10 Storylines to Track Ahead of F1’s US Return at the Miami Grand Prix

Back-to-back Sprint events at semi-permanent circuits in Miami and Montreal are followed by the always quirky Monaco, so it won’t be until Barcelona in mid-June when Formula 1’s 2026 regs are put through their paces at a regular event on a conventional circuit. Matters may also simply settle down as a consequence of teams and drivers gaining a greater understanding of the regulations. It is still early days.

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Big upgrade packages looming

The development strategies of teams were locked in long before the unexpected April break, and several teams have long been planning sizable packages for Miami, chiefly among them McLaren.

It was in 2024 when a large update propelled McLaren from third-best to front-runner, and after an upturn in performance in Japan there’s renewed optimism that new components—and greater understanding of the power unit due to its customer status initially putting it on the back foot—can boost the team’s chances.

It won in Miami in 2024, when Lando Norris claimed his maiden victory, and last year Oscar Piastri fronted a one-two result, after Norris’ reverse in the Sprint Race. So the team has strong recent history in Florida.

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Where does Verstappen stand on his future?

Max Verstappen has loathed the 2026 regulations for years and has made barbed remarks at most opportunities, but it was post-race in Japan where he truly opened up on his mindset for the first time. In a revealing back-and-forth with BBC Sport, after a disappointing weekend at a circuit he loves, Verstappen openly said for the first time that walking away from Formula 1 after 2026 is a possibility.

A ponderous Verstappen sounded as if he was at both a career and life crossroads, and in the enforced break he continued his GT3 exploits at the Nürburgring ahead of his impending 24 Hours debut. There has also been the matter of close ally and long-time race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase deciding to leave Red Bull for McLaren—though he will remain in post until at least the end of 2027 unless a settlement is reached.

Will the break have done Verstappen good, or will he still be in a contemplative mood?

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Herta on home soil

Formula 2’s decision to replace its canceled Bahrain and Saudi Arabian rounds with first-time trips to Miami and Montreal means Colton Herta has an opportunity to compete at home this year—albeit with the trade-off that a date clash precludes a mooted one-off Indianapolis 500 return.

Herta had a so-so debut weekend in Melbourne, acknowledging he still faces a steep learning curve, with the notoriously capricious Pirelli tires one aspect he is striving to get his head around. One advantage for Herta is that, unlike the majority of the events, no driver or team has prior experience of Miami—or Montreal—which is a little bit of a leveler.

Joe Portlock

Has Aston Martin made any progress?

The symbiotic nature of the chassis-engine relationship means it remains tricky to assess just how much of the woes can be placed at the door of Aston Martin or Honda, given the Japanese power unit constructor hasn’t got a customer team. But it’s clear that both parties—apart and together—have giant strides required towards even creeping from embarrassment to borderline respectability.

Fernando Alonso at least got his AMR26 to the checkered flag last time out in Japan, but the package was the slowest in the field, and the team is effectively just existing rather than racing. There are no quick fixes, given the timeline involved in making any fundamental changes, but will there be any light at the end of the tunnel when the car hits the track in Miami?

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Two bites at the cherry

Once more at Miami it’ll be a case of teams and drivers needing to hit the ground running, with the event designated as one of the six Sprint rounds of the campaign.

Last year’s Sprint was among the most chaotic in the brief history of the format, with a pre-event storm drenching the track, leading to thrilling racing from lights to flag—while Charles Leclerc even crashed on his way to the dummy grid. Per the 2025 format, Sprint will open track proceedings on Saturday lunchtime, ahead of qualifying, with a 19-lap dash around the Miami International Autodrome providing the winner with eight points.

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How much progress has Cadillac made?

Given how busy the winter was for a start-up operation, the surprise hiatus would have been well received by Cadillac more than most other teams—not that work would have eased back at its factory. Cadillac has started towards the back of the field, but has gradually ticked off achievements, from its first race finish, to a double finish, to not being lapped. They may be minor accomplishments in the grand scheme of the team’s ambitions but progress is being made.

The MAC-26 is a backmarker but upgrades are in the pipeline—as they are for the majority of teams—and it’ll be a key test of the team’s processes and procedures not just to apply new components, but gather the data, and understand their efficacy. That not only sets the tone for the rest of the 2026 development but also for 2027 and beyond in terms of in-season operation and correlation.

Cadillac has done well so far, but now the ambition is to latch onto the rear of the midfield and not spend the rest of the campaign cut adrift with only the beleaguered Aston Martins for company.

Anni Graf - Formula 1

What of overweight Williams?

Williams has had a chastening start to the season, with the birth of its FW48 late, compromised, and overweight. Carlos Sainz could muster only 16th in Japan while Alex Albon’s race became a dreary extended test session.

Williams knows there is low-hanging fruit simply by working on lighter components, but there is the trade-off of whether to hang back and wait for the double benefit of lighter components that also bring additional aero benefits and therefore a performance advantage too.

Williams has started 2026 badly, but some of the performance loss has come from the team still trying to drag itself into the modern world after years of underinvestment and being in survival mode—and consequently encountering setbacks as it tries to push on. But excuses will wear thin if progress isn’t made medium-term.

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Will Audi’s start work payoff?

Audi has scored only two points this season but it has been in the midfield mix at every grand prix. It has been hamstrung by reliability glitches (meaning it has a 33 percent DNS rate) and, more pertinently, woeful getaways off the line. That has left Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg losing multiple places from the outset and facing an uphill challenge from thereon in.

Audi was spotted during the break undertaking one of its permitted filming days at Monza, primarily undertaking practice starts, stopping several times across the lap to carry out the procedure. Given it’s a Sprint weekend in Miami—and again in Montreal—it places extra emphasis on the R26’s start weaknesses being improved if not completely fixed.

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