After a long break from the sport, F1 Sprint Quali at the 2026 Miami GP brought an exciting battle, much missed by the fans. It was a close fight, with last year’s champion Lando Norris ultimately taking the top spot. Youngster Kimi Antonelli took second, and Norris’ McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri scored the third podium starting position.
SQ1
It was a slow start to the first session of sprint qualifying. However, Lance Stroll locked up with six minutes to go, causing the yellow flags which compromised Norris’ flying lap.
It was disappointment for the Aston Martins, both at the bottom of the timesheet and knocked out in SQ1. The team have struggled all season long, and were hoping to bring better performance Sprint Quali here at the 2026 Miami GP weekend.
SQ2
Both Williams drivers managed to get their cars into SQ2. The long spring break has paid off for many of the teams, but not so much for others. Both Ollie Bearman and Arvid Lindblad were tentative to set a lap, both staying in the pits until close to two minutes left in the second session of sprint qualifying.
The Ferrari’s have stepped up their performance this weekend, making huge gains on the McLarens and Mercedes. This paid off for Charles Leclerc, who set fastest in SQ2.
SQ3
The cars took a long time to get on track for this session, with everyone heading out of the pits within the final four minutes of SQ3.
For the first time in 2026, it was a non-Mercedes pole position, for last year’s championship winner Lando Norris.
Albon In Trouble
It was heartbreak for Alex Albon, who lost his stellar 14th place starting position for Williams, after a post-race investigation concluded he violated track limits in SQ1. By proxy, all following lap times were deleted. He now starts in 19th for the Sprint Race.