Miami Grand Prix preview: Five storylines to watch including McLaren vs Ferrari

F1 returns to the United States for the Miami Grand Prix from Friday, May 1 to Sunday, May 3 – the fourth round of the 2026 season.

After a long five-week break and changes to the cars and regulations, some interesting storylines are poised to capture the fans’ attention.

Upgrades – McLaren vs Ferrari

McLaren have targeted Miami for their first upgrade package since the start of the season.

With the considerable break, however, team principal Andrea Stella told Sky Sports: “We will see an entirely new MCL40.”

Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur told Sky Sports Italy in Suzuka that “everyone will bring new upgrades” and that Miami will effectively be the start of a “new championship”.

The upgraded Ferrari is rumoured to include their ‘macarena’ wing that captured the attention of the whole paddock during testing.

Last time out in Suzuka, with both cars finally starting, McLaren looked to be a strong match for Ferrari, and with significant upgrades for both teams, this will be an interesting battle.

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Mercedes intra-team battle

Mercedes have been clear of the rest of the field so far this season, leaving their two drivers to battle it out for pole positions, wins, and ultimately, the championship lead.

George Russell convincingly won the first race in Australia and the sprint race in China.

However, his teenage team-mate Kimi Antonelli stepped up and won the main race in China and Japan, taking the championship lead from Russell and making history in the process.

With seemingly little separating the Mercedes duo so far this year, the battle for the top continues between them in Miami.

The question remains as to which driver will have benefited most from the break and can best his team-mate this time out.

Regulation changes

After much criticism of the 2026 regulations, the FIA implemented slight tweaks to the regulations during the break.

The complex technical adjustments to the regulations have been put in place to reduce the super-clipping, closing speeds, and lift and coast that caused the most grief for the fans and drivers.

The Miami Grand Prix will be a testing ground to see whether these tweaks have made any positive difference to both the drivers and the fans.

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Will Red Bull have closed the gap?

Red Bull have had a lacklustre start to their season, being markedly off the pace of the top-three teams.

Team boss Laurent Mekies agreed with Vasseur in that Miami will be like “a second season launch”, speaking on the Beyond the Grid F1 official podcast.

Like other teams, Mekies confirmed that Red Bull will be bringing upgrades to Miami.

It will be interesting to see if these upgrades will allow Red Bull to close the gap to the top-three teams and potentially be in the mix for a podium spot.

Best of the rest – Haas vs Alpine

The top of the midfield has proved to be an exciting battle so far this season, with most of the competitive action coming from Haas and Alpine.

Alpine’s Pierre Gasly is the only driver outside of the top-three teams to have scored points in every race this season.

Haas’ Oliver Bearman has also been a standout driver this season, despite his crash in Japan.

With both teams currently above Red Bull in the constructors’ championship, and as little as two points separating the two of them, the story of the Haas and Alpine battle is certainly an exciting one to watch.

With upgrades, regulation tweaks, and rivalries intensifying across the grid, the Miami Grand Prix could prove to be a weekend that truly reignites the 2026 season.

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