F1 2026: Miami Grand Prix Preview and Predictions

After a break of over a month, Formula One will return to racing this weekend as the grid moves to the US for the 2026 Miami Grand Prix.

Mercedes have put their foot down and cemented themselves as the clear title favourites, with young Kimi Antonelli sitting at the top of the Drivers’ Standings and his senior teammate George Russell playing catch-up.

While there are plenty of storylines at play, quite a few eyes will be on Red Bull given the changes in their garage, while many will also be monitoring how reigning Constructors’ champions McLaren respond after a slow start.

For the 2026 F1 Miami Grand Prix, here we present our preview and predictions.

McLaren in the hunt

After starting the season in a relatively uncompetitive manner, which has left them in third place in the championship standings and almost 100 points behind Mercedes, McLaren have brought new upgrades to Miami, stating that they will bring a “new car” after the break.

The reigning champions have been plagued by issues, with Oscar Piastri not starting the season-opener in Melbourne and neither driver starting the Chinese Grand Prix. The British outfit did find a result as Oscar Piastri took the fight to the Mercedes drivers, qualifying in third place and finishing a commendable second ahead of the Ferrari drivers and George Russell.

McLaren are expected to have made some efforts with regard to their power unit; expect them to fight back in Miami and be in the mix for the win alongside Mercedes and Ferrari. Given that racing will resume with a Sprint weekend, McLaren will have more chances to reduce that gap to Mercedes, with more scoring points on offer.

Pole prediction: George Russell / Lando Norris
Race winners prediction: Mercedes / McLaren

A break for good?

Sometimes a break is good, and one team who desperately needed that break are Aston Martin. They are one of two teams yet to score points this season after three races, with reliability issues having hit them hard.

In the three races that have taken place, Fernando Alonso finishing P18 was the first time an Aston Martin car saw the chequered flag this season, highlighting their technical issues.

Aston Martin and their power unit partner Honda have worked on the reliability issues through this month-long break and will be fielding a new package in Miami. While expecting Aston Martin to shoot up the field and to the top of the midfield would be daft, they should put in a much better show in Miami. Also expect the British outfit to have both their cars make the chequered flag.

Red Bull’s shake-up

While teams have used this month-long break to recharge their batteries and look to find some good form to build on, there’s one team who have been going through a short period of turmoil.

Red Bull Racing have had a hectic period that has seen some big changes. Among the biggest changes is Max Verstappen’s race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, announcing that he will leave the team in 2028 and head to rivals McLaren. If that wasn’t a big shake-up, Red Bull have also made changes in the technical leadership group, swapping roles in and out and signalling a clear shift in dynamics.

Things clearly aren’t comfortable and stable in the Austrian camp, and it remains to be seen how much of an effect these changes will have on their on-track performances. Overall, Red Bull are going through a nervy period, and given that they don’t have the fastest car, or even a challenger behind them on the track, things will continue to be tricky for Verstappen and Co.

F1 Miami Grand Prix 2026: Race details

Circuit: Miami International Autodrome
Venue: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida, USA
Practice Session 1 time: 22:00 IST, May 1, 2026
Sprint Qualifying time: 02:00 IST, May 2, 2026
Sprint time: 21:30 IST, May 2, 2026
Qualifying time: 01:30 IST, May 3, 2026
Main race time: 01:30 IST, May 4, 2026
Where to watch: F1 TV Pro / FanCode