Qualifying report
Formula 1 Miami GP
F1 Miami GP: Verstappen fends off Leclerc for pole again
Max Verstappen beat Charles Leclerc to take pole position for Formula 1’s 2024 Miami Grand Prix, with both drivers failing to set their best times on their final qualifying laps.
Alex Kalinauckas
Edited: May 4, 2024, 9:45 PM
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Verstappen posted a 1m27.241s to lead Leclerc by 0.141 seconds on the first runs in Q3, where they were trailed by Carlos Sainz in the other Ferrari.
On the final runs, although Verstappen set the session’s fastest time in the first sector, the leading trio could not better their previous best times – Leclerc in particular having a wild time on this final flier.
Sergio Perez did find time on his final Q3 go to jump to fourth, while Lando Norris took fifth having run mediums on his first Q3 effort.
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This pair improving shuffled Oscar Piastri down to sixth on the second Q3 runs, while Mercedes pair George Russell and Lewis Hamilton took seventh and eighth.
Both Mercedes drivers had to run mediums for the last Q3 laps after running out of new softs, but only Hamilton went quicker with the yellow-walled rubber.
Behind, Nico Hulkenberg was ninth and Yuki Tsunoda took 10th, with the other notable incident in Q3 being Sainz getting cleared of impeding Hulkenberg at Turn 17 late on.
In Q2, Russell’s last-gasp improvement knocked out Lance Stroll, who was joined by Alpine pair Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon – both French drivers failing to set personal best times on their final runs in the middle segment.
Behind, Alex Albon’s late personal best pushed Fernando Alonso down to 15th in the other Aston Martin.
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin AMR24
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
In Q1, Alonso squeaked in through 0.01s ahead of Valtteri Bottas in 15th and 16th, with home hero Logan Sargeant eliminated in 17th behind Bottas.
Sprint qualifying and race star Daniel Ricciardo was also knocked out in 18th, complaining of lacking rear grip, with Kevin Magnussen and Zhou Guanyu 19th and 20th.
Magnussen lost time with traffic at the final corner on his last Q1 lap, while Zhou faces a post-session stewards’ investigation for pushing in front of Ricciardo when before the pitlane opened for the first segment and for crossing the pit exit line late in Q1.
Several drivers will be investigated for going too slowly on outlaps, but will be expected to avoid grid penalties as is now typical for such incidents, while Ricciardo’s post-Chinese GP penalty for overtaking under the safety car means he will start Sunday’s race from last place.
Miami Grand Prix - Starting grid
Main Information Additional Data Driver Info
1
-
3
Main Information Additional Data
1
-
2
Cla Driver # Chassis Engine Time km/h 1 M. Verstappen Red Bull Racing 1
Red Bull Red Bull
1'27.241
223.326 2 C. Leclerc Ferrari 16
Ferrari Ferrari
+0.141
1'27.382
222.965 3 C. Sainz Ferrari 55
Ferrari Ferrari
+0.214
1'27.455
222.779 4 S. Perez Red Bull Racing 11
Red Bull Red Bull
+0.219
1'27.460
222.766 5 L. Norris McLaren 4
McLaren Mercedes
+0.353
1'27.594
222.426 6 O. Piastri McLaren 81
McLaren Mercedes
+0.434
1'27.675
222.220 7 G. Russell Mercedes 63
Mercedes Mercedes
+0.826
1'28.067
221.231 8 L. Hamilton Mercedes 44
Mercedes Mercedes
+0.866
1'28.107
221.131 9 N. Hulkenberg Haas F1 Team 27
Haas Ferrari
+0.905
1'28.146
221.033 10 Y. Tsunoda RB 22
RB Red Bull
+0.951
1'28.192
220.917 11 L. Stroll Aston Martin Racing 18
Aston Martin Mercedes
+0.981
1'28.222
220.842 12 P. Gasly Alpine 10
Alpine Renault
+1.083
1'28.324
220.587 13 E. Ocon Alpine 31
Alpine Renault
+1.130
1'28.371
220.470 14 A. Albon Williams 23
Williams Mercedes
+1.172
1'28.413
220.365 15 F. Alonso Aston Martin Racing 14
Aston Martin Mercedes
+1.186
1'28.427
220.330 16 V. Bottas Sauber 77
Sauber Ferrari
+1.222
1'28.463
220.241 17 L. Sargeant Williams 2
Williams Mercedes
+1.246
1'28.487
220.181 18 D. Ricciardo RB 3
RB Red Bull
+1.376
1'28.617
219.858 19 K. Magnussen Haas F1 Team 20
Haas Ferrari
+1.378
1'28.619
219.853 20 Z. Guanyu Sauber 24
Sauber Ferrari
+1.583
1'28.824
219.346 View full results
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