Antonelli takes Miami pole from Verstappen

Antonelli takes Miami pole from VerstappenImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Kimi Antonelli, 19, is the youngest driver to lead the F1 world championshipByAndrew BensonF1 Correspondent in MiamiPublished2 May 2026, 22:13 BST59 CommentsUpdated 14 minutes agoMercedes driver Kimi Antonelli bounced back from a difficult sprint race to take pole position for the Miami Grand Prix.It was the Italian's third pole in four grands prix this season and his team-mate and title rival George Russell was down in fifth place, 0.399 seconds adrift.Max Verstappen took second, 0.166secs from Antonelli, after a remarkable turnaround in form for his Red Bull team following upgrades to their car.McLaren's Lando Norris, who dominated the sprint earlier on Saturday, was fourth, behind Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, whose team-mate Lewis Hamilton was sixth, ahead of McLaren's Oscar Piastri.The race is due to take place at 21:00 BST on Sunday but heavy rain and thunderstorms are forecast during the day. F1 officials are meeting later on Saturday to assess the latest forecast and discuss whether to change the schedule.Norris takes dominant win in Miami sprint racePublished2 hours agoHow to follow Miami Grand Prix on the BBCPublished23 hours agoAntonelli secured his pole with his first run in final qualifying, and a mistake on his final run meant he faced an anxious wait to see if anyone could improve his time.But only Verstappen, who was third fastest on the first runs, managed to go faster on a second attempt in the 33C Miami heat.The 19-year-old, who was demoted from fourth to sixth in the sprint by a five-second penalty for exceeding track limits, said: "It has been an amazing day to be on pole again."It was a difficult start to the day with the sprint but super-happy with the recovery. I got a little bit excited on the final lap of Q3 but the first lap was good enough. I was very stressed just waiting for everyone to finish their laps."Red Bull, like McL...