Max Verstappen Secures Pole in Miami

After a less than optimal sprint race Max Verstappen returned to the front of the field for qualifying for the Miami Grand Prix. Verstappen was handed a 10 second time penalty during the sprint race for an unsafe release after making contact with another driver in the pit lane. However, Verstappen didn’t let the missed opportunity for points in the sprint prevent him from focusing on the big points haul race tomorrow. Verstappen said, “It’s been a great Qualifying. I think we improved the car a tiny amount which helped me to rotate it a bit better and honestly, Q1, Q2, Q3, just improving every run really, trying to find a bit more the limit.

I had a tiny moment on my final lap into Turn 1 so I lost a bit of time there, but around here it’s very complicated with the tires over a lap. But in the end it worked out well, so I’m very happy of course to be on pole.”

On top of pole position for the Miami Grand Prix Max welcomed a new family member with the birth of his daughter this weekend. Verstappen and his partner Kelly Pique named their daughter Lily Verstappen and shared details on her arrival in an instagram post.

Behind the Lead

Lando Norris finished P2 ahead of Kimi Antonelli who has shown that he can consistently perform with the top of the field. It is not completely out of the question to believe he may come into championship contention if he can continue his recent run of good pace on track. The young rookie said, “I’ve felt confident with the car throughout this weekend, and it was good to convert that into another strong qualifying result. I struggled a little bit in Q1 and Q2, not having as clean a run as I had in Sprint Qualifying yesterday. My last lap in Q3 was my best effort today though. I was a little greedy in turn one, but the rest of the lap was quick. The gaps at the front are incredibly tight and even a few hundredths can make a difference. I am happy with how my lap was though and P3 is a good place to be starting from for tomorrow’s Grand Prix.
 
The Sprint race was a little disappointing this morning. I lost several places at turn one and then was unfortunate with the contact with Verstappen in the pit lane. We had the opportunity and the pace to have a stronger result, but it was good to bounce back later in the day. We will be aiming to have a cleaner race tomorrow and see what we can do.

Qualifying Results