Max Verstappen Takes Pole Position at the Miami Grand Prix

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen has clinched the pole position for the Miami Grand Prix, edging out McLaren driver Lando Norris by a narrow margin. The Dutch racer secured his 43rd career pole with a time of 1m26.204s, leaving Norris and Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli trailing behind.

Verstappen Outshines Rivals in Qualifying Sessions

In the final qualifying session (Q3), Verstappen set the pace early with a lap time of 1m26.492s, just barely ahead of Norris and Oscar Piastri. However, it was more due to neither McLaren driver finding additional speed rather than any heroics from Verstappen.

The Red Bull driver then stepped up his game, recording the fastest time across the session, which proved sufficient to keep Norris at bay despite a late improvement by the British racer. It appeared that Norris lost his chance for pole position after bouncing over the inside kerb in the final corner.

Russell finished fifth in the second Mercedes, followed closely by the impressive Williams duo of Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon. Ferrari‘s Charles Leclerc had a low-key eighth place finish, while Haas driver Esteban Ocon impressed to grab ninth ahead of Yuki Tsunoda in the second Red Bull.

Hamilton Struggles Continue in Miami Qualifying

In Q2, Piastri led the way with a two-tenths advantage over teammate Norris. Russell found himself in danger of elimination – despite being on used tires – but managed to progress thanks to a strong second lap. Unfortunately, Lewis Hamilton’s struggles continued as he was unable to advance, finishing 12th, just 0.039s off the top ten.

Hadjar narrowly missed the cut in 11th, while Gabriel Bortoleto took an encouraging 13th starting berth for Sauber. Jack Doohan was the best of the Alpines in 14th, followed by a disappointing 15th place for Racing Bulls man Liam Lawson who suffered from a battery problem.

Dramatic Qualifying Session in Miami

The qualifying session was marked by a frantic start and narrow margins, with only leader Max Verstappen able to afford staying in the garage for the final flyer. Hamilton was one of the drivers under pressure before securing a spot in Q2. Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg just missed the cut in 16th, ahead of Fernando Alonso, whose Aston Martin was repaired in time after his sprint race crash. Gasly was 18th, lamenting traffic on his final lap, with Lance Stroll and Oliver Bearman also eliminated.