It’s not Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, or Kimi Antonelli who will be in the first starting slot at the Miami Grand Prix tonight. Instead, it’s our compatriot Max Verstappen‘s RB21 with starting number 1 that takes pride of place. The new father will start from pole position, his third of this season, and once again appears to be the man to beat. How long can he keep the McLaren cars at bay?
Lining up alongside the reigning world champion is Norris in the speedy McLaren. The Brit naturally wants nothing more than to outpace his friend and rival right from the start, potentially securing a victory in Miami this weekend. Behind them, in a line-up identical to the first starting row of the sprint race in Miami, are Antonelli and Piastri side by side. You can bet that the young Italian will do everything in his power not to be outdone by the world championship leader, as he was yesterday.
Next, there’s an interesting mix of drivers including George Russell, both Williams drivers, Charles Leclerc, and Esteban Ocon. Russell and Leclerc had hoped for more during the qualification, while the other drivers were celebrating afterwards. The fact that Carlos Sainz (P6) and Alex Albon (P7) are ahead of both Ferraris on the grid is quite an achievement, and a double points finish is, of course, the main goal for the Williams team today.
Minor in Miami
Yuki Tsunoda, the Japanese Red Bull driver, rounds out the top 10. It’s certainly a blow that he was beaten in the qualifiers by a Haas. Equally disappointing is Lewis Hamilton‘s twelfth place. The seven-time world champion will have to fight his way up from the midfield in a car that isn’t performing as he’d like. Fernando Alonso (P17) will also be unhappy with his starting position. It would take a miracle for the two-time champion to leave Miami with a smile. Starting at the very back is Oliver Bearman, who can’t afford any mistakes if he wants to make something of this race.
With fast drivers at the front, big names in the midfield, and a few surprises scattered across the grid, we can look forward to an exciting opening phase on the street circuit in Florida. The Miami Grand Prix starts at 20:00 UTC.
