F1 Miami Grand Prix: McLaren’s plans hit by disruption after calendar shake-up

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McLaren

McLaren’s Miami GP plans hit by disruption after F1 calendar shake-up

McLaren were expected to celebrate a significant milestone at the 2026 Miami Grand Prix

Originally written by Sheona Mountford.

Friday 17 April 2026 19:00

McLaren had been eyeing the upcoming Miami Grand Prix as a key moment in their season, but recent changes to the F1 calendar have complicated those plans.

The cancellations of the Bahrain Grand Prix and Saudi Arabian Grand Prix — due to ongoing tensions in the Middle East — have left gaps in the schedule, with no replacement events added.

As a result, Miami now becomes the next stop on the calendar from May 1–3, but the reshuffled order has disrupted some of McLaren’s projected plans and timing for the early part of the campaign.

The reigning champions were originally meant to celebrate their 1000th race start at the beginning of May, with their Chief Marketing Officer Louise McEwen teasing something special at their pre-season launch.

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"We’ve got a fantastic legacy to celebrate as we race in Miami. It will actually be our 1000th grand prix, so we’ve got some big plans there," she said.

However, after Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri's double DNS at the Chinese Grand Prix, and the two race cancellations, McLaren are only on 996 race starts. Instead of being their 1000th, the Miami GP will be their 997th.

From champions to third best

The 2026 regulations shake-up have seen McLaren going from being the dominant team to the third best behind Mercedes and Ferrari.

While McLaren are struggling to match the pace of their rivals, their distance behind in the standings is also the result of their issues with the Mercedes power unit.

Their disastrous double DNF was due to two separate electrical issues, with team principal Andrea Stella previously critical of the lack of information given to them by Mercedes.

Nevertheless, Piastri came back fighting at the Japanese Grand Prix with a podium finish, even surprising themselves at their recovery as they look towards catching up with their rivals on a regular basis.

F1 McLaren Miami Grand Prix