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Sprint race reportShare<\/a><\/p>\n Right, I am wrapping up for now, but we will be back for qualifying, in three hours\u2019 time, to see if any lessons from this Miami lunchtime will have been brought to bear for teatime \u2013 mojito time? \u2013 and qualifying for Sunday\u2019s main event. See you then.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n And here is George Russell. \u201cNot much happier, to be honest. I struggle on this track. It\u2019s very low grip \u2013 there are a couple of tracks on the calendar, Brazil, Zandvoort. The improvements from McLaren, Ferrari and also Red Bull<\/a> are a little bit daunting. So that\u2019s the main thing.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Antonelli addresses his start and its impact: \u201cFor once I did everything right with the procedures, so we need to check what happened. The grip was very low \u2026 Probably lower than we expected. After that I was really frustrated, I didn\u2019t even drive well, I got track limits, I did a lot of mistakes.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Toto Wolff now. \u201cWe knew that we were a bit out of sync with our updates.\u201d He says Antonelli\u2019s bad start was the team\u2019s fault for the setup. Wolff pays tribute to Zanardi, \u201cone of my heroes as I was coming through as a driver\u201d. \u201cWe lost a great racer.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Andrea Stella now with Ted Kravitz and before addressing his McLaren<\/a> team\u2019s good day, he addresses the death of his compatriot Alex Zanardi, someone who exemplified \u201cwhat it means to love life. So this win is for him.\u201d<\/p>\n He adds: \u201cIt was important to confirm that the upgrades work, like we have seen yesterday over a single lap. Today it was important to see them in long runs and even hot conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Right, points scorers in full:<\/p>\n 1 Norris 8pts Share<\/a><\/p>\n Here comes the captain of Artemis II, Reid Wiseman, to present Norris\u2019s award \u2026 but then a moment of silence for Alex Zanardi. That\u2019s it for the presentations.<\/p>\n McLaren\u2019s Lando Norris celebrates winning the sprint race with NASA\u2019s Artemis II captain Reid Wiseman. Photograph: Marco Bello\/ReutersShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a012.55 EDT<\/p>\n Norris forgets \u201cif it ain\u2019t broke, don\u2019t fix it\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Cheers for Norris. \u201cIt was a good race, nice to be back on the top step.\u201d Praises the upgrades. Hot, sweaty work but a good start to the weekend.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Here\u2019s Piastri. David Coulthard the man with the mic. Piastri \u201cmostly\u201d satisfied. \u201cEveryone else will learn a lot, and so will we.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Leclerc pleased. Satisfied with being ahead of Mercedes, not happy to trail McLaren<\/a>.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Winners? Norris and McLaren<\/a> generally; Leclerc and his engineers. Losers? Piastri won\u2019t be delighted to be one place behind Norris, but Hamilton will be several times more aggrieved to be four places worse off than Leclerc. But for Mercedes this looks like their worst-case scenario, with the other teams catching them and Antonelli\u2019s penalty confirmed.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Oooh. Antonelli could get a five-second penalty for a fourth breach of track limits. That would promote Russell to fourth and Verstappen to sixth.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Kimi Antonelli ahead of George Russell, so is now 10 points clear at the top of the standings. Verstappen sixth, Hamilton seventh and Gasly eighth to complete the standings.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Norris wins!<\/p>\n It\u2019s a McLaren<\/a> one-two, with Piastri second, Leclerc third.<\/p>\n McLaren\u2019s Lando Norris on his way to victory. Photograph: H\u00e9ctor Vivas\/Formula 1\/Getty ImagesNorris takes the chequered flag. Photograph: Rebecca Blackwell\/ReutersShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a012.51 EDT<\/p>\n Verstappen has got close to Russell, but surely too late.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Leclerc is not going to catch Piastri barring a mistake by the Australian.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n One lap to go Norris cruising. The title defence no longer looks at all forlorn.<\/p>\n McLaren\u2019s Lando Norris exits a corner during the sprint race. Photograph: Ryan Pierse\/LAT ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a013.01 EDT<\/p>\n I should mention that the other big doubt is whether Martin Brundle\u2019s voice is going to hold out for tomorrow. He said he sat next to a man with a cough on his flight and that the aircon finished him off. He is growling through the sprint, but does he have race pace without an oil change for his vocal cords?<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Of course it\u2019s the top eight, not the top 10, that matter here for points. Barring a safety car, it looks like Norris-Piastri-Leclerc-Antonelli-Russell-Verstappen-Hamilton-Gasly will be scoring, with the boys in bold the only likely movers.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n One of the Williams is going to have to have a new nose cone because of that debris. It\u2019s Albon, into the pits.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Lap 13 and the best chance of a battle in the top 10 is Piastri and Leclerc.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Norris almost three seconds clear and putting in a fastest lap. Piastri no longer more than a second clear of Leclerc, who will get a boost as a result.<\/p>\n McLaren’s Lando Norris pulls ahead of the rest of the field. Photograph: Brian Snyder\/ReutersShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a012.27 EDT<\/p>\n Safety car possible. A lump believed to be from Bearman came off but Ocon\u2019s Haas knocked the debris off the racing line.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Now Verstappen uses turn 17 to get past Hamilton and this time it\u2019s legal. The Red Bull<\/a> is quickly pulling clear of the Mercedes, too, at first glance.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a012.19 EDT<\/p>\n AOB: Lindblad out.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Verstappen goes off the track to overtake Hamilton, and has to give the place back.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n But Antonelli bites back! This is why the new regulations are seen as appealing, because of all the overtaking.<\/p>\n Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli clips the kerb as he negotiates a tight bend. Photograph: Marta Lavandier\/APShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a012.30 EDT<\/p>\n Russell past Antonelli into turn 17! And holds off his teammate on turn 1.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n The real chasm here is between Verstappen in seventh and Pierre Gasly in eighth, above five seconds.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Things could hardly be going better for McLaren and their world champion, Lando Norris<\/a>. Things not going so well for Antonelli, who has two strikes for exceeding track limits and we\u2019re only on lap seven.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Norris 1.5sec clear, denying Piastri a boost. Leclerc a similar margin back in third. The compression is from fourth place.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Hamilton puts in a fastest lap. The seven-time champion was unhappy his upgrades did not seem to be working as well as Leclerc\u2019s in practice and sprint qualifying; can he make progress in race conditions?<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Antonelli gets close to Leclerc, who is on the radio complaining about how dangerous the teenager can be wheel to wheel. The move doesn\u2019t work off for Antonelli and it almost lets Russell in.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Hamilton past Verstappen into sixth.<\/p>\n Red Bull\u2019s Max Verstappen and Ferrari\u2019s Lewis battle for track position. Photograph: Rudy Carezzevoli\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a012.14 EDT<\/p>\n Antonelli nearly lost out to Russell, but got the place back.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Norris, Piastri, Leclerc into the first corner! Another poor start by Antonelli<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Lights out!<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Cars weaving to get the heat in the tyres, and now slowly lining up. Lando Norris<\/a> coming to a halt at the front of the grid.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Formation lap time. The pitwall is on tenterhooks.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n The Miami International Autodrome is on Don Shula Drive. If you know your real football but not the US version, then that\u2019s the equivalent of Bill Shankly Street, or Matt Busby Boulevard, with Shula a legendary Miami Dolphins coach.<\/p>\n Don Shula is carried off the field after his Miami Dolphins team won the 1973 Super Bowl against the Washington Redskins in Los Angeles. Photograph: Anonymous\/APShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a012.01 EDT<\/p>\n Button, who has a world title, confident that George Russell will be competitive come main qualifying as the Mercedes driver pursues a championship of his own.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n The heat is on in Miami. Drivers kept as cool as they can be by umbrellas as the cars receive their last touches. Jenson Button probably quite happy to not be wearing a race suit.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n So what are those regulation tweaks? As Giles Richards, our man in Miami, explained<\/a>:<\/p>\n double quotation markThe rule changes agreed in response are an adjustment to existing regulations, rather than a sweeping rewrite, focusing on refining the use of electrical energy. To address key driver complaints there were two major adjustments. In qualifying, the limit in recharge over a lap has been decreased from eight megajoules to seven, with the intent of allowing a lap to be run flat out without having to use tactical energy recovery. Similarly, the unpopular process of lift and coast, where drivers come off throttle with a paucity of electrical energy, has been addressed. There has been an increase in the recharge limit from 250kW to 350kW when super clipping, the process of recovering energy when at full throttle. With more energy recovered in so doing, it is expected drivers will no longer have to lift and coast at the end of straights.<\/p>\n At those speeds, F1 will always be dangerous, like any motor sport \u2013 today brought the sad news of the death of Zanardi<\/a>, who lost both his legs in a Cart race in Germany in 2001. For decades the sport worked to make itself safer. Bearman had a lucky escape, and his crash was to avert a potentially disastrous collision with Colapinto. Neither was at fault. Let\u2019s hope the regulation changes avoid a situation where F1\u2019s rule-makers have brought about a calamitous outcome.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Before battle commences, an immaculate minute\u2019s silence in memory of Alex Zanardi, 1956-2026.<\/p>\n Alex Zanardi holding his gold medal for the road cycle individual time trial H4 category at the 2012 Paralympic Games, at Brands Hatch motor racing circuit near London. Photograph: Alastair Grant\/APA tribute to Alex Zanardi on Lando Norris\u2019 McLaren. Photograph: Steven Tee\/LAT ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a012.06 EDT<\/p>\n Audi had a problem with H\u00fclkenberg\u2019s car they thought they had resolved, but now they will have to work frantically to make qualifying in just over five hours\u2019 time. For everyone else, the sprint race is now a dozen minutes away.<\/p>\n Nico H\u00fclkenberg, appropriately by signs saying \u201cFire\u201d and \u201cExit\u201d. Photograph: Ryan Pierse\/LAT ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n When Donald pressed on and asked about the regulations regardless, his manager tried to intervene via speakerphone, and then:<\/p>\n double quotation markI turn to Norris and underline the importance of the issue. A young representative of the management team in the room with us steps closer to say: \u201cWe\u2019re done with time.\u201d<\/p>\n I ask Norris if he can spare the additional 10 minutes I\u2019d been promised. He looks embarrassed and says: \u201cI\u2019m not the boss.\u201d<\/p>\n Norris is the world champion and his management company work for him and, when I protest this, he says: \u201cThat\u2019s fine. I\u2019m happy to answer that question.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d says the representative in the room.<\/p>\n Norris smiles awkwardly as he again says: \u201cI\u2019m not the boss.\u201d<\/p>\n I ask Norris why even such a mild question can\u2019t be addressed. \u201cNo, we\u2019re not answering that,\u201d the man adds.<\/p>\n Even Norris looks exasperated as he turns to him and asks: \u201cWhy? Say yes.\u201d<\/p>\n When Norris answered anyway, he said: \u201cYes [Mercedes] can [be caught] and we\u2019re doing our best to make sure it\u2019ll be us who do that.\u201d<\/p>\n And today Norris is on pole, with only one Mercedes in the top five.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n What else has been happening while actual racing has been under its Trumpian suspension? Well, inevitably, people have been talking about the regulations, the aftermath of the Bearman crash, and comments such as those of Max Verstappen<\/a>, who after the Chinese GP said:<\/p>\n double quotation mark\u201cIt\u2019s terrible,\u201d he said. \u201cIf someone likes this, then you really don\u2019t know what racing is like. Not fun at all. Playing Mario Kart. This is not racing and I would say the same if I would be winning races because I care about the racing product.\u201d<\/p>\n Yet when Lando Norris had a sit-down<\/a> with our award-winning interviewer Donald McRae, the world champion\u2019s management people tried to silence him on the subjects everyone was talking about.<\/p>\n double quotation markA few hours earlier I had been sent a message saying that Norris\u2019s management did not want me to ask about his friendship and rivalry with Max Verstappen and George Russell or about the new F1 regulations. Norris has said before that the changes are dangerous and \u201cwe\u2019ve come from the best cars ever made in Formula One, and the nicest to drive, to probably the worst. It sucks.<\/a>\u201d I push back, saying it is essential to ask Norris a few questions about the regulation shake-up.<\/p>\n And who could possibly disagree?<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Ouch. Nico H\u00fclkenberg has flamed out, it seems, and will not make the sprint grid.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a011.42 EDT<\/p>\n Here are those qualifying times in full:<\/p>\n SQ3 SQ2 SQ1 Why only five drivers out in SQ2 and seven in SQ1? Alex Albon was initially credited with 14th place and allowed into SQ2, but was spotted by Racing Bulls to have infringed track limits. Liam Lawson dashed back to his RB, but it came too late for him to advance; Albon was relegated from 14th to 19th.<\/p>\n *Arvid Lindblad, meanwhile, starts from the pitlane because of a breach of the parc ferm\u00e9 regulations<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Welcome back, Formula One<\/a>. A lot seems to have changed since you were last with us, and we may be about to get the first meaningful confirmation.<\/p>\n When it was announced that the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian GP had been cancelled because of Donald Trump\u2019s war with Iran, there was some wild speculation<\/a> that the unexpected gap in the season could enable the other teams to narrow the advantage with which Mercedes had started the season. The Silver Arrows, remember, had won all three full races in Australia, China and Japan, as well as the sprint race in China, and had locked out the front row in all four qualifying sessions. George Russell had led things off with wins in Melbourne and the Shanghai sprint, only for some misfortune with qualifying for the main Chinese race and with the safety car at Suzuka to help Kimi Antonelli to victories and the lead, by nine points, in the drivers\u2019 championship.<\/p>\n Wild speculation, earlier. Photograph: Philip Cornwall\/The Guardian<\/p>\n Five weeks after F1 said sayonara to Suzuka, today\u2019s Miami sprint race starts with Lando Norris on pole for McLaren, Antonelli on second only because of a last-gasp surge and Russell down in sixth. Oscar Piastri was third fastest qualifier in the second McLaren but, with Charles Leclerc<\/a> in fourth for Ferrari and Max Verstappen fifth for Red Bull, four different marques have made the top five. Lewis Hamilton rounds out the top seven in the second Ferrari.<\/p>\n So the numerous upgrades brought to Florida seem to have had an effect, and it\u2019s not just the cars that have had an upgrade. Oscar Bearman\u2019s high-speed crash to avoid the decelerating Franco Colapinto \u2013 a state of affairs brought about by the complications of harvesting and utilising electrical energy under the hybrid engine rules \u2013 brought to a head concerns about the 2026 regulations. The teams and the FIA got together and announced a number of tweaks<\/a>, of which more anon.<\/p>\n Qualifying is not racing. Sprint races are not full grands prix \u2013 a year ago Hamilton won the Chinese sprint but his only other podium in his first season at Ferrari<\/a> was third in Miami\u2019s short-form race. But at first glance this is a fresh start.<\/p>\n Lights out for the sprint race at what is noon in Miami, 5pm BST and, er, 2am in Piastri\u2019s native Melbourne time zone. Four hours later, it\u2019s qualifying for Sunday\u2019s main event.<\/p>\n
2 Piastri 7pts +3.766
3 Leclerc 6pts +6.251
4 Russell 5pts +12.951
5 Verstappen 4pts +13.639
6 Antonelli 3pts +13.777
7 Hamilton 2pts +21.665
8 Gasly 1pt +30.525<\/p>\n
1 Lando Norris (GB) McLaren 1:27.869sec
2 Kimi Antonelli (It) Mercedes 1:28.091
3 Oscar Piastri (Aus) McLaren 1:28.108
4 Charles Leclerc (Mon) Ferrari 1:28.239
5 Max Verstappen (Neth) Red Bull 1:28.461
6 George Russell (GB) Mercedes 1:28.493
7 Lewis Hamilton (GB) Ferrari 1:28.618
8 Franco Colapinto (Arg) Alpine 1:29.320
9 Isack Hadjar (Fr) Red Bull 1:29.422
10 Pierre Gasly (Fr) Alpine 1:29.474<\/p>\n
11 Gabriel Bortoleto (Br) Audi 1:29.994
12 Nico H\u00fclkenberg (Ger) Audi 1:30.019
13 Oliver Bearman (GB) Haas F1 1:30.116
14 Carlos Sainz Jr (Sp) Williams 1:30.224
*15 Arvid Lindblad (GB) Racing Bulls 1:30.573<\/p>\n
16 Liam Lawson (NZ) Racing Bulls 1:31.043
17 Esteban Ocon (Fr) Haas F1 1:31.245
18 Sergio P\u00e9rez (Mex) Cadillac 1:31.255
19 Alex Albon (Tha) Williams 1:32.322
20 Valtteri Bottas (Fin) Cadillac 1:31.826
21 Fernando Alonso (Sp) Aston Martin 1:41.311
22 Lance Stroll (Can) Aston Martin<\/p>\n