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.