Miami - Sprint Qualifying

For the first time this season, Formula One made its way into the US. While the Miami track has not been a permanent fixture for long, having made its first appearance in 2022, it is here to stay at least until 2041. Will it show fans that the decision to keep it on the calendar is justified by delivering an exciting racing weekend? 

The first consequential session of the weekend began with some traffic in the pit lane. After the cars spilled onto the track, the first lap times were put on the board. Halfway through SQ1, the top three was made up of three different teams with Antonelli, Norris, and Verstappen managing to achieve the best times out of all contenders. As the session progressed, the only driver who was able to perform better than the Italian 18-year-old was his teammate, Russell. Further down the grid, the session quickly turned chaotic. A few drivers, like Tsunoda, didn't manage to get a second attempt at setting a good time, having crossed the start/finish line after the session had already timed out. As tensions rose within the teams, Stroll, Doohan, Tsunoda, Bortoleto, and Bearman bid their goodbyes to the short sprint qualifying. 

Only eight drivers decided to give themselves the time for two attempts at a flying lap during SQ2. The others opted to put their all into one timed lap. The strategy proved disastrous for Sainz, who saw his only attempt deleted for exceeding track limits and therefore finished without a time on the board. He wasn't the only one facing issues during the session. Gasly tried to squeeze the very last drop of performance from his Alpine and ended up tapping the wall at the exit of turn 16. He set a lap that, while decent, was not enough to get him through to SQ3. Hulkenberg, Ocon, and Lawson also didn't manage to get a spot in the top ten. 

When SQ3 began, Verstappen and Russell were the only two drivers who went out on the track. The rest waited for the conditions to improve. In the private battle between the Red Bull and the Mercedes, it was Russell who came out on top, albeit not by a huge margin. He decided not to come out for a second flying lap, unlike Verstappen, who managed to improve his time and overtake the Brit. Still, he didn't end up with the coveted pole, having it stolen away by the young Kimi Antonelli, who produced an incredible lap. Not only did he secure the sprint pole, but also set a new track record. Both Piastri and Norris tried to take the top spot away from him, but fell short. They will be starting the sprint race in 2nd and 3rd. 

Order of the grid:

1. Kimi Antonelli

2. Oscar Piastri

3. Lando Norris

4. Max Verstappen

5. George Russell

6. Charles Leclerc

7. Lewis Hamilton

8. Alex Albon

9. Isack Hadjar

10. Fernando Alonso 

11. Nico Hulkenberg

12. Esteban Ocon

13. Pierre Gasly

14. Liam Lawson

15. Carlos Sainz

16. Lance Stroll

17. Jack Doohan

18. Yuki Tsunoda

19. Gabriel Bortoleto

20. Oliver Bearman