29 April 2026 12:00 (UTC)
“I can’t wait to see our fans as we head into the first American race of the season”
Welcome back to the Sunshine State, Papaya Family!
Heading to Miami this weekend from the UK, on the back of the warmest weekend of the year so far, we were feeling particularly upbeat. After a long, cold winter in Woking, we were delighted to see the sun, and having undergone an extended break from Formula 1 over the past five weeks, we were equally excited to see a race track again.
The Miami International Autodrome has also proven to be a happy hunting ground for McLaren in recent years, with Lando winning here in 2024 and Oscar in 2025, so we’ve enjoyed reliving some nice memories over the past few days.
Joining us to preview this weekend is Chief Marketing Officer Lou McEwen, who appeared on the podium for the team here in 2025. We’ve also broken down some key parts of the circuit, looked back on one of our favourite past races here, and put another quickfire question to Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.
“It’s great to be back in Miami, and what a fantastic place to host our most ambitious US fan experience yet with McLaren Racing Live: Miami. After the success of our 2025 experiences in London’s Trafalgar Square and Austin’s Zone Studio, Miami’s Regatta Harbour is the perfect place for McLaren Racing to take our next fan experience to the next level in 2026.
“Bringing our brand closer to fans is something we care deeply about, and we are always excited to show up in the places that matter to them. Very few fans experience a race in person, so creating moments that bring them into our world feels incredibly special. We are grateful to our amazing community and to our partners who help us bring these experiences to life. We have a lot of fun activations planned, as well as a Showrun with some of our iconic cars. I can’t wait to see our fans, as we head into the first American race of the season.”
With three straights, 19 corners, and a top speed of roughly 340km/h, the Miami International Autodrome is among the modern iterations of Formula 1 street circuits that feel like permanent, purpose-built track – more akin to Melbourne than Monaco.
In short, this typically means there are more overtaking opportunities available, making Qualifying a little less important than at your traditional street track – as evidenced by Lando, who won from fifth in 2024, and Oscar, who claimed victory from fourth in 2025.
As is often the case, the first of these falls at Turn 1, following a 400-metre-long straight. The following two are a little way down the road: at Turn 11, on the back of another straight, and at Turn 17, which follows a tight, twisting sequence of corners that squeezes cars close together, ahead of a straight.
Given that it’s been nearly five weeks since our most recent Formula 1 Grand Prix, you may genuinely be struggling to remember how we performed last time out in Japan.
The previous race at Suzuka was actually our strongest weekend of the season so far, with both Oscar and Lando completing a Grand Prix for the first time in 2026 and recording their best finishes of 2026 to date.
After Qualifying third and fifth in the MCL40, Oscar finished second in the Grand Prix, notching our first podium of the season so far, while Lando secured a strong fifth.
2026 will see us become only the second team in history to reach 1,000 Grand Prix starts. To celebrate this remarkable achievement, each round, we will revisit one of our favourite races from that circuit and hear from those who were there. This week, we’re looking back at the 2024 Miami Grand Prix.
Reigning World Champion and winner of 11 Grands Prix, Lando Norris was still searching for an elusive first win two years ago this week in Miami.
The MCL38 had just received its first major upgrade of the season, and the initial signs were positive. Qualifying a respectable fifth and sixth for the Grand Prix, Lando and Oscar went into the race hoping for a podium finish, but as the race played out, their pace suggested they may even be able to do better than that.
Oscar started the stronger of the two, moving up to second and was closing in on Max Verstappen when the pit stops began. Lando, running in sixth, made up places when those ahead of him pitted, attempting the overcut, while also building a tyre delta.
Things began to fall into place for Lando when a collision between Logan Sargeant and Kevin Magnussen required the Safety Car, allowing Lando to pit from the lead and retain his position. He defended at the restart, broke free of DRS, and then drove away from the field.
After the Chequered Flag, he surfed on the crew in parc fermé, while Andrea spoke of the importance of the moment, not just for Lando but also for the journey the team had embarked on. As he predicted, we went on to greater things, but Sunday night in the Sunshine State was just about as good as it gets.
“Miami 2024 was a very special race for us all,” recalls Will Joseph, Lando’s Race Engineer in Miami. “Lando’s first victory was something we had been working so hard to achieve as a team. The timing of the safety car was perfect for our race, but Lando’s pace when released from Sergio Perez and in the final stint demonstrated how strong he and the car were with the new upgrade.
“When we crossed the line, it didn’t sink in immediately, and it wasn’t until I watched the race replay later that week that the enormity of the achievement really hit home.”
Each race week, we’ll be putting the same question to Lando and Oscar or two team members to find out just how similar (or different) they really are. The question could be anything: from their favourite corner on the F1 calendar, to their ultimate pre-race anthem, or even the one food they absolutely refuse to eat on race week.
This week, we asked them which destination they would love to see added to the F1 calendar, based solely on location. Lando: I want to go to Antarctica. A little race track around Antarctica, where we’re racing around with penguins in the background, that would be pretty cool. Oscar: I feel like we go to a lot of cool places, but it would probably be a race in Queensland in Australia.
Follow all of the action this weekend via the McLaren Racing App, available to download on Android and iOS.
