Antonelli Takes a Scorching Pole in Miami!

The championship leader storms to P1 with a blistering lap. Max Verstappen joins him on the front row, with Charles Leclerc placing his Ferrari third.

Q1

Eliminated: Bortoleto, Perez, Bottas, Alonso, Stroll, Lindblad

Mercedes showed they can be challenged this weekend, while Red Bull, and Verstappen in particular, looked much improved after the break.

Bortoleto only managed one flying lap before another issue struck. That opened the door for Piastri, who narrowly scraped into Q2 in 16th.

Q2

Eliminated: Albon, Ocon, Sainz, Bearman, Lawson, Hülkenberg

Once again, the top five teams proved their strength, locking out Q3 just as they did in sprint qualifying.

This time, it was Norris flirting with elimination, after Piastri’s close call in Q1. Meanwhile, Antonelli showed strong pace at a circuit he clearly loves, while his teammate Russell looked slightly on the back foot.

Q3

Antonelli grabbed provisional pole with an outstanding lap, going over four tenths clear of Verstappen and Leclerc. The McLarens struggled to get the most out of their new soft tires.

On the final runs, no one could match Antonelli. Verstappen improved, but still fell over a tenth and a half short.

With Antonelli securing his third straight pole, the big question remains: can he hold the lead into Turn 1? His race starts have been his biggest weakness so far.

TOP 10 — MIAMI GRAND PRIX GRID

P1: Antonelli – Mercedes

P2: Verstappen – Red Bull

P3: Leclerc – Ferrari

P4: Norris – McLaren

P5: Russell – Mercedes

P6: Hamilton – Ferrari

P7: Piastri – McLaren

P8: Colapinto – Alpine

P9: Hadjar – Red Bull

P10: Gasly – Alpine

Lights out for the Miami Grand Prix tomorrow at 4 PM EST.