McLaren vindicated as Lando Norris takes pole for Miami Grand Prix sprint race, Oscar Piastri third

Lando Norris has claimed the first non-Mercedes pole position of the F1 season as action resumed at the Miami Grand Prix following a five-week break.

Norris pipped championship leader Kimi Antonelli to pole for the sprint race by 0.222 seconds. His McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri was third, 0.239 behind.

"Perfect result for us, nice way to reward the team," Norris said after the session.

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"We've got a lot of new upgrades on the car, so nice to feel some grip again. ... I've always loved Miami."

McLaren put the break to good use, designing and building a raft of upgrades to the car for the Miami race. The Florida circuit has been a happy hunting ground for the squad, having won the last two grands prix held at the venue.

McLaren weren't the only team to bring upgrades, in fact most teams on the grid have brought new parts hoping for a boost in performance.

Commentator Martin Brundle said the new parts and the extended break meant Miami was "more like a relaunch of the season" rather than a continuation.

Practice on Saturday morning (AEST) was the first chance for drivers to test changes made by FIA, the sports governing body, during the break. The organisation implemented changes to the regulations after drivers heavily criticised how the electrical battery power has changed the cars and competition.

Charles Leclerc of Ferrari qualified fourth for the sprint, ahead of Red Bull's Max Verstappen.

Earlier, Verstappen said he had "nothing new" to say regarding his future racing plans and whether the four-time world champion is seriously considering quitting F1.

The Dutchman first suggested he could walk away after the Japanese Grand Prix in March. He's been vocal about his dissatisfaction with new regulations and called changes made to the regulations for this weekend "a tickle" of a fix.

He said in Miami he has not considered his future because he’s been "busy with other things", which included racing at the Nordschleife in Germany to prepare for the famous 24-hour race later in May.

"I still have time and I’m taking my time," he said. "The rest, I mean, also for myself, I don't know at the moment. What I said in Japan is still the same, but I also still have a lot of time."

Miami is the first race in five weeks because two Middle East events were called off due to the war in Iran. During that time, Verstappen's race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase was announced to be leaving for McLaren by 2028 at the latest. The duo has been together since 2016.

Verstappen had previously claimed he would not want to work with another race engineer, but has backtracked on that now.

"Otherwise I don't get to drive, I will have to work with someone else," added Verstappen.

"But I think times change and the offer that he got, I would be an idiot to try and keep him. It’s not only about me all the time, it’s also about his career and moving forward. So for me, it was a no-brainer to be honest. But the future, that’s what we’re looking at now with a different race engineer. I’m sure we’ll find a solution for that as well."

- With Damien McCartney

Miami Grand Prix sprint qualifying full results