Max Verstappen took pole in a close qualifying session at the Miami Grand Prix on Saturday as Oscar Piastri finished outside the top three for the first time this season.
The Australian was fourth, with Lando Norris backing up his win in Saturday’s sprint with second, only 0.065s off Verstappen’s pace.
Teenager Kimi Antonelli sprung the surprise of the season so far by taking pole position for Saturday’s sprint race in Miami and continued his brilliant rookie campaign with third place in qualifying, 0.002s shy of Norris.
But it was a dismal afternoon for Lewis Hamilton, who dropped from third in the sprint to 11th in qualifying as he went out in Q2 for the first time at Ferrari. His teammate Charles Leclerc fared little better as both drivers struggled with their cars, with the Monegasque qualifying ninth.
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F1 MIAMI GRAND PRIX - LATEST UPDATES
- Max Verstappen takes pole at Miami Grand Prix as Lewis Hamilton exits in Q2
- Verstappen will chase race victory from 9pm BST
- Click HERE for the top-10 in Miami qualifying
- PREVIEW: The missing piece for F1 in the US despite three races and two teams
- Charles Leclerc hits wall in the wet and is unable to start
- Norris wins dramatic Miami sprint race ahead of teammate Piastri
- Verstappen on pole in qualifying as Piastri falters on final lap
'His ability to focus is insane' - Horner
Saturday 3 May 2025 23:21
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Flo Clifford
“He's walking a step higher and becoming a father, welcome a beautiful little girl into the world is a massive thing,” Horner continues.
“But we see time and time again, when he crosses that line into the garage and puts his helmet on, everything disappears. His ability to focus and deliver is insane. It's really truly impressive.”
'Those big pressure moments where Max delivers' - Christian Horner
Saturday 3 May 2025 23:14
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Flo Clifford
“Outstanding performance again in qualifying,” Red Bull team principal Christian Horner says. “Sector 1 has been where he's doing most of the damage today.
“Sectors 2 and 3 the McLarens had the upper hand and he was able to make that work in Q3.
“He had a wobble in Turn 1 and dropped maybe half a tenth but still went purple. He didn't overdrive Sector 2 and he kept finding more time.
“Like any great sportsperson, it's those big pressure moments where time and again he delivers, against expectation as McLaren look like they had us covered in Q2 and Max is a master of that.”
Max Verstappen on pole for Miami GP as Lewis Hamilton hit with shock Q2 exit
Saturday 3 May 2025 23:08
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Flo Clifford
Max Verstappen turned an unspectacular weekend into one to remember for Red Bull after a mighty qualifying lap put the four-time world champion on pole for Sunday’s Miami Grand Prix.
Verstappen topped the first session of qualifying but failed to break into the top three in the second. The third session proved Red Bull’s upgrade package was a fruitful one as a 0.065-second lead put the Dutch driver on top. He was trailed by Lando Norris’ McLaren while Mercedes rookie and sprint pole-sitter Kimi Antonelli rounded out the qualifying podium.
“I thought being a dad would slow Max down, but it didn’t,” Norris joked after the qualifying session. “Clearly it didn’t make me slower, being a dad,” Verstappen echoed. Verstappen missed media day on Thursday for the birth of his daughter Lily.
History repeats itself in Miami
Saturday 3 May 2025 23:00
,
Flo Clifford
Max Verstappen was on pole last year in Miami too, although he couldn’t hold onto it in the race as Lando Norris took his first F1 win here.
Nobody has won in Miami having been on pole: Charles Leclerc qualified top in 2022 but Verstappen won, as he did in 2023 after his teammate Sergio Perez took pole.
'The gaps are super tight' - Antonelli
Saturday 3 May 2025 22:54
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Flo Clifford
“This weekend is going well so far,” Kimi Antonelli says. “It was a bit disappointing this morning but it was good to bounce back this way.
“I struggled a little bit during the qualy, I didn’t have such a clean run like I had yesterday. But that last lap was quite good. I was a bit too greedy in Turn 1, but the rest of the lap was quite good, so I’m happy with it.
“The gaps are super tight, and definitely, if you can gain just a few hundredths, you can make up so many places. It’s really about putting everything together and so far this weekend, I’m doing that. Hopefully tomorrow we can have a good race.”
'I didn't deliver but pace was there' - Norris
Saturday 3 May 2025 22:48
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Flo Clifford
“It's all should've, could've, would've stuff,” Norris continues. “I didn't deliver but the pace was there. The car has been feeling good, better than I have done the last few weekends.
“I've still not put it together but it is what it is. I'm ready to see what we can do into Turn 1 tomorrow.
“I don't mind if it's dry or wet but Miami has been surprising with the weather so I'm ready for both.”
'Max did a Max lap' - Lando Norris
Saturday 3 May 2025 22:43
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Flo Clifford
Second-placed Lando Norris doesn’t seem too downbeat after that. “Congrats to Max, especially being a dad now. I was hoping it would slow him down!” he says.
“I'm happy with today, happy with the progress I've made with the car.
“Max did a Max lap once again and I can't fault him. I'm happy and excited for tomorrow.”
Race 'a whole different story' - Verstappen
Saturday 3 May 2025 22:37
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Flo Clifford
“Let’s see,” Verstappen says about Sundya’s race. “Race pace, I don’t know. We have to wait and see for the weather.
“It’s the best starting position, that’s always positive. And then in the race it’s a whole different story, but we’ll try to maximise everything we can.”
Max Verstappen takes pole
Saturday 3 May 2025 22:31
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Flo Clifford
“It’s been a great qualifying,” Verstappen says on Sky Sports. “We improved the car a tiny amount as well, which helped me to basically rotate it a bit better. 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 just very complicated with the tyres over a lap. But in the end it worked out well, so I’m very happy to be on pole.
“I mean you can back out of it, but it’s qualifying so you have to try and correct it, and just floor it out of the corner.”
Norris caught out at Turn 17
Saturday 3 May 2025 22:27
,
Flo Clifford
It was Turn 17 that possibly cost Norris pole, as he locked up on the way in and took too much kerb on the inside.
Incredibly tight margins at the top, with the McLaren driver only 0.065s off Verstappen and Antonelli also within a tenth.
Rest of grid
Saturday 3 May 2025 22:23
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Flo Clifford
11) Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls)
12) Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
13) Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber)
14) Jack Doohan (Alpine)
15) Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
16. Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber)
17. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
18. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
19. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
20. Ollie Bearman (Haas)
Top 10 in qualifying for Miami GP
Saturday 3 May 2025 22:21
,
Flo Clifford
1) Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2) Lando Norris (McLaren)
3) Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
4) Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
5) George Russell (Mercedes)
6) Carlos Sainz (Williams)
7) Alex Albon (Williams)
8) Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
9) Esteban Ocon (Haas)
10) Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull)
Verstappen takes pole in Miami
Saturday 3 May 2025 22:18
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Flo Clifford
Neither of the McLarens can trouble Verstappen, who goes 0.065 quicker than Norris.
Antonelli goes third-fastest, another couple of thousandths back, and he goes ahead of Piastri in fourth! The teenager is flying.
Norris took way too much kerb, the replays show, and says “sorry I was terrible” over the radio.
Verstappen still on pole
Saturday 3 May 2025 22:16
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Flo Clifford
Verstappen has put nearly three-tenths into Norris as the McLarens have distinctly ordinary first sectors...
Red Bulls out early
Saturday 3 May 2025 22:14
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Flo Clifford
Verstappen has joined Tsunoda in heading out early. The Dutchman gets into a spot of bother in the first corner and has time to make up - but still does a 28.2 first sector.
Back out in final stages of Q3
Saturday 3 May 2025 22:12
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Flo Clifford
Into the final four minutes of Q3. Tsunoda is the first back out of the garage.
Leclerc has yet to set a time, after he went too far the track at Turn 17 and had his lap time deleted as a result.
Tiny margins
Saturday 3 May 2025 22:10
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Flo Clifford
Incredibly tight at the top.
Antonelli is having a solid afternoon, into fourth, two-tenths off Verstappen - but only 0.017 separates the top three, with more of a gap to the rest.
His teammate Russell is in sixth at the moment.
Verstappen sets the fastest time on first lap
Saturday 3 May 2025 22:08
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Flo Clifford
Verstappen improves again on Q2, setting a provisional pole time in 1:26.49.
Norris goes three milliseconds slower, Piastri 17 milliseconds off the Dutchman.
Leclerc has locked up and abandoned his lap.
Green flag: Q3
Saturday 3 May 2025 22:06
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Flo Clifford
Underway in the final part of qualifying.
Verstappen, Leclerc, Piastri and Norris are all out on the track.
Ocon in first Q3 for Haas
Saturday 3 May 2025 22:04
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Flo Clifford
Disappointment for Ferrari, with Charles Leclerc saying over the radio that that was as fast as he could physically go in Q2.
Ocon, meanwhile, is into Q3 for the first time as a Haas driver.
Out in Q2
Saturday 3 May 2025 21:58
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Flo Clifford
11) Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls)
12) Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
13) Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber)
14) Jack Doohan (Alpine)
15) Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
Hamilton out in Q2!
Saturday 3 May 2025 21:56
,
Flo Clifford
George Russell has gone third-fastest, slotting in a couple of hundredths ahead of teammate Antonelli.
Hamilton is down in 12th and is out in Q2!
Hamilton in danger
Saturday 3 May 2025 21:55
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Flo Clifford
Piastri hasn’t come out of the pits, confident with that lightning-fast 1:26.269 time.
Norris and Verstappen are the only two to not switch to softs; they sit second and fourth respectively.
Hamilton’s in trouble again, down to 11th as Ocon and Hadjar go quicker...
Russell, Lawson in danger
Saturday 3 May 2025 21:52
,
Flo Clifford
Four minutes to go as the cars emerge from the garage.
Russell, Ocon, Doohan, Lawson, and Hadjar are all in the danger zone.
'No confidence in the car' - Russell
Saturday 3 May 2025 21:49
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Flo Clifford
“Just no grip, don’t know what’s going on,” a disconsolate George Russell says over the radio.
“Just no confidence in the car, mate. No grip, sliding everywhere,” he adds.
McLarens go one-two
Saturday 3 May 2025 21:47
,
Flo Clifford
The McLarens knock Verstappen down a notch. Two-tenths between Piastri and Norris at this stage, the Australian 0.37 ahead of Verstappen in third.
Antonelli slips into third, a couple of hundredths ahead of Verstappen, but Russell is down in 11th and in the danger zone.
Leclerc picks up the pace
Saturday 3 May 2025 21:45
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Flo Clifford
Verstappen goes 1:26.6, already a little faster than in Q1, and stays top of the pile.
Leclerc is third-fastest, three-tenths down - he’s picked up the pace; as has Hamilton, fourth-fastest early on.
Sainz has gone second-fastest with a great middle sector.
'Worrying Q1 for Ferrari'
Saturday 3 May 2025 21:42
,
Flo Clifford
Sky Sport’s Martin Brundle says, “It was a worrying session for Ferrari generally because Lewis Hamilton had to use an extra set of tyres.
“And then Leclerc was also struggling for general pace.”
Can they improve?
Q2 underway
Saturday 3 May 2025 21:42
,
Flo Clifford
Green flag and we’re back underway. Verstappen, Sainz, Hamilton and others already on the track.
Q1 top three
Saturday 3 May 2025 21:41
,
Flo Clifford
1) Max Verstappen
2) Lando Norris
3) Oscar Piastri
Gasly, Alonso, Bearman out in Q1
Saturday 3 May 2025 21:36
,
Flo Clifford
Here are the early casualties from Q1:
16) Nico Hulkenberg, Haas
17) Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin
18) Pierre Gasly, Alpine
19) Lance Stroll, Aston Martin
20) Oliver Bearman, Haas
Hamilton eighth-fastest
Saturday 3 May 2025 21:36
,
Flo Clifford
Hamilton is eighth, Tsunoda ninth.
Lando Norris says he’s hit the wall, just glancing against it, but the car looks okay and he’s qualified second-fastest. Verstappen is top after Q1.
Russell up to third
Saturday 3 May 2025 21:34
,
Flo Clifford
But he’s picked himself up in that last lap: George Russell goes third-fastest, 0.06 seconds ahead of Antonelli.
Leclerc improves to ninth from 11th but Hamilton is in trouble...
Russell lagging behind Mercedes teammate
Saturday 3 May 2025 21:32
,
Flo Clifford
George Russell was on race radio during the sprint saying he had more pace than teammate Antonelli, but it’s not looking that way in qualifying so far.
He’s currently in ninth, half a second down on Verstappen’s pole time.
Ocon, Alonso, Gasly, Stroll and Bearman are all in danger with a minute and a half left in Q1.
Hamilton in danger
Saturday 3 May 2025 21:29
,
Flo Clifford
Lewis Hamilton is down in 15th after his latest lap, after locking up on the hairpin in Turn 17 - that could be very costly.
Antonelli flying
Saturday 3 May 2025 21:28
,
Flo Clifford
Kimi Antonelli is going just as well as in sprint qualifying as he sets the fastest time in Q1 so far, 1:27.077, two-hundredths of a second ahead of Carlos Sainz.
Albon to be investigated
Saturday 3 May 2025 21:27
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Flo Clifford
Alex Albon is going to be sick of the sight of the race stewards after today. He’s due to be investigated for that pit lane infringement, which looked to be jumping ahead of Isack Hadjar in the queue.
Pit stop
Saturday 3 May 2025 21:25
,
Flo Clifford
Plenty of drivers pitting for soft tyres for the remainder of Q1.
Piastri on top
Saturday 3 May 2025 21:23
,
Flo Clifford
Oscar Piastri is quickest so far with nearly ten minutes gone in Q1.
Max Verstappen is a little over two-tenths of a second slower, Lando Norris another tenth of a second back.
Alex Albon noted for pit lane infringement
Saturday 3 May 2025 21:20
,
Flo Clifford
Not long after being demoted in the sprint race, Albon may find himself in a spot of bother with the stewards again. He’s been noted for a pit lane infringement.
Qualifying begins
Saturday 3 May 2025 21:18
,
Flo Clifford
We’re underway!
Charles Leclerc’s and Carlos Sainz’s cars are all fixed up and ready to go.
Miami GP Qualifying
Saturday 3 May 2025 21:13
,
Flo Clifford
Onto qualifying after all that drama!
The conditions are much better now, it looks positively sweltering out in Miami. 28 degrees, 60% humidity, and no sign of rain after that downpour earlier.
Adjusted sprint race points
Saturday 3 May 2025 21:10
,
Flo Clifford
With all those changes taken into account, here’s how the sprint race standings look:
1. Lando Norris (McLaren) - 8pts
2. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) - 7
3. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) - 6
4. George Russell (Mercedes) - 5
5. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) - 4
6. Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull) - 3
7. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) - 2
8. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) - 1
Lawson given five-second penalty
Saturday 3 May 2025 21:08
,
Flo Clifford
And another one... Liam Lawson drops down the rankings from sixth as he’s judged to have caused the collision that send Fernando Alonso’s car slamming into the wall.
That means Pierre Gasly moves into the final points place.
Albon hit with five-second time penalty
Saturday 3 May 2025 21:05
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Flo Clifford
Alex Albon has also been demoted!
The Williams driver was fourth in the sprint but has been shunted down to 12th for going too fast when the safety car was introduced.
His five-second penalty means that everyone else shuffles up one, Kimi Antonelli, 11th on the road, is now up to eighth and the rookie gets a point on the board after his first start from pole.
F1 constructor standings
Saturday 3 May 2025 20:45
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Flo Clifford
1. McLaren - 203 points
2. Mercedes - 115 points
3. Red Bull - 90 points
4. Ferrari - 84 points
5. Williams - 30 points
6. Haas - 20 points
7. Aston Martin - 13 points
8. Racing Bulls - 10 points
9. Alpine - 6 points
10. Sauber - 6 points
F1 driver standings
Saturday 3 May 2025 20:40
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Flo Clifford
4. George Russell – 77 points
5. Charles Leclerc – 47 points
6. Kimi Antonelli – 38 points
7. Lewis Hamilton – 37 points
8. Alex Albon – 25 points
9. Esteban Ocon – 14 points
10. Lance Stroll – 13 points
11. Ollie Bearman – 6 points
12. Nico Hulkenberg – 6 points
13. Pierre Gasly – 6 points
14. Yuki Tsunoda – 6 points
15. Carlos Sainz – 5 points
17. Liam Lawson – 2 points
18. Fernando Alonso – 0 points
19. Jack Doohan – 0 points
20. Gabriel Bortoleto – 0 points
Bearman down to 15th
Saturday 3 May 2025 20:36
,
Flo Clifford
So that five-second penalty for Oliver Bearman sees him drop down to 15th from eighth.
Yuki Tsunoda of Red Bull moves up into eighth to pick up one point.
Lando Norris ‘not worried at all’ about stalling Formula One title challenge
Saturday 3 May 2025 20:30
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Flo Clifford
When asked before Miami if he fears the championship momentum is moving in Piastri’s direction, Norris replied: “No, I am not worried at all.
“He (Piastri) is doing a good job and he deserves it.
“I don’t believe so much in momentum. Clearly I have made some mistakes, and not been at the level I need to be at. But I believe I can get there soon enough.”
His sprint victory - albeit helped by the safety car - should go some way to boost his confidence.
Bearman hit with five second time penalty
Saturday 3 May 2025 20:18
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Olivia Hicks
The FIA demoted Oliver Bearman with a five second time penalty for an unsafe release post-sprint race.
Bearman’s Haas peeled into the pit lane in the path of Niko Hulkenberg’s Sauber during Saturday’s sprint race.
The rookie driver will lose his eighth-place finish and the one point that came with it.
Bad day at the office for Max Verstappen
Saturday 3 May 2025 19:52
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Flo Clifford
Today’s sprint was the first time Max Verstappen has finished a race in any format outside of the points since 2016.
He finished fourth on the road, but was demoted all the way down to 17th and last courtesy of a 10-second penalty for an unsafe release from the pit, when he clipped Kimi Antonelli.
'Bit left on the table' - Piastri
Saturday 3 May 2025 19:46
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Flo Clifford
Oscar Piastri was asked post-race if he was happy with the car’s performance, after both McLarens again demonstrated their superiority.
“Yes, I think there was a bit left on the table yesterday in sprint qualifying,” the Aussie said.
“The car's been performing well. Even in the wet conditions today, it seemed fast.”
Confidence high for Hamilton
Saturday 3 May 2025 19:39
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Flo Clifford
“Every moment counts and I think it's been not so great since China,” Lewis Hamilton says after the race.
“I do believe that we can get some better results."
Norris makes up some ground on Piastri
Saturday 3 May 2025 18:08
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Flo Clifford
“Lovely job, well done, boys” Norris says on race radio. The Brit was served well by that safety car and has shaved one point off his deficit to teammate Piastri.