McLaren target further 'exploitation' after placing Miami vice on Mercedes

McLaren believes it has taken "a strong step forward" after witnessing the performance of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri during qualifying for the Miami sprint.

Sporting a raft of upgrades on the MCL40s, Norris and Piastri will start on pole and third on the grid for the one-third distance race at the Miami International Autodrome.

Championship leader Kimi Antonelli managed to split the McLaren duo with the final lap of the session. Despite that, McLaren has seemingly rediscovered its mojo following a difficult start to the campaign, not least in the second race in China, where neither car started the race.

Norris and Piastri both expressed renewed confidence in the car, with the only proviso being that Mercedes has opted to wait for the next race in Canada in three weeks to show its hand on the upgrades front.

For now, the team could not be happier with what unfolded on the opening day of track action in Miami.

"The car has been great for both drivers, and the first phase of our development upgrades has shown promising signs," said Neil Houldey, McLaren's technical director, applied engineering.

"To come away with a pole and third on the sprint grid, given where we were in the first few races, is a strong step forward. 

"Credit to the team at the factory for this first step, from aerodynamics and design through to manufacturing, and to the crew at the track who finished putting the package together, ready for the sessions.

"Now we need to carry this momentum into the rest of the weekend and aim to score as many points as we can.

"The pace is encouraging, the execution has been excellent, and the focus is on converting this step into results while continuing to gather and exploit further performance from the entire package."