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).

Ferrari’s much‑vaunted Miami upgrade looked potent in the only 90-minute practice session, with Charles Leclerc topping the lone run in the upgraded SF‑26 with a 1:29.310, about 0.297 seconds clear of Max Verstappen. The upgrade failed to deliver over a single hot lap in Sprint Qualifying, and Leclerc slipped to fourth in SQ3, nearly four‑tenths adrift of Lando Norris’s sprint pole time. Ferrari blamed the loss of single‑lap performance to the soft compound tires and said the team would work overnight to understand the shortfall while expressing confidence in stronger race pace.

McLaren’s upgrade arrived as a clear step forward. Lando Norris posted a 1:27.869 to take Sprint pole, McLaren’s first pole of the season, and Oscar Piastri backed that up with strong practice and a P3 in Sprint Qualifying. Teams had brought wide upgrade packages to Miami, and McLaren’s aerodynamic and technical revisions appeared to return the team to the front, ending Mercedes’ recent one‑lap advantage. Red Bull showed signs of improvement in practice but lacked the outright SQ3 pace to match McLaren, and tire choice and execution emerged as decisive variables for Sprint order.

Mercedes’ weekend was punctuated by power‑unit and packaging concerns that limited running and complicated qualifying preparation. Both Mercedes cars reported engine or turbo issues in practice that prevented planned soft‑tire runs. Kimi Antonelli suffered a power‑unit problem, and George Russell reported unusual turbo noise. The team still extracted a P2 from Antonelli and P6 from Russell in Sprint Qualifying, but Lewis Hamilton finished seventh and said the car didn’t feel particularly great. With only a single practice to evaluate packages, teams left Miami facing a tighter, more fluid pecking order and a night of work to diagnose reliability and tire problems before the race.

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).

Lando Norris put McLaren back at the front by taking Sprint qualifying (SQ3) pole for the Miami Grand Prix in an upgraded MCL40. Norris set a 1:27.869 in SQ3 to claim top spot, beating championship leader Kimi Antonelli by 0.222 seconds; some outlets rounded the gap to 0.2 seconds. The result gave McLaren its first pole of the season and sets Norris up as the favorite for Saturday’s 19‑lap Sprint, which he will start from pole.

McLaren’s heavily upgraded package, reported as seven upgrades including aerodynamic changes, delivered a clear gain. Norris and teammate Oscar Piastri took two of the top three places, with Piastri third. Ferrari and Red Bull also brought major updates to Miami, and the session was the first competitive running after the FIA’s mid-season rule refinement intended to ease energy management. The top five were split by just 0.592 seconds, with Norris, Antonelli, Piastri, Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen.

Mercedes elected to delay a larger upgrade for Miami and ran a smaller package, and the team had mixed fortunes in qualifying. George Russell reported unusual turbo noises and said tire overheating and balance issues hurt his pace, and Mercedes delayed his SQ1 start to work on the power unit. Antonelli missed soft-tire running in FP1 because of engine work but still qualified second. Several teams hit trouble, with Aston Martin failing to log proper laps for Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll and leaving them at the back, while Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas were eliminated early and will start 19th and 20th. The reshuffle caused by upgrades and the rule tweak sets up a competitive Sprint showdown in Miami.

Lando Norris secured Sprint qualifying pole at the Miami Grand Prix driving an upgraded McLaren, posting a 1:27.869 lap in SQ3 to end Mercedes’ early-season run of poles and wins. He credited McLaren’s new aerodynamic package with restoring grip and said the team effectively ran a brand-new car for the weekend. Norris said he missed Turn 16 on his pole lap, briefly debated doing additional flying laps in SQ3 before committing to a single final run, and described his SQ2 showing as “woeful,” saying he had been about a second off the pace in that segment.

Mercedes championship leader Kimi Antonelli split the McLarens with a 1:28.091 in SQ3, 0.222 seconds adrift of Norris, and Oscar Piastri qualified third with a 1:28.108. Charles Leclerc was fourth, Max Verstappen fifth, George Russell sixth and Lewis Hamilton seventh. Franco Colapinto took eighth, Isack Hadjar ninth and Pierre Gasly tenth. The session was the first competitive running after an FIA mid-season rules refinement affecting energy and battery use, and several teams including Ferrari and Red Bull also brought upgrades while Mercedes elected to delay its own package.

The weekend featured mixed running and technical troubles for rivals, including Mercedes work on Russell’s power unit and unusual turbo noises, and several drivers failing to post representative times after incidents for Lance Stroll and others. Aston Martin failed to log proper laps for Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll, compromising their sprint qualifying. Norris was later summoned to the stewards over an allegation of “driving unnecessarily slowly” during qualifying, with a meeting scheduled in Miami and no decision issued at the time of reporting, so his pole remained under investigation. The 19-lap sprint is scheduled for Saturday at noon local time.