Andrea Kimi Antonelli put Mercedes back on top in qualifying for the Miami Grand Prix, while Max Verstappen produced a surprising run from the chasing pack to claim second on the grid.
Q1
After his disqualification from the sprint race for a technical infringement, Gabriel Bortoleto remained in the garage while his team worked on his power unit. Audi released him with under four minutes left in the session, leaving time for only one flying lap. He was slowest and, on the way back to the pits, suffered a left-rear brake fire.
By the end of Q1 several expected names had been eliminated: both Aston Martins, both Cadillacs and Liam Lawson in the Racing Bulls. That was welcome news for Oscar Piastri, who was an unexpectedly low 16th.
McLaren managed to get both cars into Q2 without fitting new soft tyres. Lando Norris reached Q2 comfortably in fourth on his initial run, but Piastri couldn’t improve on used rubber and ended up close to the drop zone.
Mercedes also advanced both drivers without new tyres, with Andrea Kimi Antonelli setting the early benchmark of 1’28.653.
Notably, Max Verstappen posted an eye-catching time on used softs that was around a second faster than his team mate’s effort on old rubber. Even when Isack Hadjar switched to fresh tyres he remained roughly two tenths slower than Verstappen’s used-tyre lap.
The start of Q2 was briefly delayed as marshals cleared the remains of Bortoleto’s burnt brake.
Q1 result
| P. | # | Driver | Team | Model | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | W17 | 1’28.653 | |
| 2 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | SF-26 | 1’28.938 | 0.285 |
| 3 | 3 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull-Red Bull-Ford | RB22 | 1’29.099 | 0.446 |
| 4 | 1 | Lando Norris | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL40 | 1’29.183 | 0.530 |
| 5 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull-Red Bull-Ford | RB22 | 1’29.324 | 0.671 |
| 6 | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas-Ferrari | VF-26 | 1’29.340 | 0.687 |
| 7 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | SF-26 | 1’29.483 | 0.830 |
| 8 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | W17 | 1’29.492 | 0.839 |
| 9 | 55 | Carlos Sainz Jnr | Williams-Mercedes | FW48 | 1’29.540 | 0.887 |
| 10 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine-Mercedes | A526 | 1’29.584 | 0.931 |
| 11 | 30 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls-Red Bull-Ford | 03 | 1’29.595 | 0.942 |
| 12 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | R26 | 1’29.645 | 0.992 |
| 13 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams-Mercedes | FW48 | 1’29.720 | 1.067 |
| 14 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas-Ferrari | VF-26 | 1’29.838 | 1.185 |
| 15 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine-Mercedes | A526 | 1’29.914 | 1.261 |
| 16 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL40 | 1’29.920 | 1.267 |
| 17 | 41 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls-Red Bull-Ford | 03 | 1’30.133 | 1.480 |
| 18 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin-Honda | AMR26 | 1’31.098 | 2.445 |
| 19 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin-Honda | AMR26 | 1’31.164 | 2.511 |
| 20 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac-Ferrari | MAC-26 | 1’31.629 | 2.976 |
| 21 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Cadillac-Ferrari | MAC-26 | 1’31.967 | 3.314 |
| 22 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | R26 | No time |
Q2
McLaren again flirted with risk in Q2. Norris was only ninth as final runs got under way, his first attempt ruined by a snap of oversteer at turn five that sent him into the run-off. A headwind on his second attempt limited acceleration out of turn 16. Despite that, Norris improved to finish the session seventh.
Verstappen showed his pace by topping Q2 after an unremarkable opening run, displacing Antonelli from the top. Leclerc was third despite hitting the kerb at turn eight and reporting possible floor damage. Piastri was the faster McLaren in fourth, while George Russell in the second Mercedes could only match Lewis Hamilton’s time for Ferrari.
Nico Hulkenberg reached 11th for Audi but was over three tenths shy of a Q3 spot. Liam Lawson, the Williams drivers and Haas also failed to progress.
Q2 result
| P. | # | Driver | Team | Model | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull-Red Bull-Ford | RB22 | 1’28.116 | |
| 2 | 12 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | W17 | 1’28.289 | 0.173 |
| 3 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | SF-26 | 1’28.315 | 0.199 |
| 4 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL40 | 1’28.332 | 0.216 |
| 5 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | SF-26 | 1’28.477 | 0.361 |
| 6 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | W17 | 1’28.477 | 0.361 |
| 7 | 1 | Lando Norris | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL40 | 1’28.920 | 0.804 |
| 8 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull-Red Bull-Ford | RB22 | 1’28.941 | 0.825 |
| 9 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine-Mercedes | A526 | 1’28.975 | 0.859 |
| 10 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine-Mercedes | A526 | 1’29.070 | 0.954 |
| 11 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | R26 | 1’29.439 | 1.323 |
| 12 | 30 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls-Red Bull-Ford | 03 | 1’29.499 | 1.383 |
| 13 | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas-Ferrari | VF-26 | 1’29.567 | 1.451 |
| 14 | 55 | Carlos Sainz Jnr | Williams-Mercedes | FW48 | 1’29.568 | 1.452 |
| 15 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas-Ferrari | VF-26 | 1’29.772 | 1.656 |
| 16 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams-Mercedes | FW48 | 1’29.946 | 1.830 |
Q3
The battle for pole was tight initially. Norris recovered from his Q2 issues to post a 1’28.183, briefly topping the timesheets before Verstappen edged him by only two thousandths. Leclerc then took the lead by a small margin, but Antonelli had more in reserve: a 1’27.798 put the Mercedes driver firmly on pole with a margin of over three tenths.
Russell’s first run left him nearly four tenths adrift of his team mate, and he was unable to improve on his second attempt. Many drivers followed that pattern, failing to better their earlier laps.
Verstappen was an exception. Last to complete his second run, he produced a 1’27.964 to secure the front row alongside Antonelli.
Q3 result
| P. | # | Driver | Team | Model | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | W17 | 1’27.798 | |
| 2 | 3 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull-Red Bull-Ford | RB22 | 1’27.964 | 0.166 |
| 3 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | SF-26 | 1’28.143 | 0.345 |
| 4 | 1 | Lando Norris | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL40 | 1’28.183 | 0.385 |
| 5 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | W17 | 1’28.197 | 0.399 |
| 6 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | SF-26 | 1’28.319 | 0.521 |
| 7 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL40 | 1’28.500 | 0.702 |
| 8 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine-Mercedes | A526 | 1’28.762 | 0.964 |
| 9 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull-Red Bull-Ford | RB22 | 1’28.789 | 0.991 |
| 10 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine-Mercedes | A526 | 1’28.810 | 1.012 |
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