NEED TO KNOW: The most important facts, stats and trivia ahead of the 2026 Miami Grand Prix

The 2026 Formula 1 season resumes this weekend with the Miami Grand Prix, marking Round 4 on the calendar.

With the Sprint format in play, Free Practice 1 and Sprint Qualifying will take place on Friday, May 1, followed by the Sprint and Qualifying on Saturday, May 2, and the Grand Prix itself on Sunday, May 3.

Vital Statistics

• First Grand Prix – 2022
• Track Length – 5.412km
• Lap record – 1m 29.708s, Max Verstappen, Red Bull, 2023
• Most pole positions – Max Verstappen (2)
• Most wins – Max Verstappen (2)
• Trivia – The circuit is set in the Hard Rock Stadium complex in Miami Gardens, home to the NFL’s famous Miami Dolphins franchise
• Pole run to Turn 1 braking point – 184 metres
• Overtakes completed in 2025 – 80
• Safety Car probability – 50%*
• Virtual Safety Car probability – 75%*
• Pit stop time loss – 18.76 seconds (including 2.5s stationary)

*From the previous four races in Miami

The driver's verdict

Jolyon Palmer, former Renault F1 driver: Miami is a bit of a mix of a couple of big braking events, which you get on a lot of modern circuits.

That’s Turn 11 and Turn 17, at the end of really long straights, so you’ve got to be good on the brakes. They’re obviously overtaking opportunities but also areas to make mistakes and lock up and blow a lap.

The first sector is a fast, sweeping set of corners through S-Bends and you’ve got to pick your line, watch the kerbs – that’s important – and if you get fractionally off line you can lose track grip.

The triple apex left-hander, Turns 6-8, is tough on the front-right tyre and a particular problem in the race, and the exit is crucial as it leads onto a long straight.

Miami GP polesitters

• 2025 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
• 2024 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
• 2023 – Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
• 2022 – Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)

Miami GP winners

• 2025 – Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
• 2024 – Lando Norris (McLaren)
• 2023 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
• 2022 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull)

Tyre and strategy insight

“To tackle the 19 corners and three long straights of the Miami International Autodrome, as it was named for its inaugural race in 2022, teams will have access to the three softest compounds in the Pirelli range: C3, C4 and C5,” reads Pirelli’s weekend preview.

“The asphalt, resurfaced in 2023, has a low level of roughness and gains grip over the course of the weekend as the track evolves.

“One interesting characteristic that emerged last year was how quickly the circuit dried. This was clearly demonstrated during the Sprint, the short race that will also feature this season, when drivers switched from intermediate tyres to slicks during the 19 laps, despite the heavy rain that had fallen before the lights went out. Variable weather conditions could once again spring surprises over the course of the weekend.

“There should be fewer uncertainties when it comes to race strategy. Tyre degradation in Miami has always been limited, thanks to the characteristics of the circuit, allowing drivers to extend their stints and make just a single pit stop during the race.

“Another factor to consider on Sunday is the possibility of neutralisations, which are common on any street circuit, where precision is crucial to avoid contact with the barriers.”

Current form

After a pause between races in April, Mercedes remain at the top of both championships as the season resumes in Miami. Kimi Antonelli – who incidentally enjoyed one of his strongest outings of his rookie campaign here last year – leads team mate George Russell by nine points, while the Silver Arrows hold a 45-point advantage over Ferrari in the Teams’ standings.

With Antonelli scoring back-to-back wins in China and Japan, Australia victor Russell will be keen to regain some momentum and return to the top step. But with Antonelli clearly growing in confidence, it will be interesting to see how that battle plays out going forward.

While Mercedes are still leading the way, McLaren looked to have edged closer last time out in Japan. Oscar Piastri finished in second place to clinch the papaya outfit’s first podium of the campaign and, with the team set to deliver upgrades this weekend that will amount to what Team Principal Andrea Stella calls a “completely new car”, they will be hoping to become even more competitive.

Many of their rivals are also expected to bring updates to Miami – including Ferrari, who have enjoyed a positive start to the season but have not yet managed to maintain the pace to secure a victory. Will the Scuderia make further ground as the campaign resumes?

Elsewhere, Red Bull will be hoping for better following a challenging opening stint – the former champions currently lingering in sixth place of the Teams’ standings behind Haas and Alpine – while, further back in the field, the likes of Williams and Aston Martin will also be targeting improvements.

Iconic moment

The Miami International Autodrome has provided plenty of memorable moments since its arrival onto the F1 calendar in 2022. On this occasion, though, we’re rolling back two years to the 2024 race in which Lando Norris famously took his long-awaited first F1 victory.

Saturday’s Sprint had not gone well for the Briton, who found himself out of the running on Lap 1 when a four-car squeeze at the first corner tipped his McLaren into a spin.

However, Norris’ fortunes dramatically improved come Sunday, with a mid-race Safety Car coming at the perfect time for the man who had originally started from P5 on the grid. Having extended his opening stint, Norris pitted to emerge as the race leader, a position that he maintained to the chequered flag to seal an emotional maiden win.

Relive the moment in the video below.