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.