MIAMI — Lando Norris claimed victory during Saturday’s Sprint at the Miami Grand Prix, crossing the line ahead of McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, after another tricky start for Mercedes man Kimi Antonelli.
Polesitter Norris converted his advantage on the run down to the first corner and never looked back – gradually pulling away from Piastri and Leclerc as the 19-lap encounter developed, and staying clear of the squabbles behind him.
Antonelli dropped from second to fourth off the line, and almost fell behind teammate Russell, who started back in sixth, with the two Mercedes drivers swapping positions on a couple of occasions before the championship leader emerged on top – only to be demoted to P6 after the checkered flag due to a track limits violation.
“It was a good race – nice to be back on the top step, even if it’s a Sprint,” Norris said. “A good day for us.
“A massive job for the team in bringing the upgrades – it feels like everyone’s saying the same thing but ours have really helped this weekend, so I’m happy to get it done for the team. It was hot out there, it was sweaty.
“I was still pushing, trying to find that balance of pushing but also being quite relaxed and not making any mistakes. A good start to the weekend, but now I have to do it all over again.”
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and the other Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton were also involved in a close battle, rubbing wheels on the opening lap and midway through the race, but the former had enough pace in hand to cross the line in sixth, which became fifth after Antonelli’s penalty.
