‘Now we have to do it all over again’: Norris eyes Miami GP after topping sprint

• Photo courtesy of F1

Lando Norris, the reigning 2025 world champion, delivered a strong start to the Miami weekend after taking the sprint win, but the McLaren driver made it clear the job is far from finished as focus shifts to the main race.

“So, good start to the weekend but now we have to do it all over again.”

Norris controlled the sprint from the front, crossing the line in 29:15.045 and finishing 3.766 seconds ahead of teammate Oscar Piastri. The result underlined McLaren’s pace, with both drivers showing strong performance across the race despite a close fight early on.

Charles Leclerc completed the podium in third, +6.251 seconds behind, while George Russell climbed to fourth with a +12.951-second gap. Max Verstappen rounded out the top five at +13.639 seconds, followed closely by Kimi Antonelli at +13.777 seconds.

The race also saw action further down the order, particularly within Mercedes, where Antonelli dropped from second to fourth off the line and battled closely with Russell, who started sixth. The two swapped positions multiple times before Russell came out ahead on track, only for Antonelli to later be handed a five-second penalty for a track limits violation, dropping him to sixth in the final classification.

Elsewhere, Verstappen was involved in a tight fight with Lewis Hamilton, with the pair going wheel-to-wheel on the opening lap and again midway through the sprint. Verstappen ultimately crossed the line in sixth but was promoted to fifth following Antonelli’s penalty.

Hamilton finished seventh (+21.665s), followed by Pierre Gasly in eighth (+30.525s). Isack Hadjar (+35.346s) and Franco Colapinto (+36.970s) completed the top ten.

For Norris, the result was a welcome return to the top step, especially with McLaren’s recent upgrades starting to deliver.

“it was a good race. It’s nice to be back on the top step even if it’s a sprint. But a good day for us, you know, a massive job to the team in bringing the upgrades. I know it feels like everyone is saying the same thing but, you know, ours have really helped this weekend. So, happy to get it done for the team,” he said.

“But it’s hot, it was hot out there, it was sweaty. I was still pushing, you know, I was trying to find that balance of pushing but also being quite relaxed and not making mistakes,” he added.

With the main race coming up, McLaren will look to carry over its sprint pace into a longer run, while rivals aim to close the gap in what is shaping up to be a competitive Miami Grand Prix.

McLaren back on top as reigning champion Norris storms to Sprint pole in Miami