McLaren secures its first double podium of the season in Miami: "We are clearly one step closer to the leaders"

This result needs to be put into context to appreciate its significance. McLaren had approached the 2026 season in catastrophic conditions: Oscar piastri found themselves in the wall even before the start of the first Grand Prix of the season in Australia, the two cars didn't start in China, before things improved in Japan with a podium finish for the Australian (2nd). A month's break later, the two orange cars crossed the finish line together in second and third position — a strong message sent to Mercedes Benz, who nevertheless dominated the championship from start to finish with Kimi Antonelli and George Russell.

Lando Norris, who had led the race after the safety car period, was the victim of a decisive undercut by the Italian Mercedes driver on lap 26. The Briton is not making excuses: "We should have pitted first, but Kimi did a good job. I take my hat off to Mercedes and Kimi, they had a good race." He nevertheless admits that he did not have the pace to respond in the final laps: "I didn't have the pace to overtake him at the end of the race, so we have to accept it." The disappointment is, however, real: "I'm really disappointed to miss out on the win here in Miami; I think it was possible to go for it today."

Nevertheless, the 2025 world champion takes a step back to reflect on the entire weekend, and highlights the technical complexity imposed by the new regulations: "You have to be very tactical in how you manage the battery; we can get caught out by the wrong timing. It was easy to make mistakes here with those heavy braking zones and these new cars, but he didn't make any, so I couldn't take advantage of it."

Oscar Piastri sees the light at the end of the tunnel

The McLaren driver, who had to fight his way back through the field after qualifying seventh, finished on the lowest step of the podium after overtaking Charles Leclerc With two laps to go — the Monegasque driver then made a fatal mistake on the final lap, preventing him from catching the McLaren. The Australian is more measured in his analysis, but the underlying message is clear: "It wasn't the easiest weekend; we both had difficult qualifying sessions, but the pace was encouraging again today. We're clearly a step closer to the leaders in terms of performance, which is great to see."

Number 81 emphasizes what he sees as positive in the collective dynamic: “This weekend we showed that if we have a good track position, we can hold our position well. We really took a step forward and we hope that will be the case again in Canada. I’m really excited for the future.” A measured but sincere optimism, which contrasts sharply with the uncertainties surrounding McLaren at the start of the season. The orange machine seems to have found its cruising speed — and if the upgrades promised by Andrea Stella continue to bear fruit, the battle for the constructors' title could tighten up in the coming weeks.

ALSO READ > Miami GP: Antonelli holds off Norris and wins again!