Red Bull and McLaren significantly narrowed the gap to Mercedes at the 2026 Miami Grand Prix through major upgrades. Ferrari's extensive updates delivered limited results. Kimi Antonelli secured victory for Mercedes, matching his Japan win.
The Miami Grand Prix marked a shift in Formula 1's 2026 competitive order after a five-week break. Mercedes, dominant early with a 0.56-second qualifying edge and 0.53s per lap race pace advantage, saw margins shrink. Antonelli took pole with just a 0.35s lead and outpaced McLaren by 0.02s per lap in the race, losing about two tenths overall and over half a second in race pace from season averages. Mercedes introduced only minor rear-end and front brake cooling changes, while rivals brought more aggressive packages ahead of the Canada race. McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said, “Already in Japan, I think we have made progress. And here we consolidated this progress. And this progress doesn't have to do with the changes, they are just a better way of working together.” Track traits and regulatory tweaks also factored in, as Miami has historically challenged Mercedes by 0.22s per lap on average. Red Bull posted the largest gain at 0.92s per lap versus early races, or 0.7s adjusted, with McLaren closing by 0.80s, or 0.87s adjusted. Ferrari's 11 new components yielded just a 0.07s race pace improvement to 0.46s deficit, potentially a 0.18s decline adjusted for the track's favorability. In the midfield, Williams advanced 0.8s per lap but only 0.23s adjusted, scoring points. Haas and Audi lagged with minimal updates, while Racing Bulls regressed most despite six changes. Canada is set to test these developments further.
