McLaren miss out on victory but happy to take a step forward in Miami

MIAMI – Formula One champions McLaren missed out on a first win of the season on May 3 but were satisfied car upgrades had pushed them a step forward at the Miami Grand Prix.

Reigning champion Lando Norris won the May 2 sprint in a one-two with teammate Oscar Piastri and then finished runner-up in the following day’s main race, with the Australian third.

Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli won from pole position for the third consecutive race, with his teammate and closest rival George Russell taking fourth.

McLaren’s total haul of points – 15 from the sprint and 33 from the grand prix – amounted to more than the team had scored in the first three rounds combined.

The 48 points were more than any other team managed, including race winners Mercedes, and left McLaren only 16 points behind second-placed Ferrari in the standings.

“We feel extremely satisfied with the weekend, very encouraged,” said team principal Andrea Stella, despite also recognising McLaren had let slip a chance to win.

“We know that we have some more upgrades coming... so we are optimistic that they may allow us to take some further steps forward.”

Norris said he was “gutted” not to be standing on the top step of the podium at a track where he took his first F1 win in 2024, but some things had improved.

“I think I’m just very happy with the situation we’re in, which is we’re fighting for wins or fighting for the win today, a pole, the sprint win. So, I think when I look at it from that side, it’s been a very strong weekend,” said the 26-year-old.

“The fact we made such a big step this weekend is great to see and I’m very proud of the team.

“And all the work that’s been put in has paid off immediately. But you always have to look at it and ask yourself the question, do you feel like you maximised everything today? And I’m unsure about that.”

Piastri, the 2025 winner in Miami, said McLaren had clearly closed the gap to Mercedes on performance.

“To have a one-two in the sprint on pure pace, that was a pretty big surprise for us. So, things are working well. We expected the upgrades to be a good step forward and they have been, and hopefully they are again in Canada,” said the 25-year-old.

“Mercedes didn’t bring a lot this weekend and they also have an upgrade package for Canada, so we’ll have to wait and see how much that’s worth for them.”

Meanwhile, Max Verstappen too said Red Bull had improved a lot but still lack the pace and performance to challenge for wins, after finishing fifth.

The four-time world champion enjoyed driving a heavily upgraded car as he sought success for the first time in 2026, but was set back by a spin on the opening lap.

“I lost the rear and tried to minimise the time loss,” he said of his chaotic first lap, which led to him making an early pit stop.

“Early on, the hard tyre didn’t work for us and it was tough,” he added. “We dropped quite heavily down the pack.

“Maybe I could’ve been in the place Oscar finished (third) if we did enough, but it’s always easy to say that afterwards.

“Unfortunately, we are still lacking a bit, but we’ll be better. I don’t know how much more pace there is.”

The Dutch racer, 28, said that despite the car’s improvements, he did not think he could have realistically fought for the win in Miami.

“It was tough,” he said. “We’ve improved a lot this weekend, but still lack a bit and for sure there’s more pace to unlock.” REUTERS, AFP