F1 MIAMI GRAND PRIX - LATEST UPDATES
- F1 returns after a five-week break with the Miami Grand Prix
- Miami will also host the second sprint weekend of the season
- Sprint qualifying is at 9:30pm; Leclerc quickest in FP1
- Kimi Antonelli leads the world championship | Click HERE for standings
- How to watch Miami Grand Prix as F1 returns
What time is sprint qualifying?
18:35 , Kieran JacksonThe first competitive session of the weekend is at 9:30pm (BST).
Ferrari look quick - can they pip Mercedes to pole?
Lewis Hamilton backed for F1 race victories with Ferrari – with one caveat
20:40 , Kieran JacksonMartin Brundle has backed Lewis Hamilton to win F1 races this season – provided Ferrari make a “big step” at the Miami Grand Prix this weekend.
Full story below:
Lewis Hamilton backed for F1 race victories with Ferrari – with one caveat
Red Bull F1 chief speaks out on Max Verstappen’s future: ‘Absolutely not’
20:20 , Kieran JacksonRed Bull team principal Laurent Mekies insists the exit of key personnel will not accelerate Max Verstappen’s departure from the team.
“Absolutely not,” said Mekies, when asked if Lambiase’s departure, alongside other exits, would hasten his own star driver’s departure. “That’s my direct answer to you.
“Obviously, we speak with Max every day. And Max knows motorsport upside-down. He’s living and breathing this team.”
Valtteri Bottas reveals how he ‘starved himself’ at start of F1 career in vulnerable letter
20:00 , Kieran JacksonValtteri Bottas has opened up about his F1 career in a vulnerable letter online, revealing he starved himself during his time at Williams to alleviate weight concerns with the team’s car.
The popular Finnish driver, 36, has returned to the grid this year after a year out with Cadillac, F1’s newest team. The 2026 campaign is Bottas’s 13th in Formula 1.
The 36-year-old started his career with Williams in 2013 before moving to Mercedes in 2017, where he partnered Lewis Hamilton amid a period of all-out dominance for the Silver Arrows. He then concluded his first stint in the sport with three seasons at Alfa Romeo/Sauber from 2022 to 2024.
Bottas impressed in his early years, quickly registering podiums for Williams but in a letter for The Players’ Tribune released on Wednesday, the Finn has revealed his extreme and dangerous approach to improving performance at the start of his second season in 2014.
Full story below:
Bottas reveals how he ‘starved himself’ at start of F1 career in vulnerable letter
FIA release statement with thunderstorms forecast for Miami Grand Prix
19:40 , Kieran JacksonF1’s governing body says they are “closely monitoring” the situation amid speculation Sunday’s Miami Grand Prix could be rescheduled due to thunderstorms.
An FIA spokesperson said on Thursday night: “We are closely monitoring the weather forecast for this weekend.
“Having faced a similar situation last year in Miami with threats of thunderstorms, we have a contingency plan in place and will activate it if needed to minimise disruption to the on-track programme.”
Full story below:
FIA release statement with thunderstorms forecast for F1’s Miami Grand Prix
Jenson Button on Aston Martin:
19:20 , Kieran JacksonOn new upgrades: “Three-tenths of upgrades isn’t enough anyway - they may as well do a big upgrade in a few races.
“It’s more important to spend the time developing the car in the background.”
11-22 in FP1
18:44 , Kieran Jackson11. Colapinto
12. Albon
13. Bearman
14. Bortoleto
15. Hulkenberg
16. Ocon
17. Lawson
18. Perez
19. Alonso
20. Bottas
21. Lindblad
22. Stroll
Top-10 in FP1
18:38 , Kieran Jackson1. Leclerc - 1:29:310
2. Verstappen +0.297
3. Piastri +0.448
4. Hamilton +0.467
5. Antonelli +0.769
6. Russell +0.790
7. Norris +0.898
8. Gasly +1.277
9. Hadjar +1.563
10. Sainz +1.620
Leclerc goes even quicker
18:31 , Kieran JacksonBenchmark set by the Ferrari driver, who with a 1:29:310 goes even faster, finishing 0.297 secs ahead of Max Verstappen in second.
Impressive.
Oscar Piastri is up to third, with Lewis Hamilton in fourth and Kimi Antonelli fifth - 0.769 secs off the leading time.
6-10: Antonelli, Russell, Norris, Gasly, Hadjar, Sainz
Quite a few lock-ups - Norris, Hamilton, Hulkenberg - heading into turn 1. Tricky for everyone - and Mercedes don’t have it all their own way early on.
Norris and Albon clash
18:24 , Kieran JacksonDid they touch there?!
At turn 17, the end of the back straight, the two friends clash! Norris was on for a good one there as well.
Meanwhile, Antonelli is out of the session due to a power unit issue.
At the moment, top-3 with 5 mins left of FP1: Leclerc, Verstappen, Hamilton
Oscar Piastri:
18:16 , Kieran Jackson“I have some smoke in the cockpit.”
There was a makeshift McLaren pit-stop which sounded... clunky. Probably the cause.
The Australian is currently P6 on the timesheet.
Bit of a lull here, before what should be an action-packed final 10 minutes of practice and a basic qualifying simulation.
FP1 IN MIAMI
18:12 , Kieran Jackson
Leclerc goes P1
17:57 , Kieran JacksonWhisper it quietly but Ferrari look... quick!
Leclerc P1, two-tenths clear of Antonelli in second, with Hamilton 0.340 secs off his teammate in third.
4-10: Norris, Verstappen, Piastri, Russell, Gasly, Colapinto, Hadjar
Just over 30 mins left in FP1!
Norris just a tenth off Antonelli
17:43 , Kieran JacksonStrong lap from Lando, who claimed his first F1 win here in 2024.
However, it could have been better, as he just skidded coming out of turn 18.
Kimi Antonelli goes top
17:35 , Kieran JacksonNot that times are the main focus right now, but Kimi Antonelli is in P1 at the moment, ahead of Charles Leclerc in second and Lando Norris in third.
Only two-tenths separating the top-three.
4-10: Verstappen, Hamilton, Russell, Piastri, Colapinto, Hadjar, Gasly
Meanwhile, both Aston Martin cars have made it out on track, even if it’s brief.
Aston Martin STATEMENT
17:22 , Kieran JacksonWhy is neither car out of the garage yet?
Aston: “Both cars' running is delayed due to a power issue in the garage.”
Deary me...
George Russell has problems with his car's 'turbo'
17:18 , Kieran Jackson“It’s making a noise like a steam train, I don’t know exactly what it is.”
Accompanied with the sound of train. Classic FP1 radio calls early on...
Lando Norris now P1, with Max Verstappen seven-tenths off in second and Charles Leclerc third.
Gasly's Alpine has an issue
17:13 , Kieran Jackson“There’s a strange smell on the car,” says Gasly.
Interesting...
Lewis Hamilton locks up
17:09 , Kieran JacksonEarly scare for the seven-time world champion, who locks up and goes off-track in sector one. All fine, though.
His Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc is P1 early on here - with every driver bar the Aston Martin duo on track.
What is up with Aston this season, eh?
FP1 underway
17:02 , Kieran JacksonThe clock - starting at 90 minutes - starts to tick down and we are green in the pit-lane outside the Hard Rock Stadium.
F1 is back. It feels like the start of the season all over again!
FP1 in Miami
16:59 , Kieran JacksonHere we go then - an extended 90-minute practice session first up in Miami, given the new regulations and the fact it’s a sprint weekend!
Who will have the early upper hand?
FIA release statement with thunderstorms forecast for Miami Grand Prix
16:56 , Kieran JacksonF1’s governing body says they are “closely monitoring” the situation amid speculation Sunday’s Miami Grand Prix could be rescheduled due to thunderstorms.
While sunny conditions are expected for Friday and Saturday at the Hard Rock Stadium, the latest forecasts for Sunday show heavy thunderstorms hitting the Miami Gardens area.
Sunday’s grand prix is scheduled to start at 4pm local time (9pm BST), but the FIA could move the race forward a few hours, should the weather radar show a risk of lightning.
Full statement below:
FIA release statement with thunderstorms forecast for F1’s Miami Grand Prix
Constructor standings heading into Miami:
16:53 , Kieran Jackson1. Mercedes - 135 points
2. Ferrari - 90 points
3. McLaren - 46 points
4. Haas - 18 points
5. Alpine - 16 points
6. Red Bull - 16 points
7. Racing Bulls - 14 points
8. Audi - 2 points
9. Williams - 2 points
10. Cadillac - 0 points
11. Aston Martin - 0 points
Lewis Hamilton 'fired up' ahead of Miami
16:49 , Kieran Jackson"Everyone's had a chance to go over what happened in the first three races.
"Everyone's had more of an intense time to work on refining the car.
"Just feel fired up for the second stab at it."
George Russell not worried about trailing early in F1 title battle
16:44 , Kieran Jackson“Nobody remembers who leads the standings for the longest time,” Russell said. “It’s about crossing the line first at the end.”
Simple mentality, then, from Russell heading into round four.
Top-10 in driver standings heading into Miami
16:38 , Kieran Jackson1. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) - 72 points
2. George Russell (Mercedes) - 63 points
3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - 49 points
4. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) - 41 points
5. Lando Norris (McLaren) - 25 points
6. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) -21 points
7. Ollie Bearman (Haas) - 17 points
8. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) - 15 points
9. Max Verstappen Red Bull) - 12 points
10. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) - 10 points
Max Verstappen says little has changed and wants more than a ‘tickle’ of rules
16:34 , Kieran Jackson“We had some nice meetings with Formula One and the FIA,” Verstappen said on Thursday.
“I think that’s probably a starting point, hopefully, for the future.
“Even, you know, in a few years’ time, when maybe I’m not here anymore, I really hope that for the future drivers as well, there’s more input to come from the drivers to the organisers in general.
“Because I do think that most of the drivers have a good understanding and a good feel of what is needed to make Formula One a good product, a fun product.”
Can Lando Norris defend his F1 title? Here’s what the Miami GP will tell us about McLaren’s chances
16:30 , Kieran JacksonOn the face of it, McLaren’s latest example of sporting-corporate muscle-flexing seems a tad peculiar. Drifting away from the principles of their racing-mad founding father, quite what Bruce McLaren would have made of the papaya-clad outfit expanding into golf equipment – with Justin Rose their top-tier signing, posing alongside Lando Norris (himself a keen golfer) at a lavish Floridian launch on Wednesday – remains to be seen.
Yet group CEO Zak Brown has overseen remarkable growth in the last half-dozen years. In 2020, McLaren Racing were valued at £560m. Last September, Forbes estimated the team alone were worth approximately £4bn, behind only Mercedes and Ferrari in F1 terms. They have well over 50 sponsors, most adorned on the car of the reigning world champions.
And, despite a topsy-turvy start on the Formula 1 racetrack this season, they’re hungry for more.
Full piece below:
Can Lando Norris defend his F1 title? Here’s what the Miami GP will reveal
Start times this weekend in Miami
16:27 , Kieran JacksonAll times BST
Friday 1 May
- Free practice 1: 5pm
- Sprint qualifying: 9:30pm
Saturday 2 May
- Sprint race: 5pm
- Qualifying: 9pm
Sunday 3 May
- Race: 9pm
F1 Miami GP LIVE
16:24 , Kieran JacksonFormula 1 returns after the enforced spring break with the Miami Grand Prix this weekend - and the second sprint race of the 2026 season.
Due to the cancellation of races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia because of the ongoing conflict in the Gulf, F1 was absent over April but, behind the scenes, teams were working hard to close the gap on Mercedes. In addition, F1 and the FIA agreed on a set of tweaks to the controversial 2026 regulations.
Kimi Antonelli won the last race in Japan after benefiting from a well-timed safety car. The Italian 19-year-old leads the world championship by nine points over Mercedes teammate George Russell, who was cut a frustrated figure at Suzuka in finishing fourth.
Reigning world champions McLaren found themselves back on the podium with Oscar Piastri’s second-place finish while Charles Leclerc came home third for Ferrari. After the last race, four-time F1 world champion Max Verstappen also revealed he was considering quitting the sport at the end of the season. Will the rule changes, to be first seen in Miami, make a difference?
