– At the fourth race weekend of the 2026 Formula 1 season in Miami, no Mercedes driver won for the first time: The star brand only achieved fourth and sixth positions in the sprint race at the Miami International Autodrome with George Russell and Kimi Antonelli. This surprised Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff.
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He said after the sprint on Sky England: “We knew that we would fall a bit out of the grid here because we will only use our technical updates in Montreal. But of course, we had hoped to at least maintain our lead over the lap time.”
But that did not succeed in the Miami sprint: A bad start caused Antonelli to fall back from P2 and Russell, starting from sixth place, only gained two positions. A track limits penalty meant another loss of position for Antonelli. “Then it just gets difficult,” said Wolff.
However, the result is not worrying: The different update plans cause fluctuations in the balance of power. “It is simply a classic development race throughout the entire season,” said Wolff. “Whoever brings a few tenths earlier will have the advantage.”
What share do the rule changes have?
According to Russell, the rule changes introduced shortly before Miami were not the cause. The new regulations “did not change much,” said the Mercedes driver on Sky. Russell sees it like Wolff: “The updates from McLaren, Ferrari, and Red Bull were the biggest factor. And honestly, that was somewhat surprising.”
“We had hoped it wouldn’t be so clear, but we knew that this possibility certainly existed. The big question mark for us now will be Montreal when our upgrade arrives.”
On the other hand, Russell does not want to overestimate the Miami result either. “I struggle on this track,” he explained. “There is very little grip here. I don’t know exactly why, but I just have problems when the cars constantly slide on all four wheels.”
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How Lando Norris explains the turnaround at McLaren
McLaren does not have problems of this kind. Or: not anymore. Because the Miami update has significantly improved the MCL40. Sprint winner Lando Norris said: “The car now has more grip. It generates more downforce and works better overall. We have made a big step forward especially on the rear axle.”
“That is exactly what makes us most satisfied – of course the result, but especially the fact that we are competitive again, can push again, and above all are consistently fast again. This consistency was missing, but this weekend we were there from the start. That is extremely positive.”
The McLaren is “more predictable in certain situations” due to the new parts, which is “enormously important” for cornering speed, Norris continued. “You can better predict the behavior and thus make more targeted adjustments from lap to lap. We can bring the car significantly more consistently closer to the absolute limit.”
“Already from the first lap in practice, I had the feeling that I could go much more aggressively on the throttle – and that is always a very good sign,” said the Formula 1 world champion.
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His McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri, second in the sprint, described his team’s performance as a “welcome return to form” and simply said: “Now it’s about maintaining exactly that.”
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