F1 – Antonelli claims pole for Miami Grand Prix as Verstappen seals front-row spot ahead of Leclerc

Kimi Antonelli claimed pole position for the 2026 FIA Formula One Miami Grand Prix, the Mercedes driver beating a resurgent Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc at the end of a closely-contested Qualifying session at the Miami International Autodrome.

Antonelli, who had shown strong pace from the start of the session, delivered when it mattered in Q3 to secure top spot, while Verstappen produced an impressive final lap to put Red Bull on the front row. Leclerc completed the top three for Ferrari, with Lando Norris fourth for McLaren and George Russell fifth in the second Mercedes.

At the start of Q1 Sergio Pérez, Valtteri Bottas, Oliver Bearman, Arvid Lindblad and Lance Stroll were among the first drivers to leave the pit lane, with early laps in the 1m32s before Bearman lowered the benchmark to a 1m30.203s. Verstappen then moved the goalposts with a 1m29.099s, putting himself clear at the top of the order. Leclerc crossed the line in 1m29.436s, 0.337s slower than the Red Bull, while Norris slotted into second with a 1m29.183s, just 0.084s off Verstappen.

Antonelli soon underlined Mercedes’ pace, moving to within 0.059s of Verstappen’s early benchmark, before several drivers switched to fresh soft tyres. Liam Lawson used new rubber to jump to sixth, while Hulkenberg climbed to seventh, 0.546s away from Verstappen’s time. Alpine also showed flashes of pace, with Franco Colapinto going ninth and Pierre Gasly 12th.

Oscar Piastri endured a nervous Q1. The McLaren driver remained on used tyres and struggled to escape the lower reaches of the order, eventually progressing in 16th. When told by the team that he was “safely through”, Piastri replied: “Safely is an ambitious word in that situation, I think.” 

At the front, Antonelli fitted fresh soft tyres and went quickest with a 1m28.653s, four tenths clear of the field at that stage. Bortoleto eventually joined the session, but traffic and a brake fire prevented him from making meaningful progress. Lindblad and Bortoleto failed to improve enough to escape the drop zone, while neither Aston Martin made it through. Eliminated in Q1 were Lindblad in 17th, Fernando Alonso in 18th, Stroll in 19th, Bottas in 20th, Perez in 21st and Bortoleto in 22nd.

After a short delay to clear Bortoleto’s Audi from the run-off area, Q2 began with the Red Bulls first on track, followed by Hulkenberg. Verstappen’s first attempt was untidy, with the front end snapping through the opening sector, and he reported that the tyres had “no grip” after setting a 1m28.931s.

Ferrari then seized control of the session. Leclerc posted a 1m28.542s before Lewis Hamilton went quicker with a 1m28.477s. Norris, meanwhile, lost his first lap after running off at Turn 5, while Piastri managed a lap 0.425s slower than Hamilton.

Antonelli then improved to a 1m28.289s, despite losing time in the middle sector, while Russell could not improve and remained third at that moment. Verstappen found more pace late in the segment and went fastest with a 1m28.116s, 0.173s clear of Antonelli. Leclerc improved to a 1m28.315s to go third, while Piastri climbed to fourth. Norris, using used soft tyres, reached seventh.

Hulkenberg narrowly missed out in 11th, ending up 0.3s away from the top 10. Lawson, Bearman, Carlos Sainz, Esteban Ocon and Alex Albon were also eliminated, leaving both Alpines through to Q3 alongside Mercedes, Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren and Isack Hadjar.

Piastri was first to begin a flying lap in Q3 and opened with a 1m28.687s, but Norris immediately went quicker with a 1m28.183s. Verstappen then edged ahead of Norris by just 0.002s, before Leclerc claimed provisional pole with a 1m28.143s.

On the final runs, Russell was first to complete his lap but failed to improve after losing time in the final sector, remaining fifth. Antonelli was ragged into Turn 1 and abandoned his final attempt, leaving his earlier effort as the target. Piastri improved his lap time but not his position, staying seventh, while neither Ferrari driver could go faster.

Verstappen found time in the middle sector and looked set to challenge for pole, but the Red Bull driver fell short at the line. He still improved enough to secure second, but Antonelli remained fastest and claimed pole position.

Antonelli will therefore start the Miami Grand Prix from pole ahead of Verstappen, Leclerc and Norris. Russell lines up fifth ahead of Hamilton, with Piastri seventh, Colapinto eighth, Hadjar ninth and Gasly completing the top 10.

2026 FIA Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix – Qualifying 
1 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:27.798 – –
2 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Red Bull Ford 1:27.964 0.166 
3 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:28.143 0.345 
4 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 1:28.183 0.385 
5 George Russell Mercedes 1:28.197 0.399 
6 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1:28.319 0.521 
7 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 1:28.500 0.702 
8 Franco Colapinto Alpine/Mercedes 1:28.762 0.964 
9 Isack Hadjar Red Bull/Red Bull Ford 1:28.789 0.991 
10 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Mercedes 1:28.810 1.012 
11 Nico Hülkenberg Audi 1:29.439 1.641 
12 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford 1:29.499 1.701 
13 Oliver Bearman Haas/Ferrari 1:29.567 1.769 
14 Carlos Sainz Williams/Mercedes 1:29.568 1.770 
15 Esteban Ocon Haas/Ferrari 1:29.772 1.974 
16 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 1:29.946 2.148 
17 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford 1:30.133 2.335 
18 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Honda 1:31.098 3.300 
19 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Honda 1:31.164 3.366 
20 Valtteri Bottas Cadillac/Ferrari 1:31.629 3.831 
21 Sergio Pérez Cadillac/Ferrari 1:31.967 4.169 
22 Gabriel Bortoleto Audi 1:33.737 5.939