Turn 1 tomorrow," the Briton concluded.

As for Piastri, he aired his frustration when speaking in McLaren's team report on Saturday; he added: "It's been a bit of a frustrating day, but there are positives as we head into race day tomorrow.

"This morning I did all I could to win the Sprint, but unfortunately the timing of the Safety Car just took it away from me. However, the team did a good job in tricky conditions, and P2 in the Sprint was still a positive result.

"Unfortunately, this afternoon I just fell out of the rhythm at the wrong time and wasn't able to put a good lap in during Q3. It's a shame, as my pace in Q2 was strong and proved there were a few more positions on offer.

"Tomorrow is another day, and the pace in the car is good, so we'll try to make up those positions in the race tomorrow," the Formula 1 drivers' championship leader concluded.

McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella commented: "Another solid Qualifying session to close a positive day for us overall, following P1 and P2 in the Sprint earlier.

"The field is very tight," he pointed out. "We saw once again that Verstappen managed to put together a good lap in Qualifying to take Pole position.

"There's not much margin to our competitors at the moment, which is a reminder of the work we need to keep doing to improve the competitiveness of the car."

While McLaren are known to have, arguably, the best car on the 2025 F1 grid, Stella justified why they have been beaten in qualifying by Verstappen, with Kimi Antonelli also splitting the Papaya cars to qualify third fastest.

He said: "Our car had good potential in Qualifying but it's a little tricky to drive at the limit, which is something we need to continue to work on.

"Still, the positions are promising for tomorrow; we can race well from there, and the race pace is very strong. We're looking forward to another exciting Miami Grand Prix," Stella concluded.