Miami GP: Max Verstappen takes pole position for the sprint race – F1journaal.be

Max Verstappen has captured pole position for the sprint race in Miami during an exciting battle. Verstappen was not entirely satisfied with his lap, but he was about a tenth faster than Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari. Teammate Sergio Perez completed the top three.

After just one practice session as preparation, the riders had to get straight to work on Friday because there was qualifying for the sprint race. Charles Leclerc was the first to take to the track as the Monegasque could use every minute after spinning during practice at the start of the session and having to get off.

During the first part of the sprint qualifying we didn’t have any big surprises, but we almost had a big crash. Valtteri Bottas moved aside too late for the oncoming Oscar Piasti. It was only a matter of millimeters or it would have ended differently.

In SQ2 we did get a surprise as both Mercedes drivers were eliminated. George Russell could not get further than the eleventh fastest time, while Lewis Hamilton had to be satisfied with the twelfth fastest time.

Lando Norris drove the fastest time in SQ2 and the Briton confirmed that McLaren has taken another step forward thanks to its upgrades to the car. It seemed to be the harbinger of an exciting battle for pole position during the sprint race.

In SQ3 we saw everyone waiting in the garage for a long time and all the riders only made one attempt at the end of SQ3. McLaren seemed to go into SQ3 as favorite but disappointed with a sixth fastest time for Oscar Piastri and a ninth fastest time for Lando Norris.

Ultimately, Max Verstappen put things in order and captured the ‘pole position’ for the sprint race, despite a mistake in his fast lap. Charles Leclerc was stranded in the Ferrari, a tenth behind Verstappen, while Sergio Perez completed the top three.