Mercedes' podium streak ends in Miami as McLaren delivers a 1-2 punch

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Mercedes was knocked off the podium for the first time this season when Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri finished 1-2 for McLaren in Formula 1's sprint race Saturday at the Miami Grand Prix.

Charles Leclerc was third for Ferrari in the 19-lap preview of Sunday's race at the Miami International Autodrome around the Hard Rock Stadium.

“It was a good race, nice to be back on the top stair even if it was a sprint," said Norris, who won from the pole. "It was hot out there, it was sweaty. I was trying to find that balance of pushing but also staying relaxed and not making mistakes.”

McLaren, like most teams, used a five-week break caused by race cancellations in the Middle East because of the war in Iran to make upgrades to its cars. The changes for the reigning world champion team clearly showed it has closed the gap on Mercedes, which has dominated so far this season.

The Formula 1 season ahead of Miami had been a clean sweep by Mercedes as George Russell and Kimi Antonelli combined to win the first three grand prix races and the sprint race in China. Russell won in Australia, while Antonelli won in China and Japan to take the lead in the world championship driver standings. Russell won the sprint race in China.

The Mercedes duo was blocked from the podium in Miami as Russell finished fourth and Antonelli was sixth after a five-second penalty for exceeding track limits dropped him behind Max Verstappen in the final finishing order.

“We know that we are a little out of sync with our upgrades compared to other teams. We were hoping we were going to be able to hold on to our advantage, and in terms of pure lap times, we were close to the pace at the front in the sprint," Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said. "This season is going to be a pure development race and whoever brings a few tenths before their competitors will gain an advantage.”

Verstappen was fifth for Red Bull and Lewis Hamilton for Ferrari was right behind him but finished seventh. The two had an early race incident in which Hamilton was ordered to give Verstappen his position back after passing him.

Cadillac, in its first event in the United States, was at the back of the field with drivers Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas finishing 16th and 18th in the 22-driver field.

Norris, the reigning F1 champion, won the sprint race at Miami for the second consecutive year.

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McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain reacts after winning a sprint auto race at the Miami Formula One Grand Prix, Saturday, May 2, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Astronaut Reid Wiseman, right, poses for a photo with (from left) third place finisher McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia, first place finisher McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain, and third place finisher Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc of Monaco after a sprint auto race at the Miami Formula One Grand Prix, Saturday, May 2, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

McLaren driver Lando Norris, right, of Britain and McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia steers their cars during a sprint auto race at the Miami Formula One Grand Prix, Saturday, May 2, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia crosses the finish line during a sprint auto race at the Miami Formula One Grand Prix, Saturday, May 2, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, Pool)

McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain reacts after winning a sprint auto race at the Miami Formula One Grand Prix, Saturday, May 2, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

BEIRUT (AP) — The United States is warning shipping companies they could face sanctions for paying Iran to pass safely through the Strait of Hormuz.

The U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control alert on Friday adds pressure in the standoff over control of the strait at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, where about a fifth of the world's trade in oil and natural gas typically passes.

Iran effectively closed the strait by attacking and threatening ships after the U.S. and Israel launched a war on Feb. 28. It later offered some ships safe passage via routes closer to its shore, charging fees at times.

The U.S. warns against transfers not only in cash but also in “digital assets, offsets, informal swaps, or other in-kind payments,” including charitable donations and payments at Iranian embassies.

The U.S. has responded with a naval blockade of Iranian ports since April 13, depriving Tehran of oil revenue it needs to shore up its ailing economy. The U.S. Central Command on Saturday said 48 commercial ships have been told to turn back.

Imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi remained hospitalized in Zanjan in northwestern Iran after being transferred from prison late Friday. Her foundation described the condition of the rights lawyer as “very high risk,” with fluctuating blood pressure and severe nausea.

But medical teams in Zanjan have requested her medical records before performing any treatment, while recommending that she be transferred to Tehran for treatment by her own doctors, the foundation said.

However, “the Intelligence (Ministry) is still opposing the transfer of Narges to a hospital in Tehran for angiography,” or imaging of blood vessels, said her Paris-based husband, Taghi Rahmani. He spoke in a voice message shared with The Associated Press by the foundation.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee in a statement Saturday urged Iranian authorities to immediately transfer Mohammadi to her medical team, saying her condition “has deteriorated seriously” and her life is in their hands.

Her legal team is pursuing the matter with the General Prosecutor’s office, the foundation said.

U.S. President Donald Trump has rejected Iran’s latest proposal to end the war, saying on Friday that “I’m not satisfied with it, so we’ll see what happens,” without giving details.

Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency said Tehran handed over its plan to mediators in Pakistan on Thursday night.

The shaky three-week ceasefire appears to be holding. Negotiations continued by phone after Trump called off his envoys’ trip to Pakistan last weekend, the president said.

Trump also has floated a new plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran on Saturday said it hanged two men convicted of spying for Israel.

The Iranian judiciary's news outlet, Mizanonline, said Yaghoub Karimpour and Nasser Bekrzadeh were hanged after the Supreme Court upheld death sentences.

The outlet said Karimpour was accused of sending “sensitive information” to an officer in Israel's Mossad intelligence agency, while Bekrzadeh allegedly sent details about government and religious leaders as well as information about Natanz. The city is home to a nuclear enrichment facility bombed by Israel and the U.S. last year.

Iran has hanged more than a dozen people over alleged espionage and terrorist activities in recent weeks. Rights groups say Iran routinely holds closed-door trials in which defendants are unable to challenge the accusations they face.

Associated Press writers Collin Binkley in Washington and Nasser Karimi in Tehran contributed to this report.

Vehicles drive past a billboard with graphic showing Strait of Hormuz and sewn lips of U.S. President Donald Trump in a square in downtown Tehran, Iran, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Vehicles drive past a billboard with graphic showing Strait of Hormuz and sewn lips of U.S. President Donald Trump in a square in downtown Tehran, Iran, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A tanker, left, and a car carrier are anchored at sea in the Gulf of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from the coast near Khor Fakkan, United Arab Emirates, Friday, May 1, 2026.(AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)

Cargo ships are seen at sea near the Strait of Hormuz, as viewed from a rocky shoreline near Khor Fakkan, United Arab Emirates, Friday, May 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)

Men gather along the shore, some crouching and watching a game, as a mix of bulk carriers, cargo ships, and service vessels line the horizon in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, Monday, April 27, 2026.(Razieh Poudat/ISNA via AP)

A man stands in the water, appearing to fish, as bulk carriers, cargo ships, and service vessels line the horizon in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, Monday, April 27, 2026.(Razieh Poudat/ISNA via AP)

An Emirati patrol boat, left, is near a tanker anchored in the Gulf of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from a coastal road near Khor Fakkan, United Arab Emirates, Friday, May 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)