After a five-week layoff, Formula 1 is finally back. The 2026 F1 season gets started again in Miami for the first U.S. race of the 2026 season — the Miami Grand Prix. This weekend’s events come with a Sprint race, new regulations, and a loaded schedule.
The 2026 Miami Grand Prix runs May 1-3 at Miami International Autodrome in Miami Gardens, Florida. The weekend includes one practice session (Friday, 12 p.m. ET), Sprint Qualifying (Friday, 4:30 p.m.), the Sprint race (Saturday, 12 p.m.), Grand Prix Qualifying (Saturday, 4 p.m.), and Sunday’s race.
After plenty of action before the main event through the weekend, the Miami Grand Prix is set to start Sunday, May 3, at 4 p.m. ET.
The Miami Grand Prix has also been good to McLaren lately. Lando Norris won here in 2024, then Oscar Piastri followed it up in 2025. In 2026, they will be back with the Piastri-Norris duo, a modified car, and PrizePicks on the car, as part of the new PrizePicks x McLaren racing tie-up.
Below is the full 2026 Miami Grand Prix schedule, track info, previous race winners, and what to watch before making your F1 predictions for qualifying and Sunday’s race.
Make your Miami Grand Prix F1 Predictions on PrizePicks
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2026 Miami Grand Prix Schedule: Times, Dates for Miami GP Weekend
Find the key dates and times for Miami Grand Prix weekend, including qualifying, Sprint start time, and the Grand Prix. All times are Eastern Time.
F1 Miami Grand Prix Track Info: Miami International Autodrome
Miami is not Monaco — starting up front helps, but there is room to overtake if the car has race pace.
The Miami International Autodrome is a 3.36-mile (5.41-km) circuit with 19 corners, three straights, and an estimated top speed around 198.8 miles per hour (320 km/hr). That will give drivers real passing chances, especially if they can get runs out of slower sections of the track.
The track also has enough braking zones to create mistakes. Drivers have to slow the car down from high speeds, rotate through tighter corners, then get back on throttle cleanly. If a car is unstable under braking or sliding on exit, it can lose time fast and burn through tires.
Both qualifying sessions matter for your F1 predictions, but the final order won’t account for everything. At Miami, speed in the straights can matter just as much as one clean lap to get a great qualifying result.
Miami Grand Prix Predictions: What To Know Before You Pick
Miami is setting up to be a very tricky race, with a lot to learn. Not only does the Sprint format cut down practice time, but teams are off a five-week layoff, during which F1 tweaked the regulations.
One thing is for sure: the first sessions are going to matter more than usual, and projections on PrizePicks will move accordingly, likely after the first practice.
Teams will get fewer setup laps, but fans get more real racing before Sunday. Mercedes and McLaren are still the teams to beat, but there could be some surprises on Sunday.
PrizePicks offers Miami Grand Prix picks on starting position (before qualifying), outright winner, podium finishers, top 5/10, Sprint winner, and more for you to make your call on to earn real money.
Here’s what you need to know before you lock in your Miami GP picks on PrizePicks.
- Sprint Qualifying is Key: Friday’s Sprint Qualifying sets the grid for Saturday’s Sprint, but it’s also our first competitive look at cars after a long layoff. Clean short-run pace matters more than long-run strategy.
- Saturday Qualifying: This sets the Grand Prix grid, starting at 4 p.m. ET, but we should have a good picture of the main event after Saturday’s Sprint (12 p.m. ET).
- McLaren form: McLaren has won the last two Miami races and enters the weekend behind Mercedes.
- Straight-line speed: Miami’s long straights can open the door for overtakes and late-race moves.
- Weather: Miami will get hot, humid, and can get messy fast. If rain gets involved, the whole weekend gets less predictable.
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McLaren F1 Car Upgrades Enough to Catch Mercedes?
McLaren won the last two Miami races, but this year, they’re trailing Mercedes. Mercedes’ George Russell (2.43x to win) and Kimi Adntonelli (2.63x payout) are the two favorites to win the Miami GP before qualifying, with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri (7.69x) right behind them.
They’re bringing a heavily changed car after the five-week break, which driver Lando Norris says is “completely new,” to help the team reset. However, even team principal Andrea Stella has been careful not to call it a guaranteed step forward.
Watch McLaren closely during FP1 and Sprint Qualifying on Friday for straight-line speed, braking stability, and whether Norris or Piastri look comfortable right away. That will tell us more than the upgrade headline, which could also create challenges on a busy weekend.
Pick McLaren drivers to win the Miami GP on PrizePicks
Mercedes’ Early Season Dominance
Mercedes has been the team to beat so far, winning all three Grands Prix in 2026, and the Miami track should fit them based on the 2026 season to this point.
Long straights, heavy braking zones, and clean traction all matter here, and that has been where Russell and Antonelli have looked comfortable early.
Not to mention, Antonelli qualified in pole position here last year — where
Now we’ll find out if that will hold after the break, with McLaren bringing massive changes to the car, Ferrari closing the gap before the break, and Red Bull still in the mix after early-season setbacks. If they’re still the fastest team in practice and Q1, they’ll be hard to ignore as the favorites.
Pick Kimi Antonelli to win the Miami GP on PrizePicks
Don’t Count on Pole Position in Miami
The pole-sitter has not won any of the first four Miami Grand Prix races. Could that change this year with Mercedes dominating the 2026 season in the early going?
Charles Leclerc started P1 in 2022 — finished 2nd. Sergio Perez won pole in 2023 — finished 2nd behind Max Verstappen. Then Verstappen took pole in 2024 (2nd) and 2025 (4th), but won neither.
It’s worth noting that Kimi Antonelli won the Sprint pole position, but did not finish on the podium, with both McLarens and Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton taking those spots.
That keeps more drivers and markets in play than just the Miami GP winner on PrizePicks this weekend, even after we get the qualifying order.
F1 Miami Grand Prix Winner Favorites, Payouts
Here are the favorites to win the 2026 Miami Grand Prix, according to user picks on PrizePicks Team Picks.
In addition to race winner, you can make F1 predictions on drivers to finish on the podium, top 5/top 10, and fastest lap on PrizePicks Team Picks.
Mercedes’ driver tandem of George Russell and and Kimi Antonelli are the favorites to win the 2026 Miami GP. There’s a big gap between them and the remaining drivers, led by Oscar Piastri, Charles Leclerc, and Lando Norris.
The numbers below represent payout multipliers on PrizePicks; a $100 entry on a 2x outcome pays out $200 if you’re correct. Lower numbers represent a higher implied chance of the outcome happening; higher numbers are less popular picks and have a lower implied chance. Payouts are live as of writing and are subject to change.
George Russell – Yes 2.43x | No 1.51x
Kimi Antonelli – Yes 2.63x | No 1.44x
Oscar Piastri – Yes 7.69x | No 1.06x
Charles Leclerc – Yes 9.09x | No 1.04x
Lando Norris – Yes 10x | No 1.03x
Lewis Hamilton – Yes 14.28x | No 1.02x
Max Verstappen – Yes 16.66x
All Other Drivers – 33.33x
Pick the Miami Grand Prix Winner on PrizePicks
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F1 Miami Sprint Winner Favorites, Payouts
Here are the favorites to win the F1 Miami Grand Prix Sprint on Saturday, May 2, according to PrizePicks Team Picks.
George Russell – Yes 2.56x | No 1.12x
Kimi Antonelli – Yes 2.77x | No 1.08x
Lewis Hamilton – Yes 7.14x | No 1.03x
Charles Leclerc – Yes 7.14x | No 1.03x
Oscar Piastri – Yes 7.69x | No 1.03x
Lando Norris – Yes 7.69x | No 1.03x
Max Verstappen – Yes 22.22x
All Other Drivers – Yes 33.33x
Pick the F1 Miami Sprint Winner on PrizePicks
Do Sprint Winners Also Win the Grand Prix? Quick Facts
Short answer: never at Miami, and usually not in general.
Miami has only had two Sprint weekends so far, and the Sprint winner has never won the main Miami Grand Prix.
In 2024, Max Verstappen won the Miami Sprint and the pole position, but Lando Norris won the Miami Grand Prix. In 2025, Lando Norris won the Miami Sprint, but teammate Oscar Piastri won the Grand Prix.
Over the last two F1 seasons, only 25 percent of Sprint winners have gone on to win the Grand Prix the following day on the same track.
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Miami Grand Prix Weather: What It Means for Picks
Friday looks like the cleanest window, which helps for practice and Sprint Qualifying data.
Saturday is hotter and windier, so tire wear and braking confidence could matter more in the Sprint and Grand Prix Qualifying.
Sunday is the one to watch: as of writing, showers and storms are possible around race day in Miami Gardens. If rain gets near the 4 p.m. ET start, Race Winner gets less straightforward, as teams could deploy unique strategies to leverage the possibility of safety cars.
Who Won the 2025 Miami Grand Prix?
Oscar Piastri won the 2025 Miami Grand Prix, with Lando Norris second and George Russell third. Max Verstappen started from pole but finished fourth.
It's worth noting that Kimi Antonelli won pole here last year at age 18 — the youngest to ever win an F1 pole. Now, the Mercedes team is improved from last year, which could make for a dangerous combo.
Qualifying pole helps in Miami, but that spot has not decided everything in Florida. Race pace, tire life, pit timing, and clean air have all mattered just as much.
Make F1 Predictions on PrizePicks
Formula 1 racing is back on track after a long five-week layoff, bringing us the first race on United States soil of the 2026 season.
Mercedes has been dominant this year, but McLaren is rolling out car upgrades that could get them back in front. Current payouts on PrizePicks for Miami Grand Prix picks show that the public believes McLaren — the 2025 Constructors' Champions — won’t be enough to hang with Mercedes in Miami.
Only time will tell as we head into race weekend from Miami Gardens. Before the action gets underway on Saturday with the Sprint, you can make your F1 predictions on PrizePicks to earn money if you’re right — including on winners, podium, and more.
Stay locked on Playbook for more Miami Grand Prix picks and F1 predictions all weekend.
