Five things to look out for at the F1 Miami GP

The Miami Grand Prix marks the return of Formula 1 this weekend as the American event will host round four of the 2026 campaign.

This comes five weeks after round three in Japan as a result of the Middle Eastern conflict, which forced the cancellations of the Saudi Arabian and Bahrain grands prix – initially scheduled for April.

F1 will also return with a sprint weekend, while various tweaks have been made to the contentious regulations following a drama-filled opening three rounds.

So, here are five things to look out for in Miami.

Will George Russell strike back?

Those expecting George Russell to cruise into an easy championship lead at the start of the season may have been a little surprised to see Kimi Antonelli atop the drivers’ championship. Antonelli’s lead is only nine points, and much of that can be attributed to Russell’s worse luck with reliability (China qualifying) and strategy (Japan), but it’s also fair to give the Italian teen credit for taking a big step over the off-season.

After a month to digest the opening three grands prix, Russell will want to reassert his authority as the ‘senior’ driver at Mercedes. On outright pace, the Briton is ahead: his supertime from the opening three rounds is 0.112% short of the theoretical best, while Antonelli is 0.230% away, but the Italian is 2-1 ahead in grand prix qualifying.

Let’s also not forget, however, that Antonelli bagged his first start from pole position at last year’s Miami sprint race, and thus should have the confidence to do so again with a more competitive car. But Russell has the wherewithal to overcome his team-mate’s form and start to gather his own momentum, and Miami would be a great place to start.

After all, there’s always a chance that another team can catch the wind with a few choice and well-timed updates; Mercedes thus needs to make the most of its early advantage, lest it be out-developed by a rival outfit. Miami would be a good time for Russell to pick up his form, especially with the extra points available across a sprint weekend.

– Jake Boxall-Legge

How fast will the “entirely new” McLaren be?

Oscar Piastri, McLaren

Photo by: Alastair Staley / LAT Images via Getty Images

“Across Miami and Canada, we will see an entirely new MCL40,” Andrea Stella said when he met the media during the April break – noting, it should be said, that rival teams will also be bringing upgrades. Yet, given how quickly the Woking squad has developed its cars in recent years, that should sound alarming for its direct competitors.

McLaren didn’t get off to a strong start this season and currently sits third in the constructors’ standings, with the gap to Mercedes already nearing 100 points after just three rounds. Oscar Piastri’s start to the campaign was particularly difficult, with two DNSs in Melbourne and Shanghai. But as the team began to better understand the Mercedes-built power unit, he was back in contention for victory in Japan – a timely reminder not to write McLaren off too early.

Now, Stella’s engineers have had more than a month to run simulations and analyse data, so progress in understanding the power unit should be more evident in Miami. And the car itself is set to be “entirely” different, too. Three years ago, McLaren’s revival began with a major Miami upgrade – and the momentum never really slowed.

The regulation change has posed a challenge, but McLaren has been among the best at improving its car with each update. Will that remain the case? Miami may not provide a definitive answer – but it should offer a strong indication.

– Oleg Karpov

Time for Max Verstappen and Red Bull to bounce back

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Mark Thompson / Getty Images

Max Verstappen and Red Bull have previously enjoyed strong results in Miami, winning two of the first three editions of the Floridian event. It could easily have been three from three had an ill-timed safety car not cost the Dutchman in 2024, handing Norris his maiden victory.

However, it would take a significant turnaround over the April break for Verstappen and Red Bull to deliver something similar this weekend.

This is a team whose best result from the opening three grands prix of 2026 is sixth for the four-time world champion in Melbourne. Crucially, its struggles have not come from its new status as a power unit manufacturer, but from a chassis plagued by balance issues and, at times, appearing almost undriveable even by Verstappen’s standards.

In those circumstances, Red Bull needs to leave Miami having taken a clear step in the right direction. Only then can it begin to build a campaign more in keeping with both its own expectations and Verstappen’s pedigree, rather than remaining embroiled in a midfield battle with the likes of Haas and Alpine.

– Federico Faturos

First ‘home’ race for Cadillac

Valtteri Bottas, Cadillac Racing

Photo by: Andy Hone/ LAT Images via Getty Images

Cadillac will make its home debut under far greater pressure than it witnessed in its first three races. In Miami, the team gets a real benchmark of where it stands – not just with fans, but with the US market as a whole.

It arrives in Florida with a car that is inconsistent, fragile, and at the back of the pack. The American outfit is just lacking pace with its MAC-26 and has a best result of 13th via Valtteri Bottas in China.

At the same time, both drivers and the team itself are still in an adaptation phase, and that learning curve needs to accelerate quickly, especially with the spotlight intensifying at home. Fan engagement also remains limited: for now, Cadillac relies heavily on the existing fanbases of Bottas and Sergio Perez, without having established a strong identity of its own within F1.

The project is still raw – which, in itself, isn’t surprising. Unlike operations such as Audi, which took over the existing Sauber structure, Cadillac started from scratch. So much isn’t expected of its first home race this weekend, but in front of a supportive crowd, it’ll need to show clear signs of progress.

– Livia Veiga

But also a ‘home’ race for Haas…

Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team

Photo by: Alastair Staley / LAT Images via Getty Images

The spotlight will naturally be on Cadillac for its maiden home race, as the team has really gone all-in on that American identity with aspirations of becoming F1’s only full factory squad from the States.

But Haas also deserves some attention, particularly because it has enjoyed a brilliant start to 2026: it is fourth on 18 points, the best position it’s held at this stage of a season since its debut in 2016.

The American outfit has simply produced a solid VF-26, featuring a reliable chassis powered by a highly efficient Ferrari engine. While many of its midfield rivals have endured sluggish starts to the year, Haas has been able to just plough on and if anything, it could easily have more points to its name.

That’s because it was on for a double score in China until Esteban Ocon clashed with Franco Colapinto, earning a 10-second penalty. The spotlight must really be on Ocon to improve, as the veteran grand prix winner only has one-point this season and more should be expected of the 29-year-old.

He is in the final year of his contract and questions surrounding his future will start being raised if Ocon fails to turn the situation around. It is a contrasting situation on the other side of the garage, as sophomore Oliver Bearman is in fine form sitting seventh in the drivers’ standings with a best result of fifth in China.

So the 20-year-old should have the confidence that he can claim a good points haul this weekend, despite Miami last year not being a very happy hunting ground qualifying last for both the sprint and grand prix.

– Ed Hardy

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