Kimi Antonelli put Mercedes on pole for the Miami Grand Prix, delivering a decisive first run in Q3 that stood up under pressure for his third pole in four races. The Italian rebounded from a difficult sprint earlier on Saturday to edge Max Verstappen by 0.166 seconds, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc securing third. McLaren’s Lando Norris, who dominated the sprint, will start fourth.
George Russell qualified fifth for Mercedes, 0.399 seconds off Antonelli’s benchmark, while Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton will line up sixth, ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri.
Red Bull’s resurgence was notable following recent upgrades, with Verstappen producing the only significant second-run improvement among the leaders. Antonelli’s initial lap ultimately proved enough despite a mistake on his final attempt, leaving him to watch the timing screens in the 33C Miami heat.
The grand prix is scheduled for 21:00 BST on Sunday, but heavy rain and thunderstorms are forecast throughout the day. Formula 1 officials are set to assess the latest outlook on Saturday and could adjust the timetable if conditions deteriorate.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Russell said: "I just struggle on low grip circuits, here, Zandvoort, Brazil. It was the same last year, it's something I do want to work on but I'd say that there are three tracks that are outliers for me. Miami is definitely one of them."
"I'm not really thinking about damage limitation, I'm going out there to maximise results. We saw with race starts, everything can change in that first couple of 100 metres. I'm just not really in a great groove at the moment. It's still really early days, this is a really weak track for me. I'm just waiting to get to some tracks where I excel."
"I'm quite a smooth precise driver, that's always been my style. On these tracks, you've just got to be happy with your car sliding. I like being on the edge but you're going around, oversteering, understeering. It's the same for everyone, the temperature is high."
Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, who will start sixth, also reflected on qualifying with Sky Sports: "Car was much better in qualifying, so I don't think we had any issues, so that was the best it has been this weekend.
"We changed the car and I was much, much happier. I wish I had started the weekend with that balance. Q2 was looking really solid and then I got to Q3, I struggled to extrat the most from it.
"I think the team did a great job to bring the upgrades, so incredibly grateful. The other teams are doing different things with their car, so we need to look into that.
"But we are pushing hard and there is more to come. Like I said, I think there is more to extrat from what we currently have.
"Still losing a bit on the straights but I think we improved a lot in this session. Feel like we took a step forward and optimistic for tomorrow."
What to watch next: Antonelli and Verstappen share the front row with Leclerc and sprint winner Norris poised directly behind. With severe weather in the forecast and governing bodies reviewing the timetable, keep an eye on any schedule updates and the strategic calls that shifting conditions may force on Sunday evening.
Source: bbc.co.uk