Max Verstappen won the pole for Formula 1’s Miami Grand Prix. The Dutchman put on a flawless execution to remind the grid he is still in the fight for the World Drivers’ Championship. Sprint winner Lando Norris will start behind him for tomorrow’s race (May 3).
The second row is composed of the rookie star Kimi Antonelli, who has been improving race after race, and the championship leader Oscar Piastri.
“It’s been a great qualifying,” Verstappen told Sky Sports after the session. “I think we’ve improved the car a tiny amount as well, which helped me to rotate it a bit better.
“I had a tiny moment on my final lap, into turn 1, so I lost a bit of time there, but around here it’s just very complicated with the tires over a lap. At the end, it worked out well. I’m very happy, of course, to be on pole.”
Q3
Verstappen was wrestling with his RB25 as the car wanted to step out over the curbs, but he wrestled it all the way to pole position with a lightning lap time of 1:26.204.
On a different note, Piastri went flying with all four wheels off the ground in the middle of his flying lap, certainly not the best session from the Aussie, who was ready to claim third when the checkered flag dropped. However, Antonelli proved hard to stop once he found his flow, and he split the two McLarens to land himself on the podium.
Norris was showing a strong pace but, in his last flying lap, made a mistake on the last turn, losing pole position by a mere .065s from Verstappen.
The Williams were stronger than ever, with Alexander Albon in sixth and Carlos Sainz in 7th. They are very well-positioned to bag a hefty amount of points tomorrow and climb the ladder in the Constructors’ Championship.
An honorable mention for Esteban Ocon, who showed solid pace throughout qualifying. Ocon brought his Haas all the way to Q3 and qualified in ninth position ahead of Yuki Tsunoda, who certainly had the better car and will be feeling the pressure to have a good race on Sunday.
| Pos. | Driver No. | Driver | Team | Time from Leader |
| 1. | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:15:096 |
| 2. | 81 | Lando Norris | McLaren | +0.084s |
| 3. | 12 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | +0.385s |
| 4. | 81 | Oscar Piastri | Mercedes | +0.171s |
| 5. | 63 | George Russell | Racing Bulls | +0.181s |
| 6. | 23 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | +0.365s |
| 7. | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams | +0.478s |
| 8. | 44 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +0.550s |
| 9. | 10 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | +0.60s |
| 10. | 55 | Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull | +0.739s |
Q2
The drivers kept it neat and tidy for the second session of the day, but certainly with some surprises when the clock ran out of time. Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton got eliminated in 12th. Moreover, he was outqualified by the impressive rookie Isack Hadjar, who is starting ahead of the Briton in 11th position.
Nonetheless, it was still an unfortunate session for Racing Bulls as they lost both their men to Q2, with Liam Lawson qualifying last with a big gap from his teammate. Ahead of him are Jack Doohan in 14th and Gabriel Bortoleto, who managed to push his Sauber up to Q2 and will be very satisfied to start in 13th position.
| Pos. | Driver No. | Driver | Team | Time from Advancing |
| 11. | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls | +0.020s |
| 12. | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +0.039s |
| 13. | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Kick Sauber | +0.184s |
| 14. | 7 | Jack Doohan | Alpine | +0.184s |
| 15. | 30 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | +0.787s |
Q1
After the multiple crashes and penalties in the Sprint earlier on, everyone seemed like they wanted to keep a calm and polite demeanor, providing a very uneventful Q1.
In what seems a tale old as time, Aston Martin faced another disappointing double-elimination in Q1.
Rookie Oliver Bearman, unlike his strong performance in the Sprint, couldn’t get any pace out of his Haas for qualifying and will find himself last for the feature race. Nico Hulkenberg missed out by a mere .029s and is out in Q1 for the second time in a row since the Bahrain Qualifying.
| Pos. | Driver No. | Driver | Team | Time from Advancing |
| 16. | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Kick Sauber | +0.110s |
| 17. | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | +0.241s |
| 18. | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | +0.347s |
| 19. | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | +0.467s |
| 20. | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | 0.636s |
The F1 Miami Grand Prix begins on Sunday, May 4, at 4 p.m.ET, on ESPN.
