MCLAREN SPY 'VERY INTERESTING' TRICK ON HEAVILY UPGRADED RED BULL

An aspect of the new, heavily upgraded Red Bull has caught the eye of McLaren chief Andrea Stella.

© XPBimages

McLaren boss Andrea Stella has singled out the sidepod design of Red Bull's heavily upgraded RB22 as "very interesting" and said that "each team" will be looking to extract its secrets.

For F1's return at the Miami Grand Prix, most teams brought a huge upgrade package, including McLaren and Red Bull, with the most visibly eye-catching being Red Bull's interpretation of Ferrari's 'Macarena' rear wing. 

However, it was another area of Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar's RB22 that caught the eye of McLaren team principal Stella, as he explained how he felt the Milton Keynes squad had been "quite smart and innovative" in its upgrade approach.

"For those who are technically interested, we are in a very, very interesting phase," Stella told media, including RacingNews365. 

"It is very interesting because if you see the sidepod concept that Red Bull introduced, it is quite different to the sidepod concept that, for instance, Mercedes and Ferrari have adopted, and the McLaren style is further different.

"There will be a stabilisation at some stage, a convergence, but we look like we are quite far from this convergence.

"So I think there will be a process of looking at each other, testing things and certainly each team will be testing, taking a look at the Red Bull concept to see the advantages.

"They have been quite smart and innovative in the way they have used some legality concessions to introduce such geometry.

"I think the overall designs of the cars are far from converging. This doesn't mean that some things have already started to look like: 'Oh, that is the direction everyone has taken', but with the 2025 cars, after a few years of the regulations, they started to look very similar to each other.

"I think we are still far from these conditions."

© XPBimages

- Jake Nichol & Ian Parkes

WHY LEWIS HAMILTON IS DITCHING FERRARI F1 SIMULATOR AFTER WORRYING CLAIM

Lewis Hamilton believes Ferrari's F1 simulator misled him at the Miami Grand Prix.

Hamilton had a tough weekend in Miami as he lagged behind Leclerc

Lewis Hamilton plans to ditch Ferrari’s Formula 1 simulator and has vowed to try a “different approach” following the Miami Grand Prix.

Seven-time world champion Hamilton was critical of Ferrari’s simulator following a tough grand prix qualifying in Miami, saying it was sending him “in the wrong direction” after only managing sixth place.

Hamilton was on the back foot compared to team-mate Charles Leclerc in Miami and after finishing sixth in the race (seventh on the road before Leclerc's post-race penalty), he revealed he plans to no longer use Ferrari’s simulator after believing it misled him on a “weekend to forget”.

"I'm going to have a different approach in the next race,” Hamilton said in response to a question from Crash.net. “Because the way we're preparing at the moment is, it's not helping. And so we'll see how that goes for the next race.

"Ultimately it's always [a matter of] correlation. We go on it, and then get to the track and the car feels different when you get to a track.

“I don’t like simulators in general, but I'm at the simulator every week in the build-up to this race and working on correlation constantly.

"You go on it, you prepare for the track, you drive it and you get the car set-up to a certain place - and then you come to the track and that set-up doesn't work.

"And in the sprint weekend for example, you've only got practice one, you don't really want to veer off from your set-up too far, like with a big suspension change, and so you stay with it. And then you make a change going into qualifying and you've only got six laps to get on top of it.

"So in an ideal world I should have started where Charles was at the beginning of the weekend and I think we would have just had a stronger weekend from there on.

"So I'm not going to go on the simulator between now and the next race [in Canada]. I'll still go and hold meetings at the factory and stuff - but I'm just going to back away from it for a little bit and see.

“When we went to China I had the best weekend without the sim.”

Hamilton’s race was ultimately ruined by substantial damage picked up in an opening lap clash with Alpine’s Franco Colapinto.

“Generally, I’m happy with it [the car], we just started on the wrong foot this weekend," he added. 

“The car didn't feel very snappy on the way into corners and then massive understeer in the mid-corner - so that's not the balance that you would want.

“It was better for qualifying than for going into the race, but I wasn’t able to really capitalise on it.” 

- Lewis Larkam

KIMI ANTONELLI SHOUTS OUT JANNIK SINNER AFTER MIAMI GRAND PRIX WIN

The world No. 1 and the 19-year-old Formula 1 driver have lifted trophies on the same day for the third time this season.

© 2026 Kym Illman, Tennis Channel

Two of Italy’s biggest young stars are moving in sync, and Sunday offered the latest proof.

On the same day that Jannik Sinner lifted the trophy at the Mutua Madrid Open, he received a major shoutout from Formula 1 driver Kimi Antonelli following his victory at the Miami Grand Prix.

“Jannik has been doing great too,” Antonelli said after the race, which took place at the Hard Rock Stadium. “I want to dedicate this victory to (the late) Alex (Zanardi), but also to Jannik. He’s always been very kind to me.

“I’m just very happy that both of us are experiencing beautiful moments like these.”

A lifelong Formula 1 fan and an official ambassador for the sport, Sinner wasted no time dispatching No. 2 seed Alexander Zverev 6-1, 6-2 in Madrid on Sunday. The world No. 1 didn’t face a single break point, and wrapped up the win in just 58 minutes. The victory marked Sinner’s fourth title of the year, and his fifth consecutive ATP Masters 1000 triumph.

A few hours later, the 19-year-old Mercedes driver crossed the finish line in Miami, continuing the Italian sports bonanza with his third career race win.

Sinner and Antonelli are not just two of Italy’s brightest young sports stars—they’re also uniquely in sync when it comes to lifting trophies.

In one of the more unique cross-sport stats, each of Antonelli’s three grand prix wins in 2026 has come on the same day as one of Sinner’s Masters 1000 titles:

• March 15: Sinner wins Indian Wells Masters and Antonelli wins Chinese Grand Prix
• March 29: Sinner wins Miami Masters and Antonelli wins Japanese Grand Prix
• May 3: Sinner wins Madrid Masters and Antonelli wins Miami Grand Prix

GRANDEEE 🇮🇹 ❤️‍🔥 @janniksin and Kimi Antonelli have now won three titles on the same day 🤯 #MMOPEN #MiamiGP pic.twitter.com/Kkoyc9Q4l9

— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) May 3, 2026

 

Back in March, Sinner had previously given the 19-year-old a shoutout after winning in Miami, where he defeated Jiri Lehecka in straight sets. After the final, Sinner signed the camera lens with the message: “Bez, Kimi, Italia”—a reference to the two other Italian winners on that day, including Antonelli in Formula 1 and Marco Bezzecchi in MotoGP.

Much like Sinner’s own ATP Tour breakthrough at age 22, Antonelli has long been tipped for Formula 1 greatness and now carries the expectations of a nation closely tracking his rise.

Toto Wolff, the Mercedes team principal, has already cautioned about the growing spotlight surrounding the two young stars.

“The easier bit is making sure that he (Antonelli) keeps both feet on the ground here in the team... The bigger problem is the Italian public,” Wolff said.

“Now that they are not qualified for football (in FIFA World Cup), it’s all about Sinner and Antonelli, and Antonelli and Sinner. Sinner won in Madrid, so it’s the two that are superstars.”

Sinner is next scheduled to compete on home soil in Rome for the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, which begins on May 6, before heading to Paris for Roland Garros.

Meanwhile, Antonelli will turn his attention to the Canadian Grand Prix and the prestigious Monaco Grand Prix—the latter set for June 7, the same day as the Roland Garros final.

- Stephanie Livaudais

FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP | FINAL CLASSIFICATION | MIAMI GRAND PRIX 2026

 

MIAMI GRAND PRIX 2026 RESULTS

 

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

FIA STATEMENT ON MIAMI GRAND PRIX 2026 | START TIME MOVED FOLLOWING EXTREME WEATHER

 

MIAMI GRAND PRIX 2026 | GRID

 

LANDO NORRIS BEATS KIMI ANTONELLI FOR MIAMI GP SPRINT POLE

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

MIAMI GRAND PRIX 2026 | GLOBAL SPRINT START TIME

 

MIAMI GRAND PRIX 2026 | SPRINT GRID

 

MIAMI GRAND PRIX 2026 | PRACTICE 1 | CLASSIFICATION

 

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

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

MARTIN BRUNDLE: MIAMI WILL BE RELAUNCH OF SEASON AFTER NEW F1 RULES

 

MUCH-MISSED ELEMENT OF F1 GRID REVIVED FOR MIAMI GP WITH STUNNING RACING BULLS LIVERY

Racing Bulls will race in yellow at the Miami Grand Prix, returning a much-missed colour to the F1 grid for the first time since 2020.

© Red Bull Contentpool
Racing Bulls

Racing Red Bullls have unveiled a vibrant yellow special livery for this weekend's Miami Grand Prix, marking the return of a much-missed colour to the Formula 1 grid for the first time since 2020.

The striking design, inspired by the Red Bull Summer Edition Sudachi Lime energy drink, will adorn the VCARB03 at the Miami International Autodrome, restoring yellow to F1's colour palette after a six-year absence.

Renault was the last team to field a yellow car before rebranding as Alpine in 2021, but that was predominantly black in later years.

recent memory, Jordan raced bright yellow cars during the late 1990s until the name left F1 at the end of 2005.

Before Red Bull owned the team that is now Racing Bulls, Minardi also ran a bright yellow car in 2000 due to its sponsorship with mobile network giant Telefonica.

This marks Racing Bulls' second one-off livery of the 2026 season, having already run a special white and pink design at the Japanese Grand Prix in March.

Due to the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grand Prix postponements, the Faenza-based squad has now deployed special liveries for half of the four rounds contested so far this year.

The reveal took place at Kiki On The River, a waterfront venue along the Miami River, where Red Bull wakeboard athlete Guenther Oka launched off a ramp and backflipped over the car whilst pulling away the cover mid-air. Drivers Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad witnessed the unveiling whilst arriving on Ski-Doos.

Peter Bayer, CEO of Racing Bulls, said: "Miami has become a special place for Visa Cash App Racing Bulls to express who we are as a team. For the past two years, we've used this race to showcase something bold and unique, and this latest livery is no exception.

"The Red Bull Summer Edition livery brings a vibrant energy which reflects who we are as a team, creative and willing to push boundaries. We're very excited to give wiiings to the new seasonal flavour and bring the distinctive design to track this weekend."

The livery features bold yellow colouring complemented by citrus patterns on the team kit, capturing the textures found inside the sudachi lime fruit. The VCARB03 will hit the track in the custom livery when practice begins on Friday.

- RacingNews365 Staff

MIAMI GRAND PRIX SCHEDULE | FORMULA 1

 

RACE WEEK! | MIAMI GRAND PRIX 2026

 

FIA SHAKES UP MIAMI GP SCHEDULE WITH KEY SESSION

With Formula 1 set to resume following its enforced in-season break, the FIA have confirmed a key scheduling change for the Miami Grand Prix.

The Florida event, which will host the second Sprint weekend of the current F1 calendar, will see an adjustment to its timetable. Notably, the FIA has extended the sole free practice session from 60 minutes to 90 minutes.

- Samson Ero

FORMULA 1 SPRINT RACES | 2026

 

FIA ISSUE MCLAREN MCL39 VERDICT AFTER INTENSIVE 'INVESTIGATION' LAUNCHED

Oscar Piastri leads Max Verstappen and Lando Norris in Miam

Formula 1’s governing body the FIA has confirmed that Oscar Piastri’s McLaren was found to be in compliance with the F1 2025 technical regulations after an “extensive” inspection following the Miami Grand Prix.

Reigning Constructors’ champions McLaren have enjoyed a fine start to the F1 2025 season, winning five of the first six races to establish a firm grip on the title race.

McLaren MCL39 passes FIA tests after Miami GP inspection

Piastri currently holds a 16-point lead over team-mate Lando Norris, having claimed a fourth win in the space of five races at the Miami GP earlier this month.

As reported by PlanetF1.com, the FIA is understood to have carried out thorough checks on the rear braking system of the MCL39 car – believed to be key to McLaren’s pace advantage over the opposition given its superior tyre management – in the aftermath of the Miami GP.

It is common practice for cars classified inside the top 10 to be subjected to more stringent tests after the race, with cars chosen at random for a closer inspection by the FIA’s Formula 1 technical delegate Jo Bauer.

Oscar Piastri vs Lando Norris: McLaren head-to-head scores for F1 2025

Ahead of this weekend’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola, the FIA has confirmed that Piastri’s car was found to be in compliance with the rules in Miami.

A verdict penned by Bauer read: “After the race in Miami car number 81 was randomly chosen among the top ten cars for more extensive physical inspections.

“Subject to these physical inspections were the wheel bodywork assemblies. The following checks were carried out on all corners:

“The compliance of all components with TR Article 3.13.

“Physical checks for compliance with TR Article 11.5 on all four corners.

“All inspected components were found to be in conformance with the 2025 Formula One Technical Regulations.”

Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari was also picked at random in Miami, with the SF-25 also passing stringent tests.

Bauer continued: “After the race in Miami car number 16 was randomly chosen among the top ten cars for more extensive physical inspections.

“Subject to these physical inspections was the steering wheel assembly. The following checks were carried out:

“The physical steering wheel assembly was cross checked against the OSC submission as per TR Article 17.6.

“The clutch operating device was examined and checked against TR Article 9.3.2.

“The electronic submission, which was supplied by the team as part of TD001, was checked against the physical steering wheel.

“General compliance checks were carried out against TR Articles 8.3 and 8.7.

“All inspected components were found to be in conformance with the 2025 Formula One Technical Regulations.”

- Oliver Harden