2026 Miami Grand Prix: Recap
The 2026 Miami Grand Prix was truly a race worth watching. The drivers came out in full force in a fight for the top positions. The level of competition has definitely intensified with continued improvements to their cars.
What you missed or maybe want to reminisce—a race recap.
With the predicted afternoon showers on Sunday in Miami, the Grand Prix started three hours earlier than scheduled. However, the track remained slick upon race start due to the morning rain. The starting lineup included Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) in P1, Max Verstappen (Red Bull) in P2, and Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) in P3.
We have seen some dramatic race starts this season, but this one might have outdone them all. Antonelli immediately lost the lead in a rough start, and Verstappen almost instantly spun out in a full 360, but saved his car. The experienced drivers around him avoided a collision, but were set back multiple positions. Franco Colapinto (Alpine) and Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) collided and damaged the Ferrari. After a thrilling first lap, Leclerc took the lead. Antonelli was in P2, and the McLarens, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, took P3 and P4.
On lap 4, Antonelli was back in P1, but not for long as Leclerc passed him again. Norris’s team instructed him to stay back in P3 and let them “yo-yo.” On lap 6, Isack Hadjar, in his own error, clipped the apex wall and ran into a barrier. He was forced to retire from the race and was outwardly frustrated with himself for the mistake.
At the same time, we saw Pierre Gasly’s (Alpine) car flip and hit the wall in a scary crash after a collision with Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls). The halo on Gasly’s car took the brunt of the impact, and luckily all drivers were okay. Lawson was not found at fault because of an issue with his car, leading him to be unable to stop. The safety car came out on lap 7, and Verstappen decided to pit early. Nico Hülkenberg (Audi) was also forced to retire due to a mechanical issue. Filled with technical issues, collisions, and retirements, the early laps in Miami were certainly eventful.
At the race restart on lap 11, the threat of rain lingered on everyone’s mind. The top three drivers were Leclerc, Norris, and Antonelli. Piastri passed George Russell (Mercedes) who was in P4, and remarked, “That was super dangerous by Russell,” who had pushed him off the road trying to defend his position. On lap 13, Norris took the lead, while Antonelli and Leclerc fought for P2. It was evident the drivers were pushing themselves and their cars, striving for the next position.
On lap 21, drivers started to pit. Russell came back out in P12, just ahead of Leclerc, who had a long pit stop of 3.7 seconds. Verstappen came back to the front of the pack in P5, but there was question on whether his hard tires would last the rest of the race after an early pit and if rain was still to come. Piastri went into the pit as well, which allowed Verstappen into P1 for only a second before Antonelli took it back. Norris, now in P2, remained right on Antonelli’s tail.
On lap 43, Russell reported that his wheels were sliding and it “feels awful.” Antonelli announced a downshift problem, but it did not seem to impact his performance. By lap 51, Russell noted that, “the car feels much more put together these last two laps.” Antonelli and Norris remained quite far ahead of the pack.
Suddenly, on the tense final lap, Leclerc spun on a turn as he attempted to get a podium position. He hit a barrier wall and lost control of his car. He had pushed too hard and it set him back to P6. The accident caused him to venture too far out of the race limits and he received a 20-second penalty, which dropped him to P8 post race. Antonelli finished P1, continuing his win streak! Norris, who was never quite able to pass Antonelli, came in P2. The McLaren team commented, “Nice to see the progress. We can get back to winning.” Piastri came in P3. Russell, Verstappen, and Leclerc followed just behind. And ending out the points in P10 was Alex Albon (Williams).
Miami delivered an action-packed race from start to finish. Antonelli added another win to his record and the McLaren team had a great performance. Tune in to the next race, the LIVE 2026 Canadian Grand Prix Sunday, May 24, with East Bay F1 at Griffin Motorwerke in Berkeley. More details available here.
