Verstappen beats Norris to Miami pole

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen beat McLaren’s Lando Norris to pole position at the Miami Grand Prix.

Verstappen headed Norris, who won the sprint race earlier on Saturday, by 0.065 seconds.

Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli, on pole for the sprint, grabbed third ahead of the second McLaren of Oscar Piastri.

Mercedes’ George Russell was fifth ahead of the Williams of Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon, as Ferrari struggled, with Charles Leclerc eighth and Lewis Hamilton down in 12th.

Verstappen’s pole, in a car with an upgraded floor this weekend, was won with a blistering first sector of the lap.

The Red Bull’s speed in the fast sweepers there was too much for McLaren to claw back in the remainder of the lap.

“It’s been a great qualifying,” Verstappen said. “We improved the car a tiny amount, which helped me rotate it a bit better.

“Q1, Q2, Q3 improving every run. Trying to find the limit. I had a tiny moment into Turn One trying to find more time there but it’s very tricky here with the tyres. It’s qualifying, try to correct it and floor it out of the corner.”

It was a second piece of good news for the four-time champion this week, after the birth of his first child, a daughter called Lily.

Norris said: “Congrats to Max, especially being a dad now. I was hoping it would slow him down a bit but it clearly didn’t.

“Max did a Max lap again and I’m happy for him. The pace is there. I have been feeling good. It is what it is, I’m P2, Max on pole, ready to see what I can do into Turn One.”

Antonelli’s third place proved his pole in the sprint on Friday was not a flash in the pan, on a weekend where he is showing the spark of prodigious talent that convinced Mercedes to put the 18-year-old straight into their team in his debut season. He beat team-mate George Russell by 0.114secs.

It also made amends to some degree for a disappointing sprint result, where he lost the lead at the start and then was hit by Verstappen’s car in the pits and finished seventh. (BBC)