Max Verstappen put Red Bull on pole position for the Miami Grand Prix on Saturday, pipping McLaren's Lando Norris by 0.065 seconds.
Four-time world champion Verstappen had started the weekend on the back foot, arriving late in Miami as his partner Kelly Piquet gave birth to the couple’s daughter.
Some had expected him to take fewer risks after welcoming his first child, but he quickly rubbished those theories, drawing on his experience as a two-time race winner in Miami to cruise to pole position. He overcame Red Bull’s performance disadvantage to McLaren with a blistering lap in the Miami sun.
"I was hoping becoming a dad would slow Max down but it clearly didn't," said Norris with a wry smile. "Max did a Max lap once again and I cannot fault him.”
Verstappen currently sits third in the drivers championship behind leader Oscar Piastri and his McLaren teammate Norris, who won the sprint race earlier in the day.
"It has been a great qualifying," said Verstappen. "We improved the car. And we were better with each run.”
With the gap to second place just 10 points, Verstappen could stand to climb the rankings with a win on Sunday. The Miami International Autodrome, a street circuit situated around Hard Rock Stadium, is notoriously difficult to overtake around, meaning Grand Prix results will likely come down to strategy, especially as rain is expected throughout.
No driver has won from pole at the Hard Rock Stadium since the race debuted in 2022, though Verstappen is not unused to breaking records.
Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli qualified third fastest, with McLaren's championship leader Oscar Piastri completing the second row in fourth.
Tumbling down the order was Lewis Hamilton, who failed to progress beyond the second qualifying session. He has spoken candidly this season about his struggles acclimatising to his new Ferrari car, saying this week that it could take months for him to fully adjust.
The 40-year-old has now been outqualified by team-mate Charles Leclerc at five of the six rounds after the Monegasque was able to haul his machine to Q3 despite crashing out on his way to the sprint race grid. He will line up four places ahead of Hamilton in eighth.
Additional reporting: PA
