Red Bull's Max Verstappen secured sprint pole position for the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix sprint race, edging out Ferrari's Charles Leclerc in a thrilling sprint qualifying session. The early promise shown by McLaren's Lando Norris faded as he struggled on soft tyres, dropping out of contention in the final segment.
Norris had dominated earlier segments, leading SQ1 and SQ2 in an updated McLaren, showcasing impressive form before the final switch to soft tyres. However, he lost crucial time in the opening sector of SQ3, ultimately finishing behind Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg.
Verstappen's pole-clinching lap, though not flawless as admitted by the man himself, demonstrated his and RedBull’s signature pace as he navigated his RB20 through challenging sections of the Miami track.
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Ferrari star Leclerc's strong qualifying performance secured second place, only a tenth of a second behind Max, splitting the RedBull duo. This was a great bounce back after early setbacks in practice where he barely got any running time, reminding the world of his raw speed after a difficult couple of qualifyings.
Behind RB’s Daniel Ricciardo saw a welcome return to form as he qualified a tremendous P4 for the sprint race ahead of Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri.
Meanwhile, Mercedes endured a disappointing outing in SQ2, with both George Russell and Lewis Hamilton failing to advance to the final session, ending in P11 and P12. Hamilton's session was further marred by a brush with the wall, compounding Mercedes' woes.
In SQ1, Williams' Logan Sargeant led the pack in the elimination zone, outpacing teammate Alex Albon for the first time in qualifying. However, Albon's late improvement was nullified due to a track limits violation, relegating him to the bottom of the standings.
Post-session investigations loomed for Bottas, facing scrutiny for impeding and almost causing a potential collision with Piastri, and Hamilton is under review for a pit lane incident. This resulted in a three-place grid penalty for the Stake driver. Additionally, several drivers are under investigation for not adhering to race director instructions during outlaps.
Starting Order:
1. M. Verstappen (RBR)
2. C. Leclerc (Ferrari)
3. S. Perez (RBR)
4. D. Ricciardo (VCARB)
5. C. Sainz (Ferrari)
6. O. Piastri (McLaren)
7. L. Stroll (Aston Martin)
8. F. Alonso (Aston Martin)
9. L. Norris (McLaren)
10. N. Hulkenberg (Haas)
11. G. Russell (Mercedes)
12. L. Hamilton (Mercedes)
13. E. Ocon (Alpine)
14. K. Magnussen (Haas)
15. Y. Tsunoda (VCARB)
16. P. Gasly (Alpine)
17. G. Zhou (Stake)
18. L. Sargeant (Williams)
19. A. Albon (Williams)
20. V. Bottas (Stake)
