Antonelli, just 18, shocked the grid by clinching Sprint pole in Miami, narrowly beating Verstappen and both McLaren challengers.
Oscar Piastri may have topped the timing sheets in the early practice session at the Miami Grand Prix, but all eyes were on McLaren as the team emerged as the frontrunner for the Sprint Shootout — the first competitive session of the weekend.
Friday wrapped up with qualifying for Saturday’s Sprint, scheduled for 6 PM French time. And the fight for pole was intense right from the start.
Charles Leclerc looked strong in practice with his Ferrari, while Max Verstappen and both Williams drivers also showed promising pace, rounding out the top five. Young gun Isack Hadjar impressed, while Mercedes kept their cards close, avoiding medium tires altogether.
Sprint qualifying has a unique format: three sessions lasting 12, 10, and 8 minutes. The first two are run on medium tires, with the final shootout on softs.
Early Drama and Penalties
At 10:15 PM, McLaren received a warning for leaving tools inside Lando Norris’ cockpit during practice. It was acknowledged as a rare mistake, so no penalty was issued.
Five minutes later, Haas was fined €7,500 after failing to alert Esteban Ocon that Norris was approaching, causing an obstruction.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner stirred the pot again, pushing for engine regulation changes for 2026. This comes amid rumors of major issues with the Red Bull Powertrains and Ford partnership — a bit ironic, considering Horner once told Toto Wolff to “just fix your car” during Mercedes’ struggles in 2022.
Meanwhile, Alpine’s boss Oliver Oakes shot down rumors that Franco Colapinto would replace Jack Doohan at Imola. According to Oakes, Doohan is still locked in for Italy.
Red Bull also brought a new floor to Miami, a risky move during a Sprint weekend. Engineering director Paul Monaghan defended the decision, saying it’s stable enough and should bring a modest aerodynamic gain.
Sprint Qualifying Begins
SQ1 – 12 minutes on Medium Tires
Yuki Tsunoda requested a helmet change after his first run due to high winds in Miami affecting ventilation. On track, Nico Hülkenberg set an early benchmark, which Verstappen quickly beat. Sainz, Albon, and Alonso followed, with strong laps from Hamilton and Leclerc.
Lando Norris jumped to the top, soon eclipsed by rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli. George Russell slotted in fifth.
Drama struck when Leclerc and Bortoleto brushed the wall, raising concerns about damage. Hadjar’s time was deleted for track limits.
With under three minutes remaining, the action intensified. Piastri surged ahead, while Stroll could only manage 15th. Tsunoda failed to improve, caught behind Verstappen, who also hindered Norris and Stroll on their laps.
The session ended with Russell fastest, followed by Albon and Norris. Eliminated were Stroll, Doohan, Tsunoda, Bortoleto, and Bearman.
Doohan was visibly angry, having been sent out too late by his team. Tsunoda, unable to complete a clean lap, was caught out by traffic.
SQ2 – 10 minutes on Medium Tires
Russell opened with a 1:27.789, quickly beaten by Antonelli. Verstappen slotted between the two. Albon and Hamilton posted strong laps, but it was Norris who lit up the timing screens before Piastri went even quicker.
Verstappen reclaimed top spot, only to be edged out by Norris again. Leclerc moved up to fourth, while Hamilton narrowly made it through. Sainz aborted his lap after running off-track, ending up 15th.
Eliminated: Hülkenberg, Ocon, Gasly, Lawson, and Sainz.
SQ3 – 8 minutes on Soft Tires
Only Verstappen and Russell opted for two runs. Verstappen went fastest with a 1:27.070, but Russell blew past him with a 1:26.791.
As the rest of the grid left the pits, traffic caused a few delays. Verstappen stayed on track for a second lap, while Russell chose not to return to the circuit.
With just seconds left, all drivers rushed to start a flying lap — Hadjar barely made it in time with two seconds to spare.
23:16 – Albon and Alonso move into third and fourth, and Hamilton slots in ahead of himself. But Verstappen improves with a 1:26.7, only to be beaten by Antonelli’s 1:26.482. Neither Norris nor Piastri can top the Italian, both finishing just behind within the same tenth.
Antonelli takes pole for the Miami Sprint. At 18, it’s the first competitive session the Italian has ever won, and he’ll start tomorrow’s Sprint from the front row. He’s followed by Piastri, Norris, Verstappen, and Russell. Leclerc lines up sixth, ahead of Hamilton, then Albon, Hadjar, and Alonso.
| Pos | Driver | Team | SQ1 | SQ2 | SQ3 |
| 1 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team | 1m27.858s | 1m27.384s | 1m26.482s |
| 2 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren F1 Team | 1m27.951s | 1m27.354s | 1m26.527s |
| 3 | Lando Norris | McLaren F1 Team | 1m27.890s | 1m27.109s | 1m26.582s |
| 4 | Max Verstappen | Oracle Red Bull Racing | 1m27.953s | 1m27.245s | 1m26.737s |
| 5 | George Russell | Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team | 1m27.688s | 1m27.666s | 1m26.791s |
| 6 | Charles Leclerc | Scuderia Ferrari HP | 1m28.231s | 1m27.467s | 1m26.808s |
| 7 | Lewis Hamilton | Scuderia Ferrari HP | 1m28.231s | 1m27.546s | 1m27.030s |
| 8 | Alex Albon | Atlassian Williams Racing | 1m27.859s | 1m27.697s | 1m27.193s |
| 9 | Isack Hadjar | Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 Team | 1m28.394s | 1m27.773s | 1m27.543s |
| 10 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team | 1m28.455s | 1m27.766s | 1m27.790s |
| 11 | Nico Hulkenberg | Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber | 1m28.542s | 1m27.850s | |
| 12 | Esteban Ocon | MoneyGram Haas F1 Team | 1m28.303s | 1m28.070s | |
| 13 | Pierre Gasly | BWT Alpine F1 Team | 1m28.345s | 1m28.167s | |
| 14 | Liam Lawson | Oracle Red Bull Racing | 1m28.914s | 1m28.375s | |
| 15 | Carlos Sainz | Atlassian Williams Racing | 1m27.899s | No time set | |
| 16 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team | 1m29.028s | ||
| 17 | Jack Doohan | BWT Alpine F1 Team | 1m29.171s | ||
| 18 | Yuki Tsunoda | Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 Team | 1m29.246s | ||
| 19 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber | 1m29.312s | ||
| 20 | Oliver Bearman | MoneyGram Haas F1 Team | 1m29.825s |
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2025 F1 Miami Grand Prix – Sprint Qualifying – Antonelli takes pole 2025 F1 Miami Grand Prix – Sprint Qualifying – Antonelli takes pole