Charles Leclerc set the fastest time in the sole practice session for the Miami Grand Prix, edging out Max Verstappen by 0.297 seconds. Kimi Antonelli, the Formula 1 championship leader, faced power unit issues that ended his session early. The session marked the first on-track action since Japan due to cancelled Middle East races.
Ferrari's Charles Leclerc topped the extended 90-minute practice at the Miami International Autodrome with a late lap of 1m29.310s on soft tyres, benefiting from a tow from McLaren's Lando Norris. Red Bull's Max Verstappen, the four-time world champion, slotted into second at 1m29.607s after complaining that “the shifts are horrendous, up and down”. McLaren's Oscar Piastri completed the top three in 1m29.758s, with Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton fourth at 1m29.777s and Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli fifth on 1m30.079s despite missing soft-tyre runs due to a power unit failure. George Russell was sixth for Mercedes in 1m30.100s, followed by Norris in seventh after a Turn 17 excursion to avoid Alex Albon's Williams. The top 10 was rounded out by Oliver Bearman, Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto, with Isack Hadjar 11th after downshifting problems similar to Verstappen's. Cadillac and Aston Martin struggled at the back, the latter hit by an in-garage power outage. This sprint weekend session followed cancellations of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia in April due to Middle Eastern conflict and introduced tweaks to 2026 regulations, with most teams debuting upgrades except Aston Martin.
