Kimi Antonelli secured pole position for the 2026 Miami GP in a qualifying session marked by fluctuations among the top teams and a significant drama involving Audi and Brazilian Gabriel Bortoleto. Max Verstappen, from Red Bull, starts second and Charles Leclerc, from Ferrari, third.
Read more NASCAR Brazil: Gabriel Casagrande wins Sunset Race dominantly in Cascavel
After arriving as the favorite following pole and victory in the Sprint, Lando Norris saw the scenario change completely throughout the session. The qualifying began with a busy Q1, in which Max Verstappen took the lead in the first attempts, putting a significant gap over the others, while Antonelli and Charles Leclerc appeared right behind.
The biggest negative highlight of the first phase was Bortoleto. The Brazilian was not even able to fully participate in the session, as his car had problems from the start. After a late attempt to go out on track, he recorded the worst time, complaining of lack of power, and was eliminated still in Q1. The situation worsened when his car showed signs of a fire in the right rear brake, preventing a return to the pits and causing a yellow flag. The episode forced the race direction to delay the start of Q2 while the car was removed, highlighting another difficult weekend for Audi.
Besides Bortoleto, Sergio Pérez, Valtteri Bottas, Lance Stroll, Fernando Alonso, and Arvid Lindblad were also eliminated in Q1.
In Q2, the balance increased. Verstappen appeared strong again, taking the lead at the end of the session, closely followed by Antonelli and Leclerc. Norris, on the other hand, struggled and flirted with elimination, needing a final lap to advance only in seventh position. The session also highlighted Alpine’s good momentary performance, placing both its cars in the top ten after the first attempts.
Eliminated in Q2 were Alexander Albon, Esteban Ocon, Carlos Sainz, Oliver Bearman, Liam Lawson, and Nico Hülkenberg, who narrowly missed advancing to Q3.
Q3 started with high expectations, especially after Antonelli’s strong pace. On the first attempt, the Italian set an impressive lap, opening almost four tenths advantage over Leclerc and putting pressure on all rivals.
Read more NASCAR Brazil: Tito Giaffone takes podium at the Sunset Race in Cascavel
On the final attempt, the drivers returned to the track with new soft tires to define the grid. Verstappen managed to improve and jumped to second position, just 0.166s behind pole, while Leclerc could not improve his time and remained behind. Norris also found no gain on the decisive lap, repeating the irregular performance seen in Q2.
Thus, Antonelli confirmed pole position, reinforcing Mercedes’ good moment in flying laps. Verstappen secured a place on the front row, while Leclerc and Norris form the second row. Just behind, George Russell and Lewis Hamilton complete the third row, followed by Oscar Piastri, Franco Colapinto, Isack Hadjar, and Pierre Gasly closing the top 10.
The qualifying left an interesting scenario for the race, especially considering that both Antonelli and Verstappen have faced difficulties at starts under this new regulation, which may open space for battles right in the first corners.
For Audi, Saturday ends with a strong warning signal. After problems already seen in the Sprint, the team suffered again with reliability and could not even put Bortoleto in conditions to compete in qualifying, completely compromising their weekend in Miami.
Formula 1 returns this Sunday with the start of the Miami GP at 2 pm, Brasília time.
Check the starting grid for the Miami F1 GP:
1) Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), 1’27.798
2) Max Verstappen (Red Bull/Red Bull Ford), 1’27.964
3) Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), 1’28.143
4) Lando Norris (McLaren/Mercedes), 1’28.183
5) George Russell (Mercedes), 1’28.197
6) Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari), 1’28.319
7) Oscar Piastri (McLaren/Mercedes), 1’28.500
8) Franco Colapinto (Alpine/Mercedes), 1’28.762
9) Isack Hadjar (Red Bull/Red Bull Ford), 1’28.789
10) Pierre Gasly (Alpine/Mercedes), 1’28.810
11) Nico Hülkenberg (Audi), 1’29.439
12) Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford), 1’29.499
13) Oliver Bearman (Haas/Ferrari), 1’29.567
14) Carlos Sainz (Williams/Mercedes), 1’29.568
15) Esteban Ocon (Haas/Ferrari), 1’29.772
16) Alexander Albon (Williams/Mercedes), 1’29.946
17) Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford), 1’30.133
18) Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin/Honda), 1’31.098
19) Lance Stroll (Aston Martin/Honda), 1’31.164
20) Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac/Ferrari), 1’31.629
21) Sergio Pérez (Cadillac/Ferrari), 1’31.967
22) Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi), 1’33.737
Read more F1: Norris explains drop in performance in qualifying in Miami
