Verstappen Edges Norris for Miami Pole in Thrilling Quali

Max Verstappen narrowly beats Lando Norris for the pole position in an exciting Miami GP qualifying session, with McLaren in hot pursuit.

Saturday kicked off with a thrilling start at the Miami Grand Prix, with Lando Norris winning a chaotic F1 Sprint. McLaren had a solid day in the short race, but with the reset for the main event, the real competition is set to begin.

Now, all eyes are on the qualifying session that will determine the starting grid for Sunday’s race, which will also take place at 10:00 PM local time. You can catch the live coverage on our pages.

McLaren drivers are once again the favorites, with Oscar Piastri aiming to bounce back after a successful Sprint but a tough strategic call. Max Verstappen, who finished last in the Sprint, will also be looking to redeem himself, along with Charles Leclerc, who didn’t even make it to the grid.

After a longer-than-expected Sprint and a delayed start, the schedule got a little rearranged. For those just joining us, you’ll get a few extra minutes, as qualifying has been pushed back 15 minutes to start at 10:15 PM!

Also, after the Sprint, Oliver Bearman received a penalty for an unsafe release, and Yuki Tsunoda was handed the eighth-place point.

21:47: Rain is looming over the Miami International Autodrome, but the qualifying session is expected to remain dry after a wet Sprint.

21:56: Alex Albon received a 5-second penalty for the Sprint. As the finish came under safety car conditions, the Williams driver drops 8 positions. George Russell finished fourth, ahead of Lance Stroll, Liam Lawson (under investigation), Yuki Tsunoda, and Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who earned a point.

21:57: Leclerc only received a reprimand for driving with a damaged car after his crash. This is his first reprimand of the year.

22:02: Lawson also received a 5-second penalty! The Racing Bulls driver drops out of the Sprint top 8, leaving the standings as follows: Norris, Piastri, Hamilton, Russell, Stroll, Tsunoda, Antonelli, Gasly.

22:05: The FIA has published the reasoning for Albon and Lawson’s penalties, available for review.

22:14: The weather is clear for this session, with track temperatures hitting 44°C!

Q1 – 18 Minutes

22:18: All drivers are out for their first laps as the sky remains threatening. Everyone is playing it safe to avoid costly mistakes.

22:19: Gabriel Bortoleto posts a 1:28.674, but Nico Hülkenberg beats him with a 1:28.391. Gasly is in third.

22:20: Jack Doohan moves ahead with a 1:28.244, but Fernando Alonso takes over with a 1:28.058. Carlos Sainz can’t improve, but Alex Albon sets a 1:27.838. Verstappen then goes faster with a 1:27.573.

22:21: Lewis Hamilton is fourth for now, Piastri takes the lead with a 1:27.307, and Norris is third, just 0.365 seconds behind.

22:22: The Mercedes drivers return to the pits without posting times, as do the Racing Bulls.

22:23: Tsunoda’s lap is disappointing; he sits 15th out of the 16 drivers with times.

22:25: The Racing Bulls and Mercedes drivers re-enter the track on fresh tires, while many others are on used ones. Albon had a close moment with Hadjar during the first lap out.

22:27: Hadjar improves to second with his new tires, and Sainz takes the lead with a 1:27.098. Stroll moves up to 11th, and Antonelli finishes with the fastest lap of 1:27.077.

22:28: Verstappen tops the charts again with a 1:26.870, with Piastri in second, and Norris in fifth.

22:30: Everyone, except Verstappen, returns to the track.

22:32: Russell moves up to third, Bearman improves but is still 19th. Leclerc also improves to 9th.

22:33: Hadjar is up to 6th, while Stroll remains 18th. Alonso climbs to 14th, just ahead of the Alpines.

22:34: Doohan climbs to 11th. Norris moves into second, just 0.1 seconds behind Verstappen. Ocon jumps to 13th.

22:35: Hamilton rises to 8th, and Tsunoda takes 9th.

The eliminations from Q1 are Hülkenberg, Alonso, Gasly, Stroll, and Bearman.

Q2 – 15 Minutes

22:44: Verstappen sets the first time of Q2 with a 1:26.643. Tsunoda is half a second behind, with Ocon in third, just two-tenths off the Japanese driver. Leclerc is second, 0.3 seconds off the Red Bull.

22:45: Bortoleto moves into fourth, and Sainz takes second. Hamilton sits just behind Leclerc, 0.058 seconds behind his teammate. Lawson finishes the session in 8th, and Albon moves into second!

22:46: Piastri clocks the fastest lap with a 1:26.269, Norris is just two-tenths behind in second. Hadjar hasn’t gone out, and Antonelli is third. Russell is 11th at this point.

22:49: Russell expresses concern: “Get me back out on track quickly. I have no grip. I’m sliding everywhere.”

22:50: With five minutes to go in Q2, all drivers are in the pits, except for Sauber, who plans to send out Bortoleto.

22:51: As Gaëtan Vigneron would say, it’s a big gamble now! All drivers head out for one last push for the best position without jumping the gun.

22:52: Everyone’s back on track, except for Piastri.

22:54: Tsunoda improves to 8th, and Ocon takes 9th! Hadjar finishes his fast lap in 10th.

22:55: Sainz moves up to 5th, while Russell completes his lap in 3rd. Doohan finishes his lap but remains 14th.

22:56: Lawson can’t improve, finishing 15th. Hamilton looks slower and likely made a mistake while in 12th place. Ocon advances to Q3 for the first time with Haas!

The eliminated drivers are Hadjar, Hamilton, Bortoleto, Doohan, and Lawson.

23:01: Leclerc, in 8th, is resigned: “These are the best laps I can do. I can’t do better.”

Q3 – 12 Minutes

23:07: Ocon sets his first time with a 1:27.407, while Tsunoda is slower. Verstappen clocks the fastest lap with a 1:26.492, and Piastri is just 0.017 behind.

23:08: Norris is second, just 3 thousandths behind Verstappen, and Sainz takes fourth. Albon moves into fifth, while Antonelli sets a better time to grab 4th. Russell finishes with the 6th best time.

23:09: After their initial laps on used tires, Leclerc makes an error in the final corner and heads straight to the pits.

23:12: The Red Bull drivers head out first, followed by Ocon, then Leclerc and Norris. Piastri is next, and the Williams and Mercedes drivers head out last.

23:14: Verstappen makes a small error in the first corner but is faster in the first sector. Norris doesn’t improve in the first part of the track.

23:15: Tsunoda takes 7th. Verstappen improves again, clocking a 1:26.204. Norris falls short by 9 thousandths in sector two and finishes 65 thousandths behind Verstappen!

23:16: Piastri doesn’t improve either and stays 3rd, one-tenth behind. Sainz moves to 4th, while Albon grabs 5th. Antonelli takes 3rd!

23:17: Russell doesn’t improve, staying 5th, and Leclerc finishes 8th.

Verstappen takes pole position for the Miami Grand Prix, ahead of Norris and Antonelli, with Piastri in fourth. Russell is 5th, followed by Sainz and Albon, then Leclerc, Ocon, and Tsunoda.

Pos.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3
01	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Honda RBPT RB21	1:26.870	1:26.643	1:26.204
02	Lando Norris	McLaren Mercedes MCL39	1:26.955	1:26.499	1:26.269
03	Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes W16	1:27.077	1:26.606	1:26.271
04	Oscar Piastri	McLaren Mercedes MCL39	1:27.006	1:26.269	1:26.375
05	George Russell	Mercedes W16	1:27.014	1:26.575	1:26.385
06	Carlos Sainz	Williams Mercedes FW47	1:27.098	1:26.847	1:26.569
07	Alex Albon	Williams Mercedes FW47	1:27.042	1:26.855	1:26.682
08	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari SF-25	1:27.417	1:26.948	1:26.754
09	Esteban Ocon	Haas Ferrari VF-25	1:27.450	1:26.967	1:26.824
10	Yuki Tsunoda	Red Bull Honda RBPT RB21	1:27.298	1:26.959	1:26.943
—	—————-	—————	———-	———-	———-
11	Isack Hadjar	Racing Bulls Honda RBPT VCARB 02	1:27.301	1:26.987
12	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari SF-25	1:27.279	1:27.006
13	Gabriel Bortoleto	Stake F1 Kick Sauber C45	1:27.343	1:27.151
14	Jack Doohan	Alpine Renault A525	1:27.422	1:27.186
15	Liam Lawson	Racing Bulls Honda RBPT VCARB 02	1:27.444	1:27.363
—	—————-	—————	———-	———-	———-
16	Nico Hülkenberg	Stake F1 Kick Sauber C45	1:27.473
17	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin Mercedes AMR25	1:27.604
18	Pierre Gasly	Alpine Renault A525	1:27.710
19	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin Mercedes AMR25	1:27.830
20	Oliver Bearman	Haas Ferrari VF-25	1:27.999