Antonelli beat Dutchman Max Verstappen (Red Bull) by 0.166 seconds and Monegasque Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) by 0.345 seconds
The young Italian driver Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), leader of the Formula 1 World Championship, took pole position for the Miami Grand Prix this Saturday (2), finishing ahead of the Dutchman Max Verstappen (Red Bull).
Antonelli beat Dutchman Max Verstappen (Red Bull) by 0.166 seconds and Monegasque Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) by 0.345 seconds.
The 19-year-old new Mercedes star thus achieved his third consecutive pole position in a Grand Prix this season — a season in which, at 19, he emerged as the youngest driver to lead Formula 1.
Antonelli redeemed himself after the defeat in the sprint race held a few hours earlier, in which the McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri put an end to Mercedes’ absolute dominance in the first three races on the calendar.
“It was a difficult start to the day with the sprint, where things didn’t go in our favor,” acknowledged Antonelli, who received a five-second penalty during that race for exceeding track limits, dropping from fourth to sixth place.
“I’m happy with the classification… I was very tense, to be honest, waiting for everyone to finish their laps, but it was enough”, he celebrated.
Antonelli had already taken pole position in the two previous Grands Prix, in China and Japan, where he would later take victory.
Since then, Formula 1 has been on hiatus after the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian stages due to the conflict in the Middle East.
British driver Norris, current world champion, will start from fourth place in Sunday’s race, ahead of George Russell (Mercedes), Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) and Piastri.
Argentinean Franco Colapinto secured eighth place, equaling his best result in classifications. The 22-year-old had also qualified to start eighth in the sprint race, in which he finished tenth.
The start of the second phase of qualifying was delayed due to a fire in the engine of the Audi driven by Brazilian Gabriel Bortoleto, which forced him to stop on the track.
Bortoleto, who will start from the last position on the grid (22nd) in this Sunday’s race, was among those eliminated during the first phase of the session, along with Spaniard Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) and Mexican Sergio Pérez (Cadillac), who finished in twenty-first place.
