Mercedes’ monopoly on 2026 pole positions is at an end. A scorching final run for Lando Norris saw him take sprint pole by 0.222s over Kimi Antonelli. Norris praised his team’s efforts in bringing significant upgrades for this weekend and said that “everything felt better” from the very first lap. McLaren’s upgrade program seems to have paid dividends, and with further modifications due for the next race in Canada, this could mark the beginning of a step up in form for the reigning constructors' champions.
Despite struggling on the medium tyres early in sprint qualifying, Antonelli stated that the softs brought an upturn in form. He later lamented not running the softs in FP1 but described the result as decent.
Oscar Piastri was able to capitalise on McLaren’s pace by taking third, though he later admitted to having left time on the table in SQ3 and stated that he had room to improve for the remainder of the weekend.
Despite setting the initial pace in sprint qualifying, Ferrari were unable to challenge for pole. Charles Leclerc secured fourth and admitted that Mercedes were still the benchmark; the threat posed by McLaren was also acknowledged, and Leclerc stated that there “wasn’t a nice feeling” on the soft compound tyres.
Both Red Bull cars managed just one flying lap in SQ3. Max Verstappen was able to secure fifth and stated that the car felt “more together”. However, the four-time world champion pointed to the high speed first sector as a particular point of weakness and admitted to there being a lot more work to do if Red Bull are to close the gap to the leading trio.
George Russell was one of the first frontrunners to set a final flying lap in SQ3 and could only manage sixth. The Mercedes driver expressed surprise at the progress made by the likes of McLaren and Ferrari and lamented his own struggles on a track where he has never felt comfortable.
Behind him, Lewis Hamilton was disappointed to end the session in seventh, a result he considered surprising.
Franco Colapinto outqualified his teammate for the first time this season in eighth, while Isack Hadjar was at a loss to explain his relative lack of pace in ninth.
Pierre Gasly will line up 10th, having struggled with excessive wheelspin throughout. Gabriel Bortoleto made a valiant effort to get out of SQ2, only to run wide at turn 17, which relegated him to 11th. The Brazilian will be positive and line up one place ahead of his teammate, Nico Hulkenberg.
Ollie Bearman reported issues with the temperatures and will start 13th, despite struggling with his Haas’s balance in the slow-speed corners.
Further back, Alex Albon praised his team’s efforts and regarded his P14 grid slot as a true reflection of Williams’ pace. The same could not be said for his teammate, Carlos Sainz, who did little to alleviate his frustration after qualifying 15th. The four-time grand prix winner stated that he and his team are “three steps behind where we should be”.
Despite his inexperience at this circuit, Arvid Lindblad was able to get into SQ2 and secure 16th, unlike his teammate Liam Lawson who will start one place behind him.
A lockup for Esteban Ocon put an end to his hopes in SQ1 and sealed his fate in 18th. Sergio Perez will start 19th just ahead of his teammate Valtteri Bottas.
Aston Martin’s poor form looks set to continue. Lance Stroll locked up early in SQ1 and failed to get a time on the board, as did Fernando Alonso. The double world champion suffered a lockup on his one and only run and was unable to set a representative time.
McLaren’s upgrades have clearly paid dividends, but with Mercedes and Ferrari still in the mix, we could be set for a thrilling three-way fight in Miami.
