After the Sprint one-two, McLaren comes back down to earth in qualifying. Norris and Piastri acknowledge a more logical hierarchy.
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Just hours after a brilliant Sprint one-two, McLaren saw the hierarchy rebalance during the qualifying for the 2026 Miami Grand Prix. Lando Norris could do no better than fourth, behind Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari.
A result that does not ultimately surprise the Brit, very honest in his analysis: “Today, we are where we deserve to be.” A strong statement that reflects a return to a more competitive reality.
A performance difficult to explain
Despite a positive feeling in the car, Norris noticed an unexpected lack of performance: “I felt like I was doing a better lap but we were slower. It was close, we could have been third, but we need to understand where we lost pace.”
The weather conditions, notably the wind and temperatures different from the day before, could partly explain this drop in pace. But for Norris, the observation is overall: “It is not like we drove badly… yesterday we benefited from others’ mistakes, today they did better.”
The reigning world champion did not hesitate to acknowledge the superiority of Mercedes in this session: “Mercedes is faster than us. Yesterday, we were surprised by our speed, today it’s the opposite.”
An admission that confirms a tightening of performance at the front of the pack, where every detail now makes a difference.
Oscar Piastri struggling in a chaotic session
On his side, Oscar Piastri had an even more complicated qualifying, ending in seventh place. The Australian describes a session difficult to master: “It was a chaotic session. Things did not go as I hoped.”
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However, he agrees with Norris on the substance: “Others caught up with us and put everything together. It’s a return to reality, and there is a lot of work to do.”
McLaren director Andrea Stella confirms this impression of an extremely even field. According to him, four teams can now claim pole position depending on circumstances.
“In reality, thanks to improvements and track characteristics, the four teams are very close and everything is decided on execution.”
He also points out internal difficulties, notably related to the consistency of the power unit and adaptation to changing conditions: “It seems that other teams have been more effective than us on this point.”
An unpredictable race approaching
With uncertain weather and minimal gaps, the race promises to be wide open. Norris remains optimistic nevertheless: “There are plenty of opportunities to move up.”
Stella, for his part, prefers to remain cautious in the face of the risk of storms: “It is difficult to predict when and how the rain will arrive. This could make the race eventful.”
McLaren is no longer alone at the top… but in such a tight battle, everything can still change in Miami.
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