Five quick takeaways from F1's Miami GP sprint

1. We have a fight on our hands

Fears of one-team domination appear to have been quelled as the first round of paddock wide upgrade brought Ferrari and especially McLaren back in play. Lando Norris handed Mercedes its first defeat in a competitive session, winning Saturday's 19-lap sprint from pole as Oscar Piastri held off Ferrari's Charles Leclerc grabbed second.

As you can read here on Autosport, there are several mitigating factors behind Mercedes' apparent step backwards in Miami, not least because it is waiting to bring the bulk of its own upgrades until Canada. But McLaren isn't done with its updates either, so expect the 2026 competitive picture to keep fluctuating, which can only be a good thing after Mercedes dominated the early running.

2. No quick fixes for 2026's stragglers

The enforced April break has given teams additional time to get on top of their respective issues without the distraction of participating in grand prix weekends, but thus far Miami has shown that there are no silver bullets in F1. Audi is still struggling for reliability with its power units, Aston Martin and Honda are still miles off respectability, and Williams is still at the tail end of the midfield with its overweight car.

Alpine is continuing to impress in Miami. (Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images)

3. Alpine confirms its best of the rest status

Alpine's impressive package of upgrades has further solidified its place at the top of the midfield, with Franco Colapinto taking his best qualifying result this far in eighth. Pierre Gasly keeps firing on all cylinders, too, and passed his Argentine team-mate to bank another point, defeating the second Red Bull of Isack Hadjar in the process.

After a slow start getting up to speed with its brand-new customer engines from Mercedes, Alpine is showing its 2025 sacrifice is paying off.

4. Sprint format proves its value as thunderstorms loom

F1's sprint formats remain a topic of debate, with not everyone won over by their value. But in Miami the format has proven why F1 chiefs are so enamoured with it. With the spectre of thunderstorms looming over Sunday, and talks ongoing to potentially bring forward the race schedule, Miami's weekend format has already provided competitive action on Saturday and allowed F1 to get at least one race in, even if it's just a 19-lap contest.

This is exactly the scenario F1 had in mind when introducing them, trying to avoid the prospect of paying customers watching drivers and mechanics twiddle their thumbs as rain prevents any action from taking place. Florida's strict laws, which require major outdoor sporting events to be halted immediately if lightning strikes within an eight-mile radius, means even a rejigged schedule is far from a guarantee officials will be able to get Sunday's grand prix in.

5. Alex Zanardi's legacy reverberates through motorsport

F1 held an impressive minute of silence before the start of the sprint to pay tribute to the late Alex Zanardi, who died aged 59. As news broke of the Italian's death, a real shock went through the F1 paddock which was once Zanardi's home. Losing his legs in a horrific CART accident in 2001, Zanardi's return to competition as a touring car driver and Paralympic champion turned him into a worldwide inspiration and a beacon of courage, resilience and positivity in the face of adversity, his impact fell well outside the motorsport bubble. Tributes from F1 drivers and chiefs swiftly poured in, while several teams added stickers to their F1 cars ahead of Saturday's sprint.

Motorsport.com would like to join the rest of the motorsport community in offering our heartfelt condolences to Alex's friends and family.