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Formula One: Miami GP race updates as storms threaten disruption – live | Formula One 2026
Key events
Lap 5 of 57: And now Leclerc regains the lead. Hadjar’s terrible day continues as he crashes out. And then Norris joins Leclerc by passing Antonelli to grab second place. The safety car is out after Hadjar’s crash.
Lap 4 of 57: Antonelli challenges Leclerc for the lead but Leclerc holds off the championship leader … just about. Antonelli has another dart and Leclerc lets him through. Antonelli in the lead!
Lap 3 of 57: A good start for Alex Albon, who started the day in 15th but has leapt up to 10th. Hadjar, the only driver on hard tyres after starting in the pit, has zoomed to 16th .
Lap 2 of 57: Verstappen makes back a little ground, passing Lawson and is now up to eighth. Leclerc has a lead of a second over Antonelli in second. Russell is up to fourth.
Lights out!
Leclerc nips up the inside and grabs the lead! Verstappen spins as he jostles for position and is down in 10th! All sorts happening in a frantic start. Antonelli is second, Norris third, Piastri fourth and Hamilton fifth.
Every driver starting on the grid is on medium tyres today, the rain earlier means there’s not likely to be much grip on the track. And, of course, if it rains later …
Hadjar, starting in the pit lane, will start on hard tyres in the hope of making up ground on the field.
Max Verstappen, an excellent wet weather driver, is chatting to Apple TV as he makes his way to the grid. He predicts a “hectic race” in the unpredictable conditions.
This will be the first race this season with rain, and the first time we see how the new cars handle wet conditions. While we wait for the start of the race, a little reminder of the driver standings at the start of the day:
1 Kimi Antonelli (It) 75pts
2 George Russell (GB) 68
3 Charles Leclerc (Mon) 55
4 Lewis Hamilton (GB) 43
5 Lando Norris (GB) 33
6 Oscar Piastri (Aus) 28
7 Oliver Bearman (GB) 17
8 Pierre Gasly (Fr) 16
9 Max Verstappen (Neth) 16
10 Liam Lawson (NZ) 10
Positive-ish weather update
The FIA says the rain is forecast to arrive 20 minutes after the start, but the worst weather should hit once the race is over. Meanwhile, the cars are arriving on the grid now.
Latest news is that the race should start in dry conditions, although the rain is more than likely to set in at some point during the grand prix. Meanwhile, Jon Rahm has turned up to get some advice from Carlos Sainz and Rafa Nadal on the LIV situation.
The rain is still holding off for now. Looks like F1 have linked up with some local teams, so little known Inter Miami veteran Lionel Messi can afford to get in! Great to see F1 giving back to the community.
The starting grid
1 Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
2 Max Verstappen, Red Bull
3 Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
4 Lando Norris, McLaren
5 George Russell, Mercedes
6 Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
7 Oscar Piastri, McLaren
8 Franco Colapinto, Alpine
9 Pierre Gasly, Alpine
10 Nico Hulkenberg, Audi
11 Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls
12 Oliver Bearman, Haas
13 Carlos Sainz, Williams
14 Esteban Ocon, Haas
15 Alex Albon, Williams
16 Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls
17 Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin
18 Lance Stroll, Aston Martin
19 Valtteri Bottas, Cadillac
20 Sergio Perez, Cadillac
21 Gabriel Bortoleto, Audi
22 Isack Hadjar, Red Bull (starts from pit lane)
A little update from AFP on the grid:
Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar will start from the back of the grid in the Miami Grand Prix after he was disqualified on Sunday from qualifying for a technical infringement on his car.
Hadjar had posted the ninth quickest time in Saturday’s qualifying but the stewards announced that the Frenchman’s car failed its inspection. They said its floor was deemed non-compliant because its dimensions exceeded by two millimetres the reference volume defined by the 2026 regulations.
Red Bull accepted the decision and “admitted a breach of the technical regulations”, the stewards specified.
“We made a mistake and we respect the stewards’ decision,” said team principal, Laurent Mekies, in a statement.
“No advantage was sought or gained from this error. We will learn from this mistake and review our procedures to understand how it happened and ensure it does not happen again.”
Hadjar, 21, is therefore relegated to the back of the grid in 22nd spot.
Weather update
A reminder that the start time for this race was brought forward three hours to 1pm ET/6pm BST because of the threat of heavy storms. Outdoor sports events in Florida must be stopped if there’s a lightning strike within an eight-mile radius of the venue and can’t restart until there’s been no thunder of lighting for 30 minutes, which means we could be in for a little disruption this afternoon. There was heavy rain earlier this morning and it’s dry now, but the storms are forecast to return around 1pm … which also happens to be the start of the race.
Tom will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s how qualifying went down:
Kimi Antonelli took pole position for the Miami Grand Prix with a strong lap, but only by narrowly beating a resurgent Max Verstappen and Red Bull into second place.
After the session had finished, the FIA, F1 and the Miami promoter issued a joint statement announcing the start of Sunday’s race had been brought forward from 4pm to 1pm local time – 6pm BST – because of heavy thunderstorms forecast for the afternoon.
On the track Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were in third and sixth for Ferrari, with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in fourth and seventh for McLaren, while Antonelli’s Mercedes teammate George Russell could manage only fifth, four-10ths back from the Italian.
Antonelli, who leads the world championship by seven points from Russell, claimed his third straight pole, reasserting Mercedes’ pace at the front of the field that had looked to be genuinely under threat over the weekend in Miami. Not least when Norris and Piastri took a dominant one-two in the sprint race earlier on Saturday at the Hard Rock stadium.
You can read the full report below:
Avon and Somerset Police said the incident was not believed to be terrorism related.
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Key events
28 min At the other end, Wirtz shoots well wide from the edge of the area.
27 min: Great chance for Fernandes!
Liverpool are all over the place every time United counter-attack. Mbeumo runs down the right and clips a flat cross towards Fernandes, who batters it just wide from 12 yards. The bounce made it slightly awkward but he should have scored.
24 min Cody Gakpo, who hit the woodwork about 48 times in the return fixture at Anfield, whacks an excellent curling shot just wide from 25 yards. Lammens may have had it covered but it was a fine effort.
23 min “What has to happen for Mr. Slot to be released?” wonders Jeff Sax.
For him to have not win the Premier League last season?
22 min Konate gets away with a clear foul on Sesko, shoving him off the field and onto the running track. The referee was a fair way behind play because of the speed at which United broke.
20 min Sesko’s goal was his 11th in the Premier League this season, nine of them since the start of 2026.
19 min The match situation is perfect for Man Utd, who can sit deep and hit Liverpool on the break.
Goal given! There’s no conclusive evidence of handball by Sesko so the goal stands.
VAR check ongoing After a longish spell of Liverpool possession, Man Utd broke devastatingly down the right. Fernandes played a marvellous first-time pass/cross to Sesko, whose close-range shot was well saved by Woodman. Sesko. wanted a penalty but I think he just lost his balance slightly.
Either way, play continued and a deep cross from the left was headed back across goal by Fernandes. The diving Woodman tried to palm the ball away but it hit Sesko and rebounded slowly into the net.
Sesko was definitely onside for the goal – but the ball may have brushed his fingers before it hit his chest and rebounded into the net.
GOAL? Man Utd 2-0 Liverpool (Sesko 14)
There will be an offside check, and maybe a check for a penalty if the goal doesn’t count.
In other news, Bournemouth have gone 3-0 ahead against Crystal Palace. The ears of Andoni Iraola’s agent are going to have a busy summer.
9 min Cunha scored winners at Arsenal and Chelsea earlier in the season; he also came off the bench to create the second when they beat Manchester City. His goal today was fortunate, but it also fits the profile.
8 min Gakpo heads wide from Frimpong’s cross, though he was offside.
Mbeumo’s corner was headed away but not out of danger by Robertson. Cunha, lurking on the edge of the area, had a right-foot shot blocked by Gravenberch. The ball rebounded to Cunha, whose mishit left-foot shot took a big deflection off Mac Allister and bounced into the far corner.
GOAL! Man Utd 1-0 Liverpool (Cunha 6)
Matheus Cunha, a player who was born for big games, has put United ahead!
6 min United are making the early running. Dalot finds Mbeumo, whose driven cross to the near post is turned behind by Konate.
4 min A teasing cross from Mbeumo just evades Sesko, who leapt between Konate and Jones at the far post. I think he jumped too early.
Just before that, a nervous clearance from Woodman went straight to Mbeumo.
3 min “Who would have predicted at the start of the season that, come matchday 35, United would be in the top four, let alone above Liverpool?” wonders Krishnamoorthy V. “The glorious uncertainty that keeps the game alive.”
Gary Neville?
2 min Liverpool have started with Gakpo on the left and Wirtz and Szoboszlai as a pair of false nines. It’s similar to the formation that worked so well at the Etihad last season.
1 min Dominik Szoboszlai is on kick-off duty for Liverpool, who are kicking from right to left as we watch. Liverpool haev had plenty of recent success at Old Trafford, including a 3-0 win last season and a 5-0 romp in 2021-22.
For Man Utd fans only
If you don’t subscribe to United Writing, Tim de Lisle’s peerless newsletter, you’re not living life to the max.
“While Mo Salah’s record against Utd truly is startling,” says Ian Copestake, “the four goals Fernando Torres scored in his time are imprinted so deeply they should be measured in cat years.”
How are you measuring Nemanja Vidic’s red cards when Torres terrorised him?
A reminder of the teams
Man Utd (4-2-3-1) Lamments; Dalot, Maguire, Heaven, Shaw; Casemiro, Mainoo; Mbeumo, Fernandes, Cunha; Sesko.
Subs: Bayindir, Dorgu, Malacia, Mazraoui, Yoro, Mount, Ugarte, Amad, Zirkzee.
Liverpool (possible 4-2-3-1) Woodman; Jones, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Frimpong, Szoboszlai, Wirtz; Gakpo.
Subs: Pecsi, Gomez, Kerkez, Chiesa, Nyoni, Morrison, Ngumoha, Ndiaye, Wright.
Referee Darren England.
Michael Carrick’s pre-match thoughts
We knew [Cunha’s injury] wasn’t a serious one. As a squad we look strong – we’ve got good options to finish the game as well.
We know this is a massive game, regardless of the league table or anything else, and I’ve been close to it for so long. Being in the away end [at Anfield in 2015-16, the last time Man Utd did the double over Liverpool] was a great experience and it gives you a different perspective, but today’s a new game. If we could win today it’ll be big for us.
We want to attack the game as best we can. We started really well [against Brentford] but then we had to manage the game against a good team. Both teams will want to take the ball today – it’ll be a tight game between two even teams.
[On the chance to beat City, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool since taking over] It’s not about me. This game’s never been about individuals. I’ve never gone into this game thinking about myself, and I don’t think anyone is in that dressing-room. It’s as big one today for many reasons.
“I shall be watching this match in a pub with no mobile signal,” boasts Matt Dony, “living like it’s 1998. (Except without the curtains haircut and notepad full of bad lyrics.) As I won’t be able to follow the MBM, here are a few emails to cover most eventualities…
“Yes, get in! I never doubted Slot! The early-season Wirtz-scepticism was maddening knee-jerkery! That screamer from 30 yards, he must have a foot like a traction engine!
“Ah well, there’s less shame in losing to this United than Amorim’s rabble. And Fernandes is a quality player who has arguably wasted his best years carrying a sub-standard team.
“A draw feels like a fair result, given their respective positions. And it was a relatively jeopardy-free game, what with Champions League football being almost guaranteed for both.
“Wow, I can’t believe both Manchester clubs have entered voluntary liquidation, and Arsenal have been hit with a 30-point deduction! Did not see any of that coming! Still, we’ll enjoy the title celebrations.”
“Thanks to the Isak injury, yet again Slot is forced to fight fires rather than just manage,” laments Ian Copestake. “Unless it is in January, I hope one day he will be able to say, ‘same team as last year.’”
Now that would be a turn up for the Trent.
Sky Sports reckon Curtis Jones will play right-back for Liverpool with Jeremie Frimpong in midfield. This is how they have the formation.
Liverpool (possible 4-2-3-1) Woodman; Jones, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Frimpong, Szoboszlai, Wirtz; Gakpo.
“Without looking, how many times have Liverpool let in two or more goals this season?” writes Virgil van Dijk’s Ghost. “As Richie Benaud would say… Chwenty Choo. An astonishing number of times.”
That’s a statgasm and a half.
Arne Slot’s pre-match thoughts
It’s a fantastic game to be part of, especially if you win.
[On Alexander Isak] After the season we’ve had, nobody can be surprised that we have more injuries. It wasn’t much, but unfortunately it was too much for him to be able to play today.
Injuries can never be an excuse not to perform; we all have to prove ourselves today.
I think one win would probably be enough [to secure Champions League football]. Let’s take it game by game.
Jamie Jackson
It was two years ago that Jamie Carragher offered Casemiro a rather withering piece of advice: “Leave the football before the football leaves you.” Fast forward to this season and the Brazilian’s record for Manchester United reads: nine goals (second only to Benjamin Sesko), two assists, and 2,417 minutes played in 31 starts from a total of 32 appearances, with 13 games finished, including seven of the past nine.
Consider, too, how the January announcement of Casemiro’s departure from United at the end of the current campaign has led to supporters pleading with the 34-year-old to stay, and that Casemiro is again a midfield first-choice for his national team in the buildup to a World Cup.
As ripostes to a pundit advising you to retire go, Casemiro’s has been emphatic, not to mention revealing of a strong character given Carragher’s words, delivered on Monday Night Football following United’s 4-0 defeat at Crystal Palace in May 2024, came at a time when Casemiro did indeed appear to be heading for an Old Trafford exit amid a downturn in his performances.
Eli Junior Kroupi, Bournemouth’s brilliant teenage attacker, has just doubled their lead from the penalty spot.
In the early Premier League game at the Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth lead Crystal Palace 1-0 after half an hour thanks to an own goal from their former player Jefferson Lerma. If it stays like that, Bournemouth will be sixth in the table.
Team news
The fit-again Matheus Cunha replaces Amad Diallo in the only Manchester United change. Liverpool make two enforced changes: Jeremie Frimpong and Ryan Gravenberch come in for the injured pair of Mo Salah and Alexander Isak.
Liverpool have four central midfielders plus Florian Wirtz in their team; please don’t ask me how they will line up.
Man Utd (4-2-3-1) Lamments; Dalot, Maguire, Heaven, Shaw; Casemiro, Mainoo; Mbeumo, Fernandes, Cunha; Sesko.
Subs: Bayindir, Dorgu, Malacia, Mazraoui, Yoro, Mount, Ugarte, Amad, Zirkzee.
Liverpool (possible 4-1-4-1) Woodman; Frimpong, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch; Szoboszlai, Mac Allister, Jones, Wirtz; Gakpo.
Subs: Pecsi, Gomez, Kerkez, Chiesa, Nyoni, Morrison, Ngumoha, Ndiaye, Wright.
Referee Darren England.
That said, as Man Utd v Liverpool games go, this feels a bit mid. Both sides have all but qualified for next season’s Champions League, so there isn’t a huge amount riding on this game. The good news for lovers of anticipation is that this remains the biggest rivalry in English football, and the wider context is only ever part of the story. It’s Man Utd v Liverpool for goodness sake!
Preamble
Preamble? It’s Manchester United v Liverpool: there’s your preamble!
Police said the youngster was pronounced dead at the scene in Stafford.
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Formula One: Miami GP race updates as storms threaten disruption – live | Formula One 2026
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