Rivals creep closer to Mercedes after long break but Antonelli still scores third pole in a row; Verstappen less than two-tenths behind in P2, Leclerc a solid P3
Formula 1 returned from an unprecedented five week break at the very beginning of the season to race the temporary Miami International Autodrome street circuit for a Sprint weekend and proved that neither the FIA or the teams had been idle during their extended time off. The rules body issued a host of tweaks to the new formula designed to improve the quality of racing and reduce the clear risks of the radically different race speeds displayed in the opening three rounds. And the majority of the teams went to work on improving their chassis in relation to the currently dominant Mercedes team. Both of these big if distinct changes showed immediate dividends in Sprint qualifying and the Sprint itself, with McLaren finding a reprise of their 2025 mojo here in Miami to the tune of a Lando Norris/Oscar Piastri one-two finish in the 19-lap Sprint. But Saturday Grand Prix qualifying saw a bit off a reversion to the 2026 mean, with Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli laying down a superb lap early in Q3 that no one could quite touch, earning the young Italian points leader his third pole on the trot. It wasn’t for lack of trying from his closest pursuers, however. A reinvigorated Max Verstappen pulled his heavily revised Red Bull RB22 to within .166 of Antonelli’s best effort, taking P2 alongside the Merc in the process. And Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was able to muster third on the grid in his equally improved Prancing Horse. With Norris not quite as quick as he had been in the Sprint quali but slotting into a respectable P4 and Antonelli’s unfortunate habit of terrible starts off the line in every round so far to start the season, it really could be anyone’s first corner when the lights go out in Miami on Sunday.
Top 10 qualifiers for the Miami GP:
| POS | DRIVER | TEAM | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | LAPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Mercedes | 1:28.653 | 1:28.289 | 1:27.798 | 17 |
| 2 |
|
Red Bull | 1:29.099 | 1:28.116 | 1:27.964 | 15 |
| 3 |
|
Ferrari | 1:28.938 | 1:28.315 | 1:28.143 | 21 |
| 4 |
|
McLaren | 1:29.183 | 1:28.920 | 1:28.183 | 20 |
| 5 |
|
Mercedes | 1:29.492 | 1:28.477 | 1:28.197 | 18 |
| 6 |
|
Ferrari | 1:29.483 | 1:28.477 | 1:28.319 | 21 |
| 7 |
|
McLaren | 1:29.920 | 1:28.332 | 1:28.500 | 20 |
| 8 |
|
Alpine | 1:29.584 | 1:28.975 | 1:28.762 | 19 |
| 9 |
|
Alpine | 1:29.914 | 1:29.070 | 1:28.810 | 20 |
| 10 |
|
Audi | 1:29.645 | 1:29.439 | — | 14 |
Complete qualifying results available via Formula1.com.
Sunday’s GP airs live on AppleTV beginning at 1PM Eastern, about three hours earlier than originally scheduled, due to some severe weather being forecast for later in the afternoon in that part of Florida. Hope to see you then to find out if Antonelli can finally make a clean getaway and then manage to keep the very hungry Verstappen, Leclerc and Norris behind him to the finish!