F1
Antonelli revels in 'mighty' last lap that sealed Miami sprint pole
Kimi Antonelli described his final lap that secured pole position for the Miami Grand Prix sprint race as "mighty", as the teenage rookie topped the timesheets on Friday.
Antonelli held off challenges from McLaren's Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris to become the youngest-ever pole-sitter for either of Formula One's qualifying formats.
He pipped championship leader Piastri by 0.045 seconds to clinch his first pole in the competition, with Norris starting in third and Max Verstappen one place further back.
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Antonelli's team-mate George Russell was fifth fastest, 0.309secs behind the 18-year-old, while Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were sixth and seventh respectively.
Williams' Alex Albon, Racing Bulls' Isack Hadjar and Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso completed the top 10, while Verstappen's team-mate Yuki Tsunoda will start in 18th.
Antonelli's stunning performance saw him beat Russell for the first time in qualifying, but he acknowledged it will be an unusual feeling starting on the front row.
"It was a very intense qualifying. I felt very good since practice and felt confident going into qualifying," Antonelli said.
"The last lap was mighty. I basically put everything together, and it was nice that it came up very nicely. I'm really happy to get the first pole.
"Tomorrow will be nice to start on the front row. It will be a bit of a different feeling, but I can't wait for tomorrow to see what we can do in the sprint and in qualifying.
"I did not see that coming. I felt the lap was good and I was happy with it.
"There were still a few bits I could have done better but I was super happy with how I put all the sectors together.
"I will enjoy this moment but focus on tomorrow because it would be good to repeat that result. McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull have strong race pace, but we are pretty close."
Kimi Antonelli. The youngest ever pole sitter of any format! #F1 #F1Sprint #MiamiGP pic.twitter.com/tImg5ucrOC— Formula 1 (@F1) May 2, 2025
McLaren's Norris was pleased with his efforts in sprint qualifying, while suggesting it would be difficult for him and Piastri to pass Antonelli in the race.
The Briton returned to the Miami International Autodrome for the first time since claiming his maiden race victory at the circuit last year.
He finds himself second in the drivers' standings, 10 points behind Piastri, but he is confident the pair can earn some points ahead of qualifying for Sunday's race.
"It was a close qualifying, but it felt good. Happy just to get a good lap in there. It was close, so there's not much more I could ask for," Norris said.
"I'm concentrating on this weekend and today's performance, which was, I think, in a good ballpark.
"Obviously, not good enough, but it shows how close it is, shows how quick the Mercedes are.
"Both of us are behind, so a bit of a job to for the sprint race tomorrow, but close enough that we can still try to aim for a pole."
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) May 2, 2025
Earlier in the day, Piastri had set the pace in practice before a crash by Haas' Oliver Bearman ended the session early.
Piastri was 0.356 seconds quicker than Leclerc in second place with Verstappen third, with Bearman's crash preventing Norris from completing a lap on the soft tyres.
TOP 10 - Sprint qualifying
1. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
2. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
3. Lando Norris (McLaren)
4. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
5. George Russell (Mercedes)
6. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
7. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
8. Alex Albon (Williams)
9. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls)
10. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
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