Kimi Antonelli returned Mercedes to the top just hours after a disappointing performance in the sprint of the Miami Grand Prix, after winning pole position for the main race, BTA reports. The championship leader recorded his third consecutive pole position of the season and stopped the series of Max Verstappen, who was chasing a third consecutive first starting position in Miami.
Since the beginning of the season, Mercedes has dominated qualifying. George Russell won pole position in the first race of the year, and then Antonelli was fastest in the next two Grands Prix. After a five-week break, imposed by the canceled starts in the Middle East due to the conflict in Iran, all teams arrived with updated cars. After the weak sprint, in which Russell finished fourth and Antonelli sixth, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff admitted that the team had not found the right balance with the new improvements. In qualifying, however, Antonelli set an impressive lap of 1:28.653 minutes and left Verstappen behind with Red Bull.
“The day started difficult with the sprint, where things didn't work out, but I'm very happy with our reaction. We'll give it our all in the race“, said the Italian after qualifying.
Max Verstappen was also pleased with Red Bull's progress. The Dutchman admitted that he didn't feel comfortable in the car during the first races, but the new improvements have helped significantly. “I feel the car is more competitive again and I can push harder. The front row is a much better result than we expected before the weekend“, commented the four-time world champion.
Charles Leclerc set the third fastest time in qualifying with Ferrari. Lando Norris with McLaren remained fourth, after winning the sprint earlier in the day. Russell finished fifth, Lewis Hamilton was sixth for Ferrari, and Oscar Piastre was seventh.
There was disappointment for Cadillac in the team's first home race in the United States. Valtteri Bottas finished qualifying in 20th place, while Sergio Perez remained 21st.
The main race in Miami will start earlier than planned due to expected heavy rain and thunderstorms, with the start time being 20:00 Bulgarian time.