Showing posts with label 2026 Miami Grand Prix. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2026 Miami Grand Prix. Show all posts
Monday, 4 May 2026
Sunday, 3 May 2026
F1 STEWARDS CALL MAX VERSTAPPEN TO REPORT DUE TO VIOLATIONS | MIAMI GRAND PRIX
🚨 The FIA to hold multiple investigations post race involving Charles Leclerc, Max Verstappen and George Russell
TO RUN IT DOWN:
• Max Verstappen will be investigated for crossing line at pit exit
• Charles Leclerc & George Russell will be investigated for causing a collision at T17
• Max Verstappen & George Russell will be investigated for causing a collision at T1
• Charles Leclerc will be investigated for leaving the track multiple times & gaining an advantage
Credit: F1GuyDan
#F1 #miamigp
Saturday, 2 May 2026
LANDO NORRIS BEATS KIMI ANTONELLI FOR MIAMI GP SPRINT POLE
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| May 1, 2026; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; McLaren driver Lando Norris (1) during Sprint qualifying before the Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix at Miami International Autodrome. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images |
McLaren's Lando Norris beat out Mercedes' young star and Formula 1 championship leader Kimi Antonelli for pole position in spring qualifying Friday at the Miami Grand Prix.
Norris emerged from a one-lap shootout in SQ3 0.222 seconds better than Antonelli, with McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri in third, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc fourth and Red Bull's Max Verstappen fifth.
The Brit earned McLaren's first P1 of the young season with his SQ3 time of 1:27.869.
"It was great, a perfect result for us," Norris said, per Formula1.com. "A nice way to reward the team. We've got a lot of new upgrades on the car, so it's nice to feel some grip again and nice to reward the guys and the girls that have put a lot of work into this. I've always loved Miami, both on and off the track. It's a good result for us. Of course, it's just the beginning of the weekend, still a long way to go but nice to kick it off by doing this."
Norris is the reigning F1 World Drivers' champion and won seven Grand Prix last year; he also earned his first F1 victory at the 2024 Miami Grand Prix. Meanwhile, the 19-year-old Italian Antonelli has won each of the last two F1 stops, the Chinese and Japanese Grand Prix, starting from the pole each time.
Next comes the Sprint on Saturday at noon. The Miami Grand Prix is slated for Sunday afternoon.
--Field Level Media
Friday, 1 May 2026
THE 2026 RULE CHANGE HIT MIAMI FIRST | HERE'S WHAT'S DIFFERENT THIS WEEKEND
Formula 1 didn’t wait for the off-season to fix its problems. Three races in, the FIA called an emergency meeting, got unanimous agreement from every team, and pushed through four regulation changes that take effect this weekend at the 2026 Miami Grand Prix. It’s the first race back after an unplanned five-week break due to the war in Iran, and the first big test of these regulation changes.
Here’s what changed and why it matters this weekend in Miami.
Superclipping Is Getting Reined In
This is the one fans have complained about most. Superclipping is what happens when the car harvests energy to recharge its battery while still at full throttle — meaning the driver has the pedal pinned, but the car slows down anyway. On a straight. For no visible reason. It looked strange on television and felt worse from the cockpit.
The fix: maximum permitted energy recharge per lap drops from 8 MJ to 7 MJ, while peak superclip power increases from 250 kW to 350 kW. Less time recharging, faster when it happens. In practice, drivers should spend roughly two to four seconds per lap in superclip instead of the six to eight we’ve seen through the first three rounds. Not eliminated, but meaningfully reduced.
Corner Deployment Is Now Capped
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| Credit: F1 |
The second change addresses something drivers have flagged as genuinely dangerous. When a car activates its electrical boost exiting a corner, the sudden surge in power creates extreme closing speeds on the following straight. The car behind goes from a manageable gap to near-collision territory in a fraction of a second.
The fix: power deployment outside of the main acceleration zones — corner exit to braking point — is now capped at 250 kW, with the boost limited to 150 kW above the current power level at activation. Full 350 kW is still available where it belongs. The dangerous spikes are gone.
Race Starts Have a New Detection System
Starts have been a problem all season. Under 2026 regulations, drivers must rev at high RPM for 10 seconds before lights out to spool the turbo, while simultaneously managing battery reserves from the formation lap. In fact, four-time world champion Max Verstappen has botched every start this year. He’s not alone.
The new start detection system more precisely identifies car movement off the line and tightens the deployment window at the moment the lights go out. It won’t be visible to fans watching at home, but teams will feel it immediately. If it works, the chaos that has reshuffled the order three weekends running should stabilize.
Updated Wet Weather Protocols
The least dramatic change on paper, but potentially the most relevant this weekend at the 2026 Miami Grand Prix. New rules and systems govern how power deployment changes in wet conditions. Given Sunday’s forecast of an 88% chance of rain and a 53% chance of thunderstorms, this one could matter more than any of the others.
Under U.S. law, any outdoor event must be halted if lightning is in the area — which means this race could be red-flagged even without standing water on the track. The FIA has a contingency plan ready. The updated wet-weather protocols are part of it. That includes limiting MGU-K deployment under low-grip conditions, such as rain. That means that boost mode is unavailable.
Miami is the test bed. Five weeks of work, four unanimous changes, one race weekend to find out if any of it produces better racing. Watch the first lap carefully — and keep an eye on the sky.
- Scott Gulbransen
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