Kimi Antonelli Takes Third Consecutive Miami GP Pole Ahead of Max Verstappen

Kimi Antonelli secured pole position for the Miami Grand Prix after rebounding from a difficult sprint, delivering a first Q3 time of 1:27.798 to finish 0.166 seconds ahead of Max Verstappen in a resurgent Red Bull.

“Kiwi Formula 1 driver Liam Lawson will start 12th for tomorrow’s Miami Grand Prix after being eliminated in the second round of qualifying”

1News

Sky Sports said Antonelli “earlier finished only sixth in the Sprint after a track limits penalty,” while RaiNews described a “complicated weekend” and quoted Antonelli dedicating his pole to Alex Zanardi.

1News

RaiNews reported Antonelli “takes his third consecutive pole,” and Free Malaysia Today said it was “his third pole and his third in consecutive races.”

Adnkronos reported Antonelli’s qualifying lap as “girando in 1'27"798,” and The Guardian listed Q3 as “Kimi Antonelli (It) Mercedes GP 1:27.798secs” with Verstappen second at “1:27.964.”

Several reports also tied the pole to the weekend’s broader context, with OutLook India calling it “the third consecutive pole for the current Formula One championship leader.”

The Guardian’s live blog added that “Only he and Verstappen broke 1:28,” underscoring how close the rest of the grid was behind the front two.

The Miami weekend’s qualifying story was repeatedly anchored to the sprint race results and the way penalties and errors shaped the starting positions.

RaiNews said Lando Norris won the Miami Grand Prix Sprint Race, while also noting that Antonelli “also receives a five-second penalty for track limits and finishes sixth.”

Adnkronos

RSI Radiotelevisione svizzera described Antonelli as “Solo sesto nella gara sprint, anche a causa di una penalizzazione di 5” per track limits,” and Adnkronos listed the qualifying lap and top grid positions.

The Guardian connected the day’s rhythm to the sprint-to-qualifying swing, stating “The championship leader’s day had begun badly with his poor start in the sprint but that was a perfect response.”

Sky Sports said McLaren’s sprint dominance did not carry through to qualifying, with Norris and Piastri slipping to fourth and seventh.

Adnkronos printed the full starting grid from 1 through 22, including Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) on pole and Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) at 22.

After the qualifying session, Antonelli, Verstappen, and Leclerc each described the day in terms of recovery, control, and remaining gaps, while team and driver quotes also reflected the sprint-to-qualifying contrast.

Sky Sports quoted Antonelli saying, “It's been an amazing day to be on pole again. It was a difficult start with the Sprint when it didn't go our way but super happy with the recovery,” and it included his line about Q3 excitement.

Sky Sports also quoted Verstappen saying, “For sure the car has not been great in the previous races and from my side I never felt comfortable with the layout of the car,” and “To be on the front row is way better than I expected.”

Motorsport live text quoted Leclerc: “It was on the limit! We were just not fast enough today, we brought a significant package which helped us but here and there where we need to improve. It was a very tricky qualifying, the wind was changing also from run to run.”

Free Malaysia Today quoted Antonelli again, including “I was so stressed because I was waiting for everyone to finish their laps, but it was good enough.”

1News quoted Liam Lawson over team radio: “Honestly, that felt like pretty much everything,” and “I made a small mistake in the chicane.”

Qualifying and the lead-in to Sunday’s race were framed around forecast uncertainty and technical explanations for why lap times shifted, with multiple outlets pointing to wind and rain risk.

Sky Sports said officials were meeting later on Saturday evening to determine whether schedule tweaks were required, noting Sunday was “currently scheduled to start at 9pm BST,” and describing “wet and potentially thundery weather.”

Automoto.it

The New York Times live updates said “With heavy rain and storms currently forecast for race time,” there was “every likelihood the grand prix start could be moved forward,” and it reported organisers meeting “over the subject this past hour.”

The Guardian’s live blog wrote “It promises to be an unpredictable race,” and it said “Everyone expected Sunday’s rain to be an issue,” while also noting “no one was talking about Saturday’s wind.”

The Guardian captured the technical dispute, stating “Norris is talking about a loss of power at turn 16, McLaren are blaming wind,” and adding “Zak Brown says it was not wind, but a boost problem.”

Outlook India connected performance to upgrades after a five-week break, quoting Toto Wolff: “we are a little out of sync with our upgrades compared to other teams.”

With Antonelli on pole and Verstappen alongside, the reports framed Sunday’s Miami Grand Prix as a test of execution under potentially shifting conditions, while also highlighting how close the top of the grid was.

The Guardian said “less than 0.06sec covers the places three to five on the grid,” and it listed the Q3 top five times from 1:27.798 to 1:28.197.

BBC

The Guardian set the race start context, writing that the race “starts at 4pm local time and 9pm BST, unless the weather picture goes crazy and they pull it forward,” while Sky Sports said the schedule was under review due to rain and thunderstorms.

Total Motorsport described pole as giving Mercedes “the strongest possible starting position for Sunday’s race,” while warning Miami “could be far from straightforward.”

Sky Sports added that Antonelli follows “Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher” in claiming the first three GP poles of his career in successive events.

Motorsport live text quoted Antonelli aiming for “the magic [start]” and Verstappen saying, “Let's start with a good start, I've not had a lot of them this year!”