World Championship leader Kimi Antonelli secured pole position for the Formula 1 race in Miami with a fantastic lap.
The Italian from Mercedes relegated the significantly improved Max Verstappen in the Red Bull (+0.166 seconds) to second place in 1:27.798 minutes and raced to his third pole in a row this year. Ferrari star Charles Leclerc will start third in the Grand Prix in Florida on Sunday (10 p.m. CEST/Sky).
In the previous sprint, McLaren indicated its recovery after the five-week break with Lando Norris’ victory and Oscar Piastri’s second place. In qualifying, first Piastri and then Norris barely made it into the next knockout round. In the end, Norris came fourth, Piastri didn’t get past seventh place.
“Fantastic day” for Antonelli
Before the decisive passage, Verstappen set the fastest lap. Antonelli, who was only 19 years old, countered early with his first quick attempt. It was a strong signal from the teenager, who had fallen back to sixth in the sprint after a botched start and a five-second penalty.
“It was a fantastic day to be on pole again. The day started off difficult with the sprint, so things didn’t go so well for us,” said Antonelli. “I’m happy with qualifying, I was maybe a little too excited on the last lap in Q3, but the first lap was good.”
However, since storms are feared for race Sunday, the fourth Grand Prix of the year could start earlier than actually planned. This is not least due to local regulations regarding thunderstorms and lightning. If there was lightning within a manageable radius of the race track, the event would have to be interrupted and those present would have to seek shelter.
Fire and disqualification at Audi
Newcomer Audi experienced a day to forget. Nico HĂĽlkenberg had to forego the sprint after flames came out of the rear. In the garage, the mechanics worked hard to get the car ready for qualifying. Eleventh place was a remarkable result for the only German driver in the field.
Things were even more disappointing for his teammate Gabriel Bortoleto. The Brazilian was disqualified in the sprint because the boost pressure in the engine was too high. Here, too, the mechanics had to work to hunt for a starting position.
Upgrade packages in Florida
Bortoleto’s Audi was still drivable at the end of the first knockout round, but the South American stuck to a leisurely lap and came last. Then the rear brakes on his car caught fire and marshals rushed onto the track to put out the fire.
Miami is the first stop for Formula 1 after a five-week break. The regulators have made adjustments to the regulations in order, among other things, to increase the proportion of full throttle on the asphalt. Almost all teams brought comprehensive upgrade packages to Florida. Verstappen showed great improvement, but the four-time world champion couldn’t get close to Antonelli.
