McLaren has done its homework during Formula 1’s recent break. Returning to action in Miami, the team has closed the gap to Mercedes and tightened the battle at the front. Lando Norris claimed the ‘mini pole’ for the sprint race, edging out championship leader Kimi Antonelli and his own teammate Oscar Piastri. As for the Spanish drivers, the results were as expected—and that’s far from good.
Having spent five weeks with Aston Martin at Honda’s factory in Sakura proved useless. The vibrations persist, acting like kryptonite to Fernando Alonso, preventing him from working his magic with those hands that sometimes go numb—an issue that could lead to serious health problems in the future. On the sporting side, the Asturian finished second-to-last, once again only ahead of his struggling teammate Lance Stroll. Cold comfort. Even the rookie Cadillac team, with veteran Sergio Pérez at the wheel, is ahead. A disaster.
Carlos Sainz didn’t fare well either—or rather, Williams didn’t. The Madrid native had already pointed out what could be fixed after Free Practice 1, but either his feedback was ignored or the team failed to make the right adjustments. He will start 15th, just behind his teammate Alex Albon.
The top contenders this season were already into SQ1, including Argentine Franco Colapinto. There was curiosity to see whether Mercedes had held back in FP1 and whether Ferrari would confirm their strong showing from that sole practice session. But when it mattered, last year’s form returned.
Mercedes’ pre-break dominance has vanished. George Russell looked lost on the Miami asphalt, and only Antonelli, on his final attempt late in the session, managed to salvage the situation by grabbing second place, just behind reigning champion Lando Norris. Behind them: Piastri, Leclerc, Verstappen, Russell, Hamilton, Colapinto, Hadjar, and Gasly.