Norris takes Miami sprint victory to end Mercedes' winning run

British-Belgian Formula One driver Lando Norris of McLaren team leads into the first corner during the the Sprint Race at the Miami International Autodrome, ahead of the 2026 Miami Grand Prix. Bradley Collyer/PA Wire/dpa

Lando Norris of McLaren ended Mercedes' winning run as he took victory in the sprint race on Saturday at the Formula One Miami Grand Prix.

The defending F1 champion had a good start from pole position and cruised to the win after 19 laps. Team-mate Oscar Piastri was second and Charles Leclerc of Ferrari was third.

"Nice to be back on the top step! A good day for us," Norris said after the sprint, which was the first time this season he finished on the podium.

"It was hot out there and sweaty. I was pushing, trying to find that balance of pushing and staying relaxed to not make mistakes. A good start to the weekend but now I've got to do it all over again."

Mercedes were dominating the season before the month-long break, winning all three races so far and also the sprint in China.

Championship leader Kimi Antonelli started in second, but didn't get away particularly well and lost positions to Piastri and Leclerc.

He finished fourth, but was demoted to sixth after a penalty for excessive track limits breaches.

Team-mate George Russell was promoted to fourth, while Max Verstappen of Red Bull moved up to sixth.

Lewis Hamilton in the second Ferrari and Pierre Gasly of Alpine completed the top eight, which is the group of drivers who score points in the sprint.

Drivers and teams were forced to take an unplanned break following the Japanese GP on March 29 after races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia were cancelled due to the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East.

During this period, the new set of regulations, which came into force this year, was slightly tweaked amid safety concerns due to dangerous closing speeds.

Qualifying for Sunday's main race is later on Saturday.