Verstappen takes pole in Miami ahead of Norris

Max Verstappen set the fastest time in qualifying for the 2025 Miami Grand Prix, clocking 1m26.204s to secure his 43rd career pole position in Formula 1. The Dutch Red Bull driver edged out Lando Norris by just 0.065 seconds, who couldn't capitalize on his final lap after running wide at the last corner.

The Saturday session showed considerable balance among the top teams, with five different squads placing their cars in the top eight positions. Verstappen, despite a small mistake at Turn 1 during his final attempt, managed to improve on his previous time that had already given him provisional pole by just 0.003s over Norris.

It's been a good qualifying. I think we improved the car a bit, which helped me rotate it better. I kept improving with each run, trying to find more of the limit.

Antonelli confirms potential with third place

Italian rookie Kimi Antonelli once again showed his talent by placing his Mercedes in third position, ahead of Oscar Piastri's McLaren. After securing pole in Friday's Sprint qualifying, Antonelli maintained his strong form throughout the weekend.

His teammate George Russell completed the top five, confirming Mercedes' strong performance at the American circuit, while the Williams of Carlos Sainz and Alexander Albon took sixth and seventh places respectively.

Charles Leclerc, who couldn't participate in the Sprint race after hitting the barriers during the preliminary laps, recovered to qualify eighth, ahead of Esteban Ocon, who achieved his first Q3 appearance with Haas. Yuki Tsunoda rounded out the top ten in the second Red Bull.

Hamilton misses Q3 as Alonso struggles

Lewis Hamilton provided one of the negative surprises by being eliminated in Q2. The Ferrari driver, who had achieved an encouraging third place in the morning Sprint, couldn't improve his time on the final attempt and will start from twelfth position, just 0.039 seconds off tenth place.

"I didn't have the same level of confidence with the car as during the Sprint," explained Hamilton. "I simply couldn't extract more time on the final lap."

Fernando Alonso also had a difficult day following his crash in the Sprint race. Despite the efforts of Aston Martin mechanics to repair his car in time, the Spaniard didn't make it past Q1 and will start from seventeenth position.

Among notable performances in the midfield, Isack Hadjar narrowly missed Q3 in his Racing Bulls, while Gabriel Bortoleto achieved his best qualifying result to date in Formula 1 with the thirteenth fastest time for Kick Sauber.

Norris capitalizes on changing conditions in Sprint

Saturday's action began with the Sprint race, where weather conditions played a decisive role. After an initial delay due to rain accumulation on track, Oscar Piastri took control at the first corner by passing Antonelli.

As the track dried, Lewis Hamilton was one of the first to switch to dry tires, triggering a chain reaction. The key moment came when Fernando Alonso hit the barriers after contact with Liam Lawson, bringing out the Safety Car.

Norris had completed his pit stop just before the incident, allowing him to take the lead ahead of Piastri and Hamilton. The Safety Car remained until the end, securing victory for the British McLaren driver.

"The pit stop timing turned out perfect," explained Norris. "In these events you never know when to pit. You can do it early like Lewis and it works well, or wait and maybe benefit from a Safety Car."

The pit stop timing turned out perfect. In these events you never know when to pit. You can do it early like Lewis and it works well, or wait and maybe benefit from a Safety Car.

Verstappen, who had led the championship until that point, received a 10-second penalty for an unsafe release in the pits that relegated him to 17th in the Sprint, allowing Norris to close the gap in the overall standings.

The main Miami Grand Prix race will start this Sunday at 16:00 local time, with Verstappen starting from pole position, followed by Norris and Antonelli in the top three positions.

Full qualifying results