Miami Gardens (United States) (AFP) – Red Bull’s Max Verstappen grabbed pole position for Sunday’s Miami Grand Prix with a blistering fastest lap of 1:26.204 in qualifying on Saturday. The Dutchman was 0.065 of a second ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris, with 18-year-old Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes again impressing as he powered into third place on the grid.
There was more disappointment for seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton in his first season with Ferrari, as he was eliminated in Q2 and the Briton will start in 12th place. Verstappen’s aggressive approach in the first sector of his lap paid off and gives him a chance for a third win in four years at Miami.
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“It has been a great qualifying. We improved the car a tiny amount too. Q1, Q2, Q3 — just improving every run, trying to find the limit. It worked out well. I’m very happy to be on pole,” said the Dutchman. “Race pace, I don’t know, we have to wait and see with the weather, to be honest the colder the better. No one has really done any long running with the sprint race here.”
The Dutchman announced on Friday that he had become a father for the first time, with his girlfriend Kelly Piquet giving birth to their first daughter, Lily. That has prompted some pundit speculation that he may slow down, reflecting a frequently heard belief of some in the sport that drivers can lose their edge with fatherhood. It is not an opinion that the Dutchman has much time for.
“I don’t listen to these kind of silly things,” he said. “I just do my thing. I think there are enough racing drivers in the past that have been world champions even after having kids. Honestly, I don’t even know where that comes from.”
Norris, who won the sprint race earlier in the day to close the gap on championship leader and teammate Oscar Piastri, was disappointed not to grab pole as he looks for a repeat of his win here last year, but pleased with his performance level.
“I’m happy with today, happy with the progress I’ve been making with the car and myself. Max did a Max lap again, I can’t fault him. It’s all shoulda, woulda, coulda, I didn’t deliver again but the pace is good. I still haven’t put it together,” he said. “I don’t mind if it is dry or wet, I’ll be ready for both.”
Antonelli, who became the youngest driver to grab pole in any F1 race after he secured the top position for the sprint race, yet again showed his speed and potential. Although he was unable to make the most of his position in the sprint, finishing seventh, he is clearly in a confident mood.
“This weekend is going well so far. A bit disappointing this morning, but good to bounce back this way. I struggled a little bit in quali, I didn’t have a clean lap like yesterday. It’s really about putting everything together, and so far this weekend, I am doing that,” said the Bologna-born driver.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was a disappointing eighth, having never contended for the front row, and he could not disguise his emotions. “The feeling is not great. But it’s the way it is. It’s just frustrating because when you do your best and the best is P8, with a Ferrari it hurts, and the two Williams in front of us, I didn’t do any mistakes… we are just not fast enough,” he said.
Adding to the Scuderia’s woes, Hamilton didn’t even make it to the final session. “We will keep trying. We are only six races in but we are struggling big time,” said the British driver who moved from Mercedes in the off-season. “We are trying our hardest not to make big set-up changes but no matter what we do, it’s so inconsistent every time we go out. We have problems with brakes, problems with this instability that we are struggling with, and we are generally not quick enough. Just to get through to Q3 is tough for us.”
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