Max Verstappen rebounded from a disappointing result in the sprint race to claim his third pole position of the year in Miami.
The Red Bull driver came out ahead of the two McLaren drivers, who were split by Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
Q1
The track conditions improved rapidly throughout the first phase of qualifying and two rookies grabbed the opportunity to progress to Q2. Gabriel Bortoleto was one of them, producing a superb lap late in the session to go 11th fastest. Team mate Nico Hulkenberg missed the cut by just two hundredths of a second.
Following his frustration yesterday, Jack Doohan was pleased to gain a place in Q2. His team mate also went no further, Pierre Gasly complaining about traffic after encountering a Ferrari between turns seven and eight.
However Oliver Bearman was frustrated once more, dropping out in last place. Esteban Ocon narrowly made the cut in the other Haas.
The only team to lose both cars in Q1 was Aston Martin. Fernando Alonso out-qualified Lance Stroll as usual.
Verstappen set the pace in the opening phase of qualifying, followed by the two McLaren drivers. Norris was fractionally quicker than Piastri, but clipped the barrier at the exit of turn 16. The Ferrari drivers made it through but Lewis Hamilton had to use an extra set of soft tyres to ensure his progression.
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Q1 result
| P. | # | Driver | Team | Model | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull-Honda RBPT | RB21 | 1’26.870 | |
| 2 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL39 | 1’26.955 | 0.085 |
| 3 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL39 | 1’27.006 | 0.136 |
| 4 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | W16 | 1’27.014 | 0.144 |
| 5 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams-Mercedes | FW47 | 1’27.042 | 0.172 |
| 6 | 12 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | W16 | 1’27.077 | 0.207 |
| 7 | 55 | Carlos Sainz Jnr | Williams-Mercedes | FW47 | 1’27.098 | 0.228 |
| 8 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | SF-25 | 1’27.279 | 0.409 |
| 9 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull-Honda RBPT | RB21 | 1’27.298 | 0.428 |
| 10 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls-Honda RBPT | 02 | 1’27.301 | 0.431 |
| 11 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Sauber-Ferrari | C45 | 1’27.343 | 0.473 |
| 12 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | SF-25 | 1’27.417 | 0.547 |
| 13 | 7 | Jack Doohan | Alpine-Renault | A525 | 1’27.422 | 0.552 |
| 14 | 30 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls-Honda RBPT | 02 | 1’27.444 | 0.574 |
| 15 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas-Ferrari | VF-25 | 1’27.450 | 0.580 |
| 16 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Sauber-Ferrari | C45 | 1’27.473 | 0.603 |
| 17 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin-Mercedes | AMR25 | 1’27.604 | 0.734 |
| 18 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine-Renault | A525 | 1’27.710 | 0.840 |
| 19 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin-Mercedes | AMR25 | 1’27.830 | 0.960 |
| 20 | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas-Ferrari | VF-25 | 1’27.999 | 1.129 |
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Q2
Having finished third in the sprint race a few hours earlier, Hamilton’s afternoon soured when he ended up on the wrong side of the cut to reach Q3. The Ferrari driver ran wide at turn 17 on his final lap and missed the cut by three-hundredths of a second.
His team mate Leclerc made it through, but the gaps were so tight the pair were separated by just five hundredths and three cars. They included Isack Hadjar, who came closest to getting in. Bortoleto, Doohan and Lawson also went no further.
The McLaren drivers showed their potential in Q2, Piastri heading the times so emphatically he chose not to run again at the end of the session. Norris backed him up in second.
The Mercedes drivers separated them from Verstappen but Russell seemed much less comfortable in his W16 than team mate Antonelli. He complained of a lack of grip and fell into the drop zone before completing an early final run to secure his place in Q3.
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Q2 result
| P. | # | Driver | Team | Model | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL39 | 1’26.269 | |
| 2 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL39 | 1’26.499 | 0.230 |
| 3 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | W16 | 1’26.575 | 0.306 |
| 4 | 12 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | W16 | 1’26.606 | 0.337 |
| 5 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull-Honda RBPT | RB21 | 1’26.643 | 0.374 |
| 6 | 55 | Carlos Sainz Jnr | Williams-Mercedes | FW47 | 1’26.847 | 0.578 |
| 7 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams-Mercedes | FW47 | 1’26.855 | 0.586 |
| 8 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | SF-25 | 1’26.948 | 0.679 |
| 9 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull-Honda RBPT | RB21 | 1’26.959 | 0.690 |
| 10 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas-Ferrari | VF-25 | 1’26.967 | 0.698 |
| 11 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls-Honda RBPT | 02 | 1’26.987 | 0.718 |
| 12 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | SF-25 | 1’27.006 | 0.737 |
| 13 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Sauber-Ferrari | C45 | 1’27.151 | 0.882 |
| 14 | 7 | Jack Doohan | Alpine-Renault | A525 | 1’27.186 | 0.917 |
| 15 | 30 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls-Honda RBPT | 02 | 1’27.363 | 1.094 |
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Q3
The first runs in Q3 indicated the battle for pole position was going to be stunningly close. Verstappen produced a 1’26.492 to head the times and the McLaren drivers lapped within two-hundredths of a second off him.
A slight mistake by Verstappen at the first corner as he began his final lap raised the possibility he might be beaten. But he kept the rest of the lap clean and cut nearly three tenths of a second off his time.
The McLaren drivers had been consistently off his pace in the first sector but Norris was strong in the second. His hopes of beating the Red Bull vanished at the final corner, however, where he clambered all over the kerb on the inside, losing too much time.
Piastri initially backed him up in third place but was knocked back again by the driver who beat him to pole position for the sprint race – Antonelli. Russell took fifth in the other Mercedes.
Williams capped a largely successful qualifying session with sixth and seventh places, Carlos Sainz Jnr leading the way. However Alexander Albon is under investigation over an infringement in the pits.
They beat both the Ferraris, Leclerc only able to manage eighth fastest ahead of Ocon. The Red Bull drivers bookended Q3 as Tsunoda took 10th, lapping over seven tenths of a second off Verstappen.
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Q3 result
| P. | # | Driver | Team | Model | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull-Honda RBPT | RB21 | 1’26.204 | |
| 2 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL39 | 1’26.269 | 0.065 |
| 3 | 12 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | W16 | 1’26.271 | 0.067 |
| 4 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL39 | 1’26.375 | 0.171 |
| 5 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | W16 | 1’26.385 | 0.181 |
| 6 | 55 | Carlos Sainz Jnr | Williams-Mercedes | FW47 | 1’26.569 | 0.365 |
| 7 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams-Mercedes | FW47 | 1’26.682 | 0.478 |
| 8 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | SF-25 | 1’26.754 | 0.550 |
| 9 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas-Ferrari | VF-25 | 1’26.824 | 0.620 |
| 10 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull-Honda RBPT | RB21 | 1’26.943 | 0.739 |
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