Miami Grand Prix Saturday: Teams & Drivers report from Sprint Race and Qualifying

The Mercedes driver secured his third consecutive pole, reinforcing his status as championship leader and the benchmark over one lap.

Max Verstappen joined him on the front row in a major turnaround for Red Bull. After struggling in the opening races of the 2026 Formula 1 season, upgrades and improved balance allowed Verstappen to extract far more from the car, signalling that Red Bull are firmly back in contention.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc qualified third but admitted the team lacked outright pace despite bringing a significant upgrade package. In contrast, Lewis Hamilton showed signs of progress with improved balance, though Ferrari still have work to do to match the leaders.

McLaren, dominant in the Sprint with a Norris led 1one-two, endured a difficult qualifying. Norris could only manage fourth, with Piastri seventh, as rivals closed the gap and changing conditions exposed weaknesses.

With four teams tightly matched and rain forecast for race day, the stage is set for an unpredictable Miami Grand Prix where execution and strategy could prove decisive.

Below is what teams and drivers had to say on Saturday evening after the Sprint Race and Grand Prix Qualifying in Miami.

Kimi Antonelli: "I am very happy with how qualifying went for us today. It was a great recovery after a difficult Sprint and the best way to finish the day. I was very happy with my lap and felt like I maximised the car and my performance. I was frustrated to abort my last push lap after a lock up but thankfully the first effort was good enough for P1. I'm already looking forward to tomorrow. The weather could be tricky but we will be ready for whatever is thrown our way. The aim is always to be prepared and get to the chequered flag as fast as possible. We will work hard to improve our start for Sunday as that has been a major limitation so far this year. I'm confident that as a team we can do so though and put ourselves in the strongest position to fight for the win."

George Russell: "P5 is a disappointing result. Kimi did a great job to get pole but, on my side, I think we could have been P3 if we'd have maximised everything. Sadly, given how close the front of the field is, a few small mistakes added up to dropping us a few positions further down the grid. It's not been my best weekend of the season so far, and I've struggled to get along with this track, but I'm hopeful tomorrow will be better. The expected rain tomorrow will likely play a role in how the Grand Prix goes. We've not raced these cars in the wet so that's an unknown. I'm confident we've got good underlying pace though and hopefully that helps us achieve a better result on Sunday."

Toto Wolff: "That was a solid turnaround after a tough weekend here in Miami for us so far. The changes after the Sprint helped get the car in a better place and Kimi delivered a great lap come Qualifying. He pushed slightly too hard on his final effort, but his first one was still good enough for pole. Everything came together for him, and he had the confidence to deliver. George recovered well despite not feeling at ease with the car today. He was potentially on for P3 before a small mistake at the final corner but he showed he has the pace to battle from P5. It was an incredibly tight session with four different teams in the mix for pole and that is great to see. Whilst we are pleased with how our Saturday has ended, Sunday is where it all counts. We saw in the Sprint that overtaking is not easy, but the weather is looking changeable tomorrow. That will certainly make our lives interesting so let's see what the Grand Prix brings."

Andrew Shovlin: "Congratulations to Kimi on his third pole position of the season. We've not had the smoothest of weekends and it's not been easy to get the car into a good window for the drivers. The changes we made after the Sprint seem to have helped though and it was a great lap by Kimi to take pole. The improvements we've made are encouraging but we know it's Sunday that really counts. George was also looking strong but lost some time at the last corner. That cost him several positions in such a tight session but the improvement he also made from Friday and the Sprint was encouraging. The weather looks like it could make things both interesting and challenging tomorrow. That is especially true considering that we haven't run the car in the wet yet. Despite those unknowns, we are hopeful of having the pace to fight for the victory and continue our solid start to the season."

Max Verstappen: “The Sprint race was a bit hectic in the beginning and we had a difficult lap one with some small issues with the deployment after the start. I think once we were in clean air the pace was actually quite decent so that was of course a big positive. Then heading into Qualifying we made some tiny changes which made the car even stronger. I felt a lot more in control of the car, a lot more confident and not a passenger, so it was all coming together a lot better. Honestly, to be on the front row was incredible but a bit of a surprise! I think the work that has gone in over the last few weeks has been incredible and the Team have really done a great job and they fully deserve that. They have been pushing flat out to find the problems and they came to Miami with solutions, which is an amazing effort. It just gives everyone a big confidence boost that what they have been doing is working. I think from here on we just need to keep on pushing but we are heading in the right direction. I just hope we can run tomorrow with the rain, so let’s see what happens.”

Isack Hadjar: “In the Sprint race, the car improved a lot from yesterday and you could see that from Max's performance. The start was frustrating but I recovered well and felt decent in the car, the move on Franco was the highlight of the Sprint for me. After Quali there was a bit of frustration about my own performance as I didn't deliver the laps I wanted to on the final runs. There was definitely more lap time to gain from my side. I struggled with performance on the straight which limited pulling it all together, but the positive is that we made a big step and it leaves us in a much better shape ahead of the race."

Laurent Mekies, CEO and Team Principal: "Everyone has been working flat out to get to the bottom of what was limiting us so thank you to everyone for pushing so hard over the 5 week break. Today was certainly a step in the right direction and a great performance from Max and our Team. There has been some amazing work done across the board in the factory, both on the chassis and PU side. Everyone has been working flat out to get to the bottom of what was limiting us so thank you to everyone for pushing so hard over the 5 week break, so we could find this lap time and bring a better performance to Miami. Max’s performance today was really strong and he was fighting for Pole during Qualifying. With Isack, we're not yet in the position where he can really push the car but it was also a good effort from him. We don’t think we have fixed everything we need to fix, but we are certainly heading in the right direction based on what we have seen this weekend. We know we need more of that and we will take take all the opportunities tomorrow to keep improving."

Charles Leclerc: "P3 is quite a solid place to start the race from, and it’s my best Qualifying result of the season so far. I think we did a better job overall with the car today, both in the Sprint and in Qualifying this afternoon. We introduced quite a significant aero upgrade package and I believe we benefited from it, even if it’s still not enough to be ahead. On my second run in Q3 the car felt very different compared to the first flying lap, but I think the wind played quite a big role, as most drivers didn’t improve. Tomorrow we need another good start and then we’ll see. There’s a chance of rain, so it could be a very open race."

Lewis Hamilton: "Qualifying was an improvement for us. We made a lot of changes to the car ahead of the session and it felt much better, particularly through Q2, where things were looking strong. Q3 was more difficult and I wasn’t able to extract the maximum performance, so there’s still more to come. I’m really grateful to the whole team for the hard work they’ve been putting in to bring these upgrades and keep pushing us forward. We’ve taken a step in the right direction, and now the focus is on continuing to work together to unlock more from the car."

Fred Vasseur, Team Principal: "Today we saw a completely different result compared to yesterday, which shows that we are all still at a similar stage in our understanding of the cars, as the regulations, the tyres and especially energy deployment are not straightforward. The key is to stay consistent, keep scoring good points and, step by step, build our understanding without leaving anything on the table. I feel we are gradually improving and, starting from the second row, anything is possible. As for Alex Zanardi, I remember perfectly when I started in this business what he represented. For me, he was a mega champion in single-seaters, in the US and then in the Paralympics, where he became a true superstar. But beyond the results, what will always stay with me is his resilience, his positivity and his ability to show that everything is always possible."

Lando Norris: "A mixed day for us, with a good Sprint this morning. We got the maximum out of the car yesterday when others didn’t, and in clear air this morning, we were able to control the race pretty easily. This afternoon, our rivals simply delivered the performance they are capable of, and we found ourselves struggling more with the car in the warmer, windier conditions. However, P4 is not a bad result, it’s definitely a step forward compared to previous races, and the team still did a good job to get the result we did. We need to go away and analyse the data to fully understand where we lost ground to our competitors today. We'll see what the weather brings tomorrow, it's looking like it'll be a wet race, which will be interesting as we've never driven these cars in the wet. We'll do our prep this evening and make sure we're as ready as we can be for tomorrow's Grand Prix."

Oscar Piastri: "A messier Qualifying after a really strong Sprint. We started the day off well, with a great 1-2 for the team, so thank you to them for all the work so far. Going into Qualifying, changing wind, hot temperatures, variable track grip, and some unexpected behaviour from the power unit meant a few things didn’t work as we anticipated, especially in Q3, so lots to review. Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull seem to have taken a step forward from the Sprint to Qualifying, with lap times much closer to what we were expecting. Looking ahead to tomorrow, the predicted weather will make things incredibly interesting, so we will learn what we can overnight and see what's possible in the race."

Andrea Stella, Team Principal: "First of all, I want to use the opportunity to remember Alex Zanardi. A very special man, driver and athlete, a real symbol and example of what it means to love life. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this time. Overall, it’s been a positive weekend so far. We have introduced our first important upgrade to the car, and we’ve seen an improvement in our competitiveness. This is the result of the relentless work of the entire McLaren team in Woking and trackside. It is a promising sign, considering that we will have further upgrades coming in the next race in Montreal and also because it confirms that we are working as a team in the right direction. Here in Miami, we have seen the closest pecking order of the season so far, and we have seen how important the execution of every session is. We have optimised our potential yesterday in Sprint Qualifying and then again today in the Sprint Race with a fantastic 1-2 from Lando and Oscar, but it was not as smooth in this afternoon’s Qualifying session. With each car close to each other, it is not a coincidence that we have the closest gap from Pole since the beginning of the championship season. With four different cars in the top four positions, it’s just a matter of details in execution to gain or lose positions. We did not have the cleanest session, and others have done a better job, an opposite situation compared to what happened yesterday. Despite a slightly challenging Qualifying result of P4 and P7, we remain confident we can build back to be fighting for top positions tomorrow in a race that could become really eventful in the light of the current weather forecast. Once more, execution will be crucial and our energy now is totally focused on preparing ourselves in the best possible way for tomorrow."

Pierre Gasly: “I obviously cannot be totally disappointed with how today has been with a point scored in the Sprint Race and another Q3 appearance in Qualifying. Clearly, we are the fifth fastest team here but the top four teams are just too far ahead so I ended up having quite a lonely Sprint Race in P8 for the final point. On my side, though, something is just not feeling right in the car and I am struggling in particular with traction, which is something we are continuing to work to understand. We have not faced too many similar issues so far this season, so I know there was a lot left on the table today in Qualifying, which we must work on to fix for next time. Tomorrow, again, we expect to be fighting for points. Eyes are on the weather forecast and we have to be ready for any situation. If it is dry, it will probably be another lonely race. If it is wet, opportunities might come our way so we will see what happens and give it our best to score as many points as we can.”

Franco Colapinto: “I'm very happy with today's Qualifying result, being able to repeat P8 from Sprint Qualifying. Generally, it's been a good weekend so far and I'm really proud of the team and the performance. After Japan, we turned around a lack of pace on my side and we changed some things, and it looks like it's worked so far here in Miami, so to have everything click is pleasing. We lost places in the opening corners of the Sprint after I was squeezed by Max [Verstappen], but he had Lewis [Hamilton] on the inside, so there was nowhere to go for any of us. It was an unfortunate one, but we hope for more in tomorrow's Grand Prix and will focus on keeping our position. It's again a positive result for the entire team, with both myself and Pierre in Q3. It shows that the hard work over the break has made a difference and hopefully we can take home some points tomorrow as a reward for the team.”

Steve Nielsen: “It has been good to confirm again that we have the fifth quickest car here in Miami as we had both drivers inside the top 10 across both the Sprint Race and Qualifying today. With Pierre in P8, that means another valuable point for our tally and we certainly have our eyes fixed on adding points with both cars tomorrow given our Qualifying outcome with Franco again P8 and Pierre in P10. Credit to Franco for delivering again in Qualifying and I am sure he is hungry for a much stronger race result tomorrow given how today's Sprint unfolded and the fact only the top eight score points. For Pierre, he is still not quite at one with his car this weekend, which is something the team is putting the time in to fully understand. We know something is not quite right as we know how good Pierre has been in Qualifying so far this season. That being said, focus now is on Sunday where we are expecting some rain at some point. It could well be one of those days that brings a lot of uncertainty, as well as opportunity, which we must be ready for on all fronts.”

Ollie Bearman: "We were really struggling with the rear axle, particularly in high-speed in the Sprint. This track has so many traction zones, and I was really struggling, it was a fight staying on track. We had some ideas before the Sprint, and it confirmed the direction we’re thinking of going in is probably the right one. In qualifying we struggled for pace a bit more than normal. We didn’t bring an update compared to everyone else, so we knew it was going to be a tough weekend. Q1 looked a bit better, but we were on a different strategy to others cars, and in Q2, others made a big step. It seems that everything has to be perfect, and it’s been on a knife-edge, but it’s improved and the car feels quicker, but everyone has done the same. It’s meant to rain tomorrow, so I’ll keep my head up."

Esteban Ocon: "I think we were struggling a little bit with pace in the Sprint. We were with Ollie trying to catch Gabi (Bortoleto), but unfortunately he was a bit too fast for us. We then improved quite a lot from this morning and compared to yesterday. We made a good step forward with the car, obviously not quite enough to get into Q3, but we really pushed everything as much as we could. Unfortunately I hit the wall a little bit so the steering wasn't quite straight. I could have gained a couple more positions as I lost some time into the last corner. It's a shame, but we’re trying to push the limits and that's something that can happen. Tomorrow’s going to be interesting, depending on the weather, so if there are some opportunities to take, we’ll hopefully be there to take them."

Ayao Komatsu, Team Principal: "It was a bit of a challenging day. In the Sprint, we uncovered a weakness we knew we had from FP1, but in consecutive running it was pretty obvious, so we’re trying to make some changes. We did definitely improve the car, but ultimately I don’t think we’re fast enough in these conditions. Many teams brought upgrades, and we didn’t, so we knew we would be up against it. P13 with Ollie is reasonably fair, and even if we did leave a couple of tenths on the table, it’s not too far away from maximizing our potential. With weather conditions tomorrow, it’s going to be quite challenging, so we need to be on top of our game and take every opportunity possible, that’s the target. There are certain things we don’t understand on this car, regardless of upgrades, so I believe there’s more to unlock, but with the car we have today, and our understanding, P13 is a fair result."

Alan Permane, Team Principal: "With Liam, we didn’t quite have the pace to get into Q3 unfortunately; the Alpine's have been a little bit too quick for us here. That being said, the rest of it went smoothly and we’ve dramatically improved the car from where we started, RBFPT have made huge improvements to the power unit operation. We saw from this morning in the Sprint that although we had problems early on with Liam, the car was competitive after we got over those initial problems, degradation was low and he was very happy with the car. Whilst were not as high up as we would like to be, I feel like we’ve been able to maximise everything. Arvid has had another difficult day unfortunately, we had a problem with his car after the lap to grid and this meant he couldn’t take part in the Sprint, losing him valuable laps and balance learning. He got in a bit of a tangle on his last run in Q1 with traffic, which cost him some time at the start of the lap and some tyre preparation, and he narrowly missed out going into Q2. So, plenty of learning this weekend for him but I’m very sure the he’ll go into tomorrow well prepared and ready to fight."

Liam Lawson: "After a tough Sprint we gave everything we had during Quali today. We made some small improvements to the car since yesterday and had decent race pace, but the gap to the top ten feels like a stretch this weekend. This is definitely a development race with teams bringing some interesting upgrades, so we can learn a lot to take forwards. It felt like we maximised everything we had, so we'll push to do the same tomorrow."

Arvid Lindblad: "It’s been a difficult weekend so far. The final lap in Qualifying was quite messy with everyone on top of each other, which compromised our tyre and battery preparation and was quite punishing. We made a few changes, but I didn’t have the best feeling in the car, so we weren’t able to maximise the result. Liam was quite a bit further ahead, so the potential is definitely there. Tomorrow will be a challenge, but we’ll keep pushing and look to move forward."

Checo Perez: “This morning felt good as we were racing the first couple of laps but we were on the hard tire, which wasn’t the right choice in the end. But we learned a lot and this weekend it seems we are definitely more competitive. Qualifying was just very messy. On my second run I made a mistake, which was on me, and then the third lap I had a problem with the energy deployment so I missed the corner and lost this lap too. We have explored the balance, which we need to do, but we just didn’t get the most out of it today.”

Valtteri Bottas: “I felt a lot better with the car in Qualifying after making quite a few changes from the Sprint Race. We knew it was going to be hard to reach Q2, but the gap to the midfield is getting closer, which is good to see. We’re continuing to deepen our understanding of the car and tires to find more consistency which is all part of the process we’re on. Tomorrow is a great opportunity for us if it’s mixed conditions, so we’ll give it everything we can.”

Graeme Lowdon, Team Principal: “Overall this weekend has been a step forward in performance, as we’ve been able to race other teams and be properly in the mix on race pace. We started the Sprint strongly and we were hoping to be further up in Qualifying, but weren’t able to capitalize fully on the inherent progress. That we are disappointed shows just how far we have come in just four races. We now need to look to the race tomorrow to put it all together.”

James Vowles, Team Principal: "If we got everything perfect today, Carlos could’ve been P11 but Q3 wasn’t possible. For Alex, we have been suffering from inconsistency on speed across the start/finish line; there is a lot we’re asking the drivers to do to get everything prepared down the back straight, with a sequence of actions needed to get everything spot on. When you do that, the performance differential can be extreme. In the case of Alex, he had some traffic and with a minor change in throttle application, this meant that he started the lap losing a few tenths, which cost him the position to where he should’ve been. Regardless, it’s good to see the gaps are closer. This is the first step in fighting back to the front of the midfield. We’ve started from a long way back but there’s some good performance coming across the remainder of the season and with Carlos, Alex and the team, I’m confident we won’t stop fighting for points on every occasion that comes our way."

Carlos Sainz: “We were only 0.1s off P11, so it’s clear this Miami upgrade is a positive step for the team. We’re still getting to grips with the new package, and our execution has room for improvement, so there was some laptime left on the table. Tomorrow, we should be able to have some fun in the midfield and possibly be in reach of the points if the weather mixes things up. Lastly, it’s been sad to hear about the passing of Alex Zanardi today. He kept his sporting passion intact despite so many obstacles and he deserves a lot of respect and admiration from the motorsport community. My thoughts are with his friends and family.”

Alex Albon: "In the Sprint race today, we had decent pace but ultimately we decided to pit and trial out some options with the front wing to learn more ahead of qualifying. The upgrades the team has worked tirelessly on have us in a more competitive place and we need to continue to make steps forward. In qualifying, we had inconsistency with deployment combined with some traffic, so I started my lap on the back foot. Overall, we have a better car and good race pace for tomorrow, and the weather forecast for the race could also shake things up so we’ll see what tomorrow brings."

Allan McNish, Racing Director: “A very challenging day for us from start to finish. We had an issue on Nico’s car before the sprint which ultimately led to a leak and fire on the way to the grid, meaning he couldn’t start. On the other side, Gabriel made a strong start and drove well, but a technical infringement unfortunately resulted in a disqualification. Between sessions we then faced a gearbox issue on his car, and despite a huge effort from the crew to get him back out, a brake problem forced him to stop on track in qualifying. The positive is Nico’s recovery, a very strong performance to take P11 and just miss out on Q3. More importantly, both crews showed real grit, determination and teamwork under pressure, which is exactly what we need at this stage of the project. We now have to regroup, learn from today, and make sure we maximise every opportunity that comes our way tomorrow.”

Nico Hulkenberg: “First of all, a big thanks to the mechanics - they did a great job turning the car around after the Sprint and getting it back out there. It was a big effort in a short amount of time, so full credit to them. From my side, I think we got the maximum out of the session today. The gap to the cars ahead was quite clear, so realistically there wasn’t much more on the table. The car felt consistent with yesterday, which was important given we didn’t have time for the usual checks after the repairs. Now it’s about focusing on tomorrow and seeing what we can do in the race.”

Gabriel Bortoleto: "A bit of a tough day with an unfortunate disqualification in the Sprint. It felt like I had settled into a pace I was comfortable with, but the cars ahead were also quite strong. Before the Qualifying session, we had to make some changes to the car, but obviously didn't have a lot of time. The team did a tremendous job to get the car back out there, but when things have to be rushed like this and you don’t have time to fully check everything, it’s always going to be tough. We tried our best, but had too many problems on the lap and had to stop the car. It’s a shame, but it’s a new day tomorrow."

Fernando Alonso: “I feel performance in Qualifying improved a little compared to yesterday and the Sprint, and it’s a relief that the PU vibration issues have improved which was a big focus over the break. Unfortunately, we had some gearbox issues which limited us, so we need to understand them tonight and try and fix things for tomorrow. We haven’t run in the wet yet, so if the weather changes it will be a learning experience for us and everyone on the grid. Let’s see what we can do.”

Lance Stroll: “It felt like we made some small progress since Sprint Qualifying yesterday. We had some issues with traffic on the last run in Q1 and didn’t get the tyres in the right window so lost time there. We know the areas we need to work on and improve, but that’s going to take time. We’ll see what we can do tomorrow, the weather will play a big factor for everyone.”

Shintaro Orihara, Honda Trackside General Manager and Chief Engineer: “We had another day of smooth sessions, completing full distance in the Sprint race in very warm weather. This is a positive thing to see how our power unit works in this heat, which confirms our reliability steps in these severe temperatures. We have qualified for tomorrow's race ahead of Cadillac, which is another small step in the right direction. Of course, P18 and P19 is not where we want to be, so we know that we need to improve our performance.”