F1 Miami GP: Kimi Antonelli sees off Max Verstappen for emphatic third straight pole

Formulation 1 world championship chief Kimi Antonelli has claimed a 3rd successive pole on the Miami Grand Prix, holding off Max Verstappen on the Miami Worldwide Autodrome.

Antonelli’s first effort in Q3 was sufficient to maintain his rivals at arm’s size, with Verstappen’s last effort yielding him second forward of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.

The session received underway at 4pm native Miami time in sweltering situations, with ambient temperatures of 34C and observe temperatures nicely into the 50s. Verstappen led the early operating in Q1 forward of Antonelli, Norris and the 2 Ferraris, earlier than Antonelli took command with a 1m28.653s lap.

On the backside of the order, the standard suspects Aston Martin and Cadillac quickly proved out of contact with the remainder of F1’s midfield. There was additionally hassle for Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto, who after a delayed begin bumped into fiery energy unit points, leaving him stranded on the facet of the highway. It was the second challenge in as many classes after team-mate Nico Hulkenberg did not make the beginning of Saturday’s dash race.

With six elimination spots in Q1, that meant only one different runner could be dumped out, with Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad occupying seventeenth after the primary salvo of runs. Lindblad would keep there, which ended up giving McLaren’s Oscar Piastri a reprieve. Donning used tyres for his last run, Piastri suffered from a poor first sector that meant he was unable to enhance, leaving him on the bubble in sixteenth.

Antonelli initially led Hamilton in Q2, with Norris now the McLaren driver discovering himself in a spot of hassle. Norris aborted his first run after going off the observe at Flip 6 however discovered sufficient time to take seventh, half a second up on the P10 cutoff.

As Verstappen claimed the lead with a 1m28.116s, each Alpines superior to Q3 on the prime of F1’s midfield, with Franco Colapinto once more forward of Pierre Gasly as he was in dash qualifying. It was the Argentine’s first Q3 look since Azerbaijan 2024 and his first for Alpine.

Max Verstappen, Crimson Bull Racing

Picture by: James Sutton / Formulation 1 / Formulation Motorsport Ltd through Getty Photographs

Nico Hulkenberg was eradicated in eleventh by a big four-tenth margin, adopted out the door by Racing Bulls man Liam Lawson. The 4 automobiles from Haas and Williams had been additionally eradicated.

Within the deciding top-10 shootout Antonelli drew first blood by firing in a 1m27.798s early doorways, the primary lap that improved on Norris’ dash pole from Friday. Courtesy of a scorching first sector, that effort was three tenths up on Leclerc and Verstappen. They had been adopted by Norris and Russell, with simply half a tenth separating positions two to 5.

Antonelli was one in all a number of drivers who failed to enhance on the second try, however his first effort was simply ok to assert his third successive grand prix pole. Verstappen got here closest on his last flyer to leapfrog Leclerc into second, underlining Crimson Bull’s progress in Miami after a troubled begin to 2026.

Behind Leclerc, dash race winner Norris beat Russell to the second row in fourth and fifth respectively, with Hamilton sixth. Piastri was a subdued seventh within the second McLaren, whereas Colapinto grabbed his best-ever qualifying end in eight. Hadjar and Gasly rounded out the highest 10.

The beginning of the Miami Grand Prix is deliberate for 4pm native time on Sunday, though the specter of incoming thunderstorms may nonetheless scupper plans to begin the race on the unique time.

F1 Miami GP – Qualifying outcomes

Images from Miami GP – Saturday

Lando Norris, McLaren