McLaren's Lando Norris won the Miami Grand Prix sprint race ahead of teammate Oscar Piastri for a 1-2 finish, but the team slipped to fourth and seventh in grand prix qualifying. Both drivers attributed the drop to rivals improving their performance rather than any decline from McLaren. Team principal Andrea Stella praised early signs from the team's upgrades.
At the Miami Grand Prix weekend, McLaren started strongly with Norris securing pole for the 19-lap sprint race with a lap time of 1m27.869s. He converted it into victory, leading Piastri to a 1-2 finish despite hot conditions. Norris noted afterward, “Nice to be back on the top step! A good day for us. It was hot out there and sweaty.”In grand prix qualifying, Norris managed fourth place with 1m28.183s, 0.385s behind polesitter Kimi Antonelli, while Piastri fell to seventh at 1m28.500s. Norris said, “I think we still did a good job, I think others just did a really bad job yesterday and just did the job they should do today.” Piastri added, “I think everyone else maximised what they had a lot more... and that's a bit more of real picture.”McLaren team principal Andrea Stella assessed the team's extensive upgrades brought after a five-week break in April. Speaking to Sky Sports F1, he said, “It's good to bring upgrades so that we can become more and more competitive... the car has retained the good characteristics from a degradation point of view.” He noted the grid remains very close, with Norris possibly benefiting from clean air in the sprint.McLaren sits third in the constructors' standings behind Mercedes and Ferrari.
