Max Verstappen said Red Bull’s sudden performance turnaround at the Miami Grand Prix stemmed as much from a repaired steering system as from aerodynamic upgrades. He described a complete overhaul of the steering assembly, including replacement of the steering rack and supporting components after tracing the fault back to the Barcelona test, and said the fix let him “steer normally” again rather than feel like “a passenger.” The mechanical repair, found during F1’s enforced five-week break, combined with the aero package to restore his comfort, confidence and competitive pace.

The aerodynamic package fitted over the break included Red Bull’s interpretation of Ferrari’s “Macarena” rear wing, revised sidepods, a fresh floor and refinements to the engine cover and exhaust to stabilize airflow. The updates and the steering repair together made the RB22 “feel more together,” and Verstappen said the team had “almost halved” the deficit to the leaders and called the recovery “incredible.”

The on-track effect showed in Miami: Verstappen qualified on the front row, P2 and 0.166 seconds behind pole, and finished fifth in the Sprint, though he and team bosses acknowledged remaining weaknesses in the high-speed first sector and on race starts. Red Bull carried out much of the testing and fitting work during the five-week pause, and Sky Sports commentators said the car was starting to behave as he expected and suggested the changes could spark a resurgence. Red Bull is also preparing for internal staff changes, including the previously announced 2028 departure of long-time race engineer GianPiero Lambiase, as the team builds on the Miami improvements ahead of Sunday’s race.

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem confirmed Formula 1 plans to return to V8 engines, with the FIA targeting 2030 for implementation. “It’s coming,” he told media, and he said votes by teams and power‑unit manufacturers led the FIA to set 2030 as the target.

Ben Sulayem described the proposed V8 generation as lighter, cheaper, simpler and producing a louder sound favored by purist fans. He said the design would feature only “very, very minor electrification” and run on sustainable fuels, and the FIA says the move will reduce technical complexity, restore more engine‑driven power and boost road‑car relevance after the era that included the MGU‑H.

Current F1 power units are turbocharged 1.6‑litre V6 hybrids that use only the MGU‑K, with recent regulations having shifted roughly half the power to electrical hybrid systems. The proposed rules would shift emphasis back toward combustion power. Ben Sulayem explicitly ruled out a return to V10 engines and noted F1 previously used V8s from 2006 through 2013. He said the FIA could try to accelerate the change and warned that once the 2031 regulation cycle begins the FIA would have the authority to impose the switch even without manufacturers’ votes. Power‑unit manufacturers could try to delay any shift before 2031 via a supermajority. Manufacturers such as Ferrari, Mercedes, Audi and Cadillac were cited as having road‑car relevance to V8s; GM president Mark Reuss has said Cadillac intends to be a factory works team by the end of the decade. McLaren’s Andrea Stella cautioned that meaningful hardware changes are unlikely before 2028. The FIA says official confirmation of the plan is expected soon.

Gabriel Bortoleto was disqualified from the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix Sprint after post-race scrutineering found his Audi R26 exceeded the maximum permitted engine intake air pressure of 4.8 barA. FIA technical delegate Jo Bauer reported that FIA-approved sensors mounted downstream of the charge air cooling system recorded a pressure spike above the 4.8 barA limit for one lap as temperatures rose, and cited non-compliance with Article C5.3.2. Race stewards applied the standard disqualification, removing Bortoleto’s 11th-place Sprint result and any potential points, and promoting Esteban Ocon to 11th place.

Audi acknowledged the pressure exceedance occurred over a single lap and attributed it to unexpectedly high temperatures. Team representatives said they reduced intake pressure once they became aware of the spike, and an Audi representative confirmed the measurements when stewards double-checked the data. Audi also stripped the rear axle to isolate the issue and reinstalled a gearbox and the whole rear axle in about half an hour, a recovery Bortoleto described as a “miracle.” That repair delayed his entry into Q1, produced the slowest lap in Q1 and, according to Bortoleto, hampered his chances in qualifying. Both Audi drivers were due to start Sunday’s Miami Grand Prix from the back of the grid.

The disqualification came amid a separate mechanical failure for Audi, when team-mate Nico Hülkenberg suffered a power-unit failure that produced smoke and flames and prevented him from starting the Sprint. The ruling underscored the role of FIA-approved sensor data in post-session scrutineering and the strict enforcement of FIA technical regulations.

Kimi Antonelli secured his third consecutive pole position at the Miami Grand Prix, extending an extraordinary start to his Formula 1 career. Driving for Mercedes, Antonelli posted a best Q3 lap of 1:27.798 to beat Max Verstappen by 0.166 seconds and was quickest through every phase of qualifying. He sealed pole without a second Q3 attempt after locking up into Turn 1 on his final outing.

The rest of the front rows reflected fine margins and recent mid-season development gains. Verstappen qualified second with a 1:27.964, Charles Leclerc was third on 1:28.143, and Sprint winner Lando Norris qualified fourth on 1:28.183. George Russell, Antonelli’s Mercedes teammate, took fifth with a 1:28.197, Lewis Hamilton was sixth on 1:28.319 and Oscar Piastri seventh on 1:28.500. The result left Antonelli leading the drivers’ championship by seven points over Russell.

The Miami weekend featured upgrades from McLaren, Ferrari and others that shifted the pecking order as changing temperatures and windy conditions affected runs. Technical dramas interrupted sessions, with Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto suffering a power-unit issue and later a left-rear brake fire after being disqualified from the Sprint for an incorrect engine air intake. With three straight poles to start his career, Antonelli joined Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna in matching that feat at their first three races.

Lando Norris converted McLaren’s upgrade package into pole and victory in the 19-lap Miami Sprint, posting a 1:27.869 in SQ3 to take sprint pole, 0.222 seconds ahead of championship leader Kimi Antonelli. The pole was McLaren’s first of the season and the first non-Mercedes pole of 2026. Norris credited a heavily revised MCL40 and a string of upgrades with restoring grip, calling the result “a perfect way to reward the team.”

McLaren’s one-two pace carried into the Sprint, with teammate Oscar Piastri finishing second behind Norris, while Antonelli, who had qualified on the front row, lost places off the line and dropped to fourth in the race.

The weekend featured several incidents and reliability problems that reshaped running. Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton tangled early, scattering debris, Nico Hülkenberg’s Audi stopped with a fire at Turn 17 and did not make the Sprint, and several drivers were eliminated or failed to post representative times in qualifying, including Sergio Perez, Valtteri Bottas, Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll. Teams ran under a mid-season FIA energy-management refinement for the first competitive track action since the break, and McLaren said its aerodynamic and other upgrades helped it make the most of the new regulations. Mercedes faced technical trouble and opted to delay its own upgrades for Miami, with George Russell reporting unusual turbo noises and the team working on his power unit during SQ1, leaving questions about Mercedes’ race-pace recovery against an upgraded McLaren.

McLaren and Ferrari brought upgrade packages to Miami that produced a measurable swing in single-lap pace, with Lando Norris taking Sprint pole with a 1:27.869 to end Mercedes’ run of poles and wins this season. Andrea Kimi Antonelli set a 1:28.091 to split the McLarens and Oscar Piastri was third on 1:28.108. The top five in SQ3 were tightly packed and the session featured interrupted runs and incidents, including Lance Stroll’s heavy lock-up that brought yellow flags and a number of eliminations in SQ1.

George Russell said he was “taken aback by the ‘impressive’ step forward from McLaren and Ferrari” after he could only manage sixth in Sprint Qualifying for the Miami Grand Prix, a result that exposed cracks in Mercedes’ one-lap dominance. Russell finished 0.402 seconds behind teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli and 0.624 seconds off Lando Norris. He blamed overheating tires, a lack of balance through the twisty middle sector and Miami’s hotter conditions. Mercedes also had on-track trouble during the session, delaying Russell’s SQ1 start to work on his power unit after unusual turbo noises, leaving limited opportunity to recover before the Sprint race.

Mercedes arrived with only modest updates and is planning a larger package for the next round in Canada. Former champion Jenson Button said Russell appeared downbeat after qualifying. Teams and pundits suggested the Sprint result was an early sign the championship picture could tighten if rival upgrades continue to pay off, and Mercedes faces pressure after three rounds in which it had previously swept poles and wins.

Red Bull Racing introduced a broad aerodynamic upgrade to the RB22 for the Miami Grand Prix that drivers said improved competitiveness but did not eliminate the car’s weight, balance and pace problems. Max Verstappen called the package a significant step, saying it “almost halved” the deficit to this season’s frontrunners and that it made the car “feel more together,” yet he warned the car remained “very weak in the first sector.” Isack Hadjar offered a more cautious verdict, saying the changes “won’t solve all our issues,” that he did not expect to contend for a podium in Miami and that he was puzzled by roughly a one-second gap to Verstappen in sprint qualifying. Team principal Laurent Mekies described the updates as moving the team in the right direction and said Miami would be an initial test rather than an overnight fix.

The upgrade package touched nearly every aerodynamic surface of the RB22. Red Bull fitted an independently developed rotating rear wing, widely nicknamed the “Macarena,” reported to turn at about 160 to 180 degrees depending on accounts, and added wider sidepods featuring a waterslide-like ramp. Engineers also revised the front wing and corner inlets, the engine cover, the floor, and introduced an exhaust flap intended to increase aerodynamic load and stabilize airflow. The team carried out an off-track filming day at Silverstone to assess the changes and said the package aimed to improve simulation-to-track correlation and driver comfort.

The upgrades produced measurable gains but left key limitations. Verstappen used the new package to qualify fifth for the sprint, around 0.6 seconds off Lando Norris, and called it his best result of the season so far. Hadjar was slower in practice and qualifying after a five-week absence and said he expected to aim for Q3 and points rather than a podium. Reports vary on the RB22’s exact overweight figure, with estimates ranging from about 12 kilograms to roughly 30 kilograms, and Red Bull said it had trimmed roughly half of an earlier reported overweight. Teams and drivers said weight, setup window sensitivity, balance and tire management remain central problems that the Miami upgrades have improved but not yet fully solved.

Stewards late in the session ruled Alexander Albon had exceeded track limits at Turn 6 and, invoking Article 11.7.1.a of the International Sporting Code, deleted his SQ1 time and consequently all his SQ2 lap times. The decision, made after SQ2 had already started, relegated Albon from P14 to P19 on the Miami Sprint grid and forced a reshuffle of the starting order.

Officials said the breach was not reported until SQ2 had begun, which meant Albon had already been allowed to contest SQ2. Racing Bulls flagged the infringement after replay footage suggested he went beyond the white line, and the automatic track-limits detection system did not register the event. Race control deleted nine lap times by six drivers in total, and only one of those deletions specifically involved Turn 6. Stewards reviewed Albon’s onboard footage after he had already gone out in SQ2 and summoned him during SQ3.

The late discovery directly affected Racing Bulls and Liam Lawson, who had been kept in the car to contest SQ2 and who publicly criticized the timing of the ruling, saying, “I could not understand how it happened,” “I honestly can’t understand how that’s possible,” and describing his weekend as “a series of bad events.” Drivers noted the white line at Turn 6 was hard to see because rubber from support events had obscured it, and race organizers planned to repaint the line overnight. Officials referenced a 2022 precedent in which Sergio Perez was later penalized after a belatedly discovered breach. The deletion promoted Carlos Sainz, Arvid Lindblad, Liam Lawson, Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez up the sprint order. Albon had originally progressed with a best SQ time of 1’30.988, while Lawson was eliminated in SQ1 in 17th with a 1’31.043, missing the SQ2 cut by 0.06 seconds; Racing Bulls finished with both cars outside the top 15 (Lindblad 16th, Lawson 17th).