Mercedes may have won again but Miami upgrades have shaken up the F1 grid | Giles Richards

The improved form of McLaren and Red Bull and in Florida suggests the 2026 title race is likely to run and run

There is a long old way to go but after Formula One emerged from its enforced early season break with an entertaining romp around the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, it indicated that there may yet be a decent tale to be told this season. One where Mercedes do not have it all their own way.

Regulation changes dominated the buildup – of which more later because honestly paragraph two is too early to subject readers to the increasingly soul-destroying phrase “energy management” – but what really mattered in Miami was the sporting imperative of upgrades making a competitive difference.