Qualifying report

F1 Miami GP: Kimi Antonelli claims his first sprint pole at just 18 years old

Andrea Kimi Antonelli trumps both McLaren drivers to claim pole in a scintillating Miami Grand Prix sprint qualifying

Mercedes Formula 1 rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli claimed his maiden sprint pole at the Miami Grand Prix, defeating both McLarens.

Antonelli had looked rapid throughout Friday afternoon's sprint qualifying session and his late run of 1m26.482s was enough to withstand a last-ditch run by McLaren duo Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, who qualified 0.045s and 0.100s behind respectively.

Reigning world champion Max Verstappen was fourth-fastest, followed by Antonelli's Mercedes team-mate George Russell and the Ferrari duo of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton.

Alex Albon was eighth for Williams, while there was a co-starring role for Racing Bulls driver Isack Hadjar in ninth and some encouragement for Aston Martin with Fernando Alonso rounding out the top 10.

Oscar Piastri, McLaren

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

In the deciding top 10 shootout Russell and Verstappen were the only drivers to run early, having the track to themselves at the start with Russell leading the Red Bull driver by almost three tenths. The remaining eight drivers joined at the end when the Miami Autodrome was at its quickest, with Verstappen embarking on a second tour. Verstappen did go quicker, but not as fast as Antonelli who pumped his fists as he celebrated his maiden sprint pole at the age of 18.

Traffic chaos proves costly for three drivers

In SQ2 Nico Hulkenberg, Esteban Ocon, Pierre Gasly, Liam Lawson and Carlos Sainz were eliminated, with Norris topping the second qualifying phase ahead of Verstappen, Piastri and Antonelli.

As is often the case for sprint qualifying there was a scramble at end of pitlane for the start of the 12-minute SQ1 session, with 20 cars vying for track position.

Antonelli – again – led the way after the first run, and due to rapid track evolution, all cars embarked on a second tour – although Verstappen didn't follow through – making it tough to find a pocket of clear air.

Jack Doohan, Yuki Tsunoda, Gabriel Bortoleto, and Oliver Bearman found themselves in the drop zone after run one, as well as Hadjar, who made a mistake on his first attempt.

Hadjar climbed to eighth to secure safe passage to SQ2, but in traffic Doohan, Tsunoda and Bearman all ran out of time for a second attempt much to their frustration. That meant Lawson just about managed to scrape through in 15th despite surviving a wild snap through the chicane.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

The Miami Grand Prix sprint takes place on Saturday at noon local time for 19 laps across the Miami Autodrome.

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F1 Miami Grand Prix - Sprint qualifying results

1 - 2
Cla	Driver	#	Chassis	Engine	Time	Tyres	km/h
1	A. Kimi Antonelli Mercedes	12	Mercedes	Mercedes	1'26.482		225.286
2	O. Piastri McLaren	81	McLaren	Mercedes	+0.045 1'26.527		225.169
3	L. Norris McLaren	4	McLaren	Mercedes	+0.100 1'26.582		225.025
4	M. Verstappen Red Bull Racing	1	Red Bull	Red Bull	+0.255 1'26.737		224.623
5	G. Russell Mercedes	63	Mercedes	Mercedes	+0.309 1'26.791		224.484
6	C. Leclerc Ferrari	16	Ferrari	Ferrari	+0.326 1'26.808		224.440
7	L. Hamilton Ferrari	44	Ferrari	Ferrari	+0.548 1'27.030		223.867
8	A. Albon Williams	23	Williams	Mercedes	+0.711 1'27.193		223.449
9	I. Hadjar Racing Bulls	6	RB	Honda	+1.061 1'27.543		222.555
10	F. Alonso Aston Martin Racing	14	Aston Martin	Mercedes	+1.308 1'27.790		221.929
11	N. Hulkenberg Sauber	27	Sauber	Ferrari	+1.368 1'27.850		221.778
12	E. Ocon Haas F1 Team	31	Haas	Ferrari	+1.588 1'28.070		221.224
13	P. Gasly Alpine	10	Alpine	Renault	+1.685 1'28.167		220.980
14	L. Lawson Racing Bulls	30	RB	Honda	+1.893 1'28.375		220.460
15	C. Sainz Williams	55	Williams	Mercedes
16	L. Stroll Aston Martin Racing	18	Aston Martin	Mercedes	+2.546 1'29.028		218.843
17	J. Doohan Alpine	7	Alpine	Renault	+2.689 1'29.171		218.492
18	Y. Tsunoda Red Bull Racing	22	Red Bull	Red Bull	+2.764 1'29.246		218.308
19	G. Bortoleto Sauber	5	Sauber	Ferrari	+2.830 1'29.312		218.147
20	O. Bearman Haas F1 Team	87	Haas	Ferrari	+3.343 1'29.825		216.901
View full results