Kimi Antonelli claimed pole position for the Miami Grand Prix with a strong lap, narrowly edging out a resurgent Max Verstappen and Red Bull into second place. After the session, the FIA, F1, and the Miami promoter issued a joint statement announcing that Sunday's race start had been moved forward from 4pm to 1pm local time (6pm BST) due to heavy thunderstorms forecast for the afternoon.
Qualifying Highlights
On the track, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton secured third and sixth for Ferrari, while Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri took fourth and seventh for McLaren. Antonelli's Mercedes teammate, George Russell, could only manage fifth, four-tenths of a second behind the Italian.
Antonelli, who leads the world championship by seven points over Russell, earned his third consecutive pole, reaffirming Mercedes' front-running pace that had appeared under threat this weekend. This was especially notable after Norris and Piastri scored a dominant one-two in the sprint race earlier on Saturday at the Hard Rock Stadium.
Team Reactions and Developments
With Red Bull, Ferrari, and McLaren all bringing major upgrades to Miami, it seemed they had at least caught Mercedes, who are not introducing substantial developments until the next round in Canada. Russell described the advances by rivals as “daunting,” and Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff conceded after the sprint that they had made little ground in Miami but that a fierce development fight remains ahead.
“It’s not really a surprise about other teams catching up; it’s just the first year of this new regulation,” Antonelli said. “It’s also going to be a development fight between teams. Whoever is able to bring more upgrades and more potent ones will make the difference. But definitely to see Max here, we did not expect it as a team, but obviously, they brought big upgrades.”
However, when it mattered over a single lap, Antonelli still held the advantage, delivering a fine piece of controlled driving where he just edged Verstappen, who was genuinely enjoying the handling and performance of his car for the first time this season as Red Bull's upgrades clearly delivered.
“So many things were not working up until this weekend,” said Verstappen. “For me in the car itself, a few things have changed and it made it a lot more comfortable to drive. I feel a lot more confident and I don’t feel like I’m a passenger any more in the car.”
Close Competition in Q3
McLaren and Ferrari were closer to Antonelli but remained three-tenths back. Russell, in turn, will be concerned he could not get closer to his teenage teammate, who has won two of the past three races. The leaders were closely matched going into the final laps of Q3, with Piastri and Norris opening early to set benchmark times. Norris topped with a 1 minute 28.183-second lap, but they were swiftly surpassed by Verstappen and then Leclerc. Antonelli, however, had more to come: with a huge final sector, he put a full three-tenths on Leclerc with a 1min 27.798sec, while Russell could only manage fifth.
On the final hot runs, Antonelli did not improve, but neither did the opposition except for Verstappen, who pushed hard to claim second from Antonelli by just over a tenth and a half. The Italian had pole, but Verstappen comfortably enjoyed his best qualifying of the season to secure a front-row spot.
Race Start Time Changed Due to Weather
The race start time was changed because local weather forecasters predicted a high likelihood of thunderstorms hitting the circuit in the afternoon. The US National Weather Service advises that sporting events should be stopped if there is thunder and lightning within six to 10 miles. The FIA met with F1's key stakeholders on Saturday afternoon after qualifying to discuss contingency plans, including bringing the start time forward by several hours. The current forecast warns of “widespread rain showers and embedded thunderstorms” on Sunday afternoon. With rain expected, it may be the first time these cars are driven competitively in the wet. A statement confirmed the change: “Following discussions between FIA, F1 and the Miami promoter, the decision has been taken to move the start of Sunday’s Miami Grand Prix to 13:00 local time in Miami due to the weather forecast that is expected to bring heavier rainstorms later in the afternoon close to the original planned race start time. This decision has been taken to ensure the least amount of disruption to the race, and to ensure the maximum possible window to complete the Grand Prix in the best conditions and to prioritise the safety of drivers, fans, teams and staff.”
