Kimi Antonelli has acknowledged that McLaren’s resurgence at the 2026 Miami Grand Prix was expected, following the team’s major upgrade package. The Mercedes driver now faces increased competition after his team’s early-season dominance comes under pressure.
McLaren immediately demonstrated the effectiveness of its updates, with Lando Norris securing sprint pole by two-tenths over Antonelli. This points to a significant improvement in aerodynamic efficiency and car balance, particularly in qualifying conditions where setup precision is critical.
Antonelli endured a compromised sprint qualifying session, largely due to limited preparation after missing a soft-tyre run in FP1 because of a power unit issue. The lack of running impacted his ability to fully exploit grip levels during the decisive SQ3 phase.
"It was a pretty messy session. I struggled a lot with the car, especially on the medium tyre. On the softs, the car suddenly felt more alive and more comfortable."
From a technical standpoint, the contrast between medium and soft tyre performance suggests Mercedes is still operating within a narrow setup window, particularly in managing tyre temperature. This is a key factor at Miami, where traction zones and long straights place unique demands on tyre behaviour and energy deployment.
Antonelli also stressed that McLaren’s step forward was not unexpected, but rather the result of structured development leveraging the same power unit architecture as Mercedes. This creates a direct performance comparison, especially in terms of efficiency and deployment strategies.
"We expected this weekend to be tougher. Many teams brought big upgrades and they closed the gap or went ahead of us. McLaren has the same power unit and improved the car a lot."
With performance gaps narrowing, Miami could mark a turning point in the 2026 season. Mercedes will now need to respond both technically and strategically, as the fight at the front intensifies heading into the main race and the next phase of the championship.
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