Miami Grand Prix Qualifying Results: McLaren Showed Who’s Boss By Kimi Antonelli
Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli delivered a stunning lap to claim pole position for the 2026 Miami Grand Prix, bouncing back from a track-limits penalty that hindered him in the earlier Sprint race. The championship leader outpaced Red Bull’s Max Verstappen by nearly three-tenths of a second to secure the top spot. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and McLaren’s Lando Norris locked out the second row, while George Russell and Lewis Hamilton will start side-by-side on the third row for Mercedes and Ferrari, respectively.
The session was fraught with mechanical drama, particularly for a McLaren team that had just celebrated a dominant 1-2 Sprint finish hours prior, as both Norris and Oscar Piastri battled boost and power unit issues. Meanwhile, the Audi team endured an absolute nightmare; after Gabriel Bortoleto was disqualified from the Sprint, his qualifying run ended abruptly with a dramatic brake fire, leaving him stranded on track and starting dead last in 22nd place. Miami Gardens Qualifying — Miami | 22 drivers Pos Driver Team Tyre Best Last Gap Int Status 1 Kimi ANTONELLI ANT #12 FL 1:27.
798 Mercedes S 1:27. 798 — LEADER — — 2 Max VERSTAPPEN VER #3 Red Bull Racing S 1:27. 964 — +0.
166 — — 3 Charles LECLERC LEC #16 Ferrari S 1:28. 143 — +0. 345 — — 4 Lando NORRIS NOR #1 McLaren S 1:28.
183 — +0. 385 — — 5 George RUSSELL RUS #63 Mercedes S 1:28. 197 — +0.