Kimi Antonelli Takes Pole for Miami GP; Start Time Shifted Due to Storm Threat
Al Jazeera
Italian teenager Kimi Antonelli, 19, claimed his third consecutive Formula 1 pole position at the Miami Grand Prix, while organizers moved the race start three hours earlier amid forecasts of severe thunderstorms.
Kimi Antonelli, the 19-year-old Italian driver leading the Formula 1 championship standings, secured pole position at the Miami Grand Prix as race organizers decided to move the start time three hours earlier than originally scheduled due to the risk of severe thunderstorms.
Antonelli, the youngest driver in F1 history to lead the world championship, outpaced four-time champion Max Verstappen in a tense qualifying session on Saturday. The Mercedes star set the fastest time of 1 minute 27.798 seconds, ahead of Red Bull's Verstappen, while Ferrari's Charles Leclerc finished third.
World champion Lando Norris, who earlier won the sprint race, will start fourth for McLaren. Antonelli's hat-trick of pole positions matches the feats of legends Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher in F1 history.
Antonelli's teammate George Russell qualified fifth, while seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton was sixth for Ferrari. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) took seventh, Franco Colapinto (Alpine) eighth, Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) ninth, and Pierre Gasly (Alpine) tenth.
"It was an amazing day to have pole again. The sprint race earlier was tough for me, but I am extremely happy with this recovery. I got a bit too excited on my final Q3 lap, but my first lap was good enough. I was very nervous waiting for everyone to finish, but luckily it was enough, and hopefully I can have a magical start tomorrow," Antonelli said after qualifying.
The Miami Grand Prix will now start at 13:00 local time (17:00 GMT) instead of 16:00 (20:00 GMT). The decision was made by the FIA, together with the commercial rights holders and local organizers, "due to the weather forecast predicting severe thunderstorms in the late afternoon, close to the original start time." They said the move aims "to ensure minimal disruption to the race and maximize the chances of completing the Grand Prix in the best conditions, prioritizing the safety of drivers, fans, teams, and staff."
The change comes as F1 returns from a five-week break caused by the US-Israel conflict with Iran, which some teams used to upgrade their cars. Verstappen, who nearly took pole, said: "Starting at the front is better than I expected. Hopefully we have a good start, as I haven't had many this year. The team has worked relentlessly in the past few weeks to make me more comfortable in the car."
Qualifying took place in extreme heat and swirling winds. Verstappen complained his tires "had no grip" as Ferrari pulled ahead, with Hamilton posting a 1:28.477 before Antonelli overtook him. Antonelli improved further, then Verstappen dominated Q2. In Q3, Piastri and Norris led before Verstappen and Leclerc moved forward, only for Antonelli to snatch provisional pole with a stunning 1:27.798 on his first run. The top five drivers were split by hundredths of a second, with Hamilton 0.578 seconds off the Italian's pace.
