By Alan Baldwin
MIAMI, May 3 (Reuters) - Formula One champions McLaren missed out on a first win of the season on Sunday but were satisfied car upgrades had pushed them a step forward at the Miami Grand Prix.
Reigning champion Lando Norris won the Saturday sprint in a one-two with teammate Oscar Piastri and then finished runner-up in Sunday's main race, with the Australian third.
The total haul of points -- 15 from the sprint and 33 from the grand prix -- amounted to more than the team had scored in the first
three rounds combined.
The 48 points were more than any other team managed, including race winners Mercedes, and left McLaren only 16 points behind second-placed Ferrari in the standings.
"We feel extremely satisfied with the weekend, very encouraged," said team principal Andrea Stella, despite also recognising McLaren had let slip a chance to win.
"We know that we have some more upgrades coming...so we are optimistic that they may allow us to take some further steps forward."
Norris said he was "gutted" not to be standing on the top step of the podium at a track where he took his first F1 win in 2024 but some things had improved.
"I think I’m just very happy with the situation we’re in, which is we’re fighting for wins or fighting for the win today, a pole, the sprint win. So, I think when I look at it from that side, it’s been a very strong weekend," he said.
"The fact we made such a big step this weekend is great to see and I’m very proud of the team.
"And all the work that’s been put in has paid off immediately. But you always have to look at it and ask yourself the question, do you feel like you maximised everything today? And I’m unsure about that."
Piastri, last year's winner in Miami, said McLaren had clearly closed the gap to Mercedes on performance.
"To have a one-two in the sprint on pure pace, that was a pretty big surprise for us. So, things are working well. We expected the upgrades to be a good step forward and they have been, and hopefully they are again in Canada," he said.
"Mercedes didn’t bring a lot this weekend and they also have an upgrade package for Canada, so we’ll have to wait and see how much that’s worth for them."
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)
