What the teams said – Sprint Qualifying in Miami

Mercedes

Mercedes looked quick in practice, and certainly went into Sprint Qualifying with the belief they could mix it at the front. But most expected Russell to be the one to push McLaren. Instead, it was his 18-year-old team mate who didn’t just push McLaren but beat both papaya cars on merit. Antonelli sealed his first ever P1 grid slot in style, at a track he has never driven before, in an incredible history-making effort, while Russell had to settle for fifth after opting to set his lap time earlier than the rest in SQ3 before the track had fully evolved.

Kimi Antonelli, 1st, 1:26.482

"I did not expect that! It feels fantastic to take my first pole position. When I crossed the line, I thought it was a good lap. I was happy with how it came together. There were a few areas that I felt I could have found a little bit more time, but I was pleased that I managed to hook up all three sectors. I will enjoy this moment but quickly focus on tomorrow as it would be good to repeat today by taking victory in the Sprint itself.

"We know the McLarens, the Ferraris, and the Red Bull of Verstappen have strong race pace. It won’t be easy to keep them behind tomorrow, but I will be giving it my all to do so. It will be important to have a good start and hopefully from there, set a good pace without suffering too much from tyre degradation. After the Sprint, we will have to try and do the job we have done today to secure a good grid position for the Grand Prix on Sunday."

George Russell, 5th, 1:26.791

"Firstly, massive congratulations to Kimi! I’m really pleased to see him take his first pole position. He’s been really quick right from the first lap in FP1 and that is really impressive. It is great for him and the whole team; hopefully he can convert that into a strong result in tomorrow’s Sprint.

"I’ve not felt at my most comfortable with the car today. I’ve been struggling a little and have just been a touch off the pace. I chose to go on the early side in SQ3 because I ultimately didn’t quite have the confidence to go in the pack at the end. I didn’t want to get caught by a yellow flag either, so we opted to play it safer. P5 is obviously not great, and we need to improve on that in tomorrow’s Qualifying. These Sprint weekends can be tricky, but we will do what we can to enjoy a better day than we have today."

Toto Wolff, Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport

"Congratulations to Kimi on his first Sprint pole position in F1. It was a great lap in a tight session and will be a moment he will never forget. Whilst it is good that we will start tomorrow’s Sprint from P1, the most important thing is the progress we are seeing from Kimi. He continues to learn and get better every weekend. He has now topped a session, even if it came in Sprint Qualifying. It is another important milestone in his development, and we will continue to support him to maintain this trajectory.

"On the other side of the garage, George was slightly unlucky. He hasn’t felt as comfortable in the car as Kimi today and that showed throughout FP1 and Sprint Qualifying. We decided to go on the early side in SQ3 to make sure he got a clean lap. That was the right decision but probably cost us a little bit of track evolution. He put together a decent effort but was just on the wrong side of the pack at the front. He will be determined to fight back from P5 tomorrow, before we focus on the most important session of the weekend so far in Qualifying."

Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director

"It's great to see Kimi take a well deserved Sprint pole! He has looked strong from the first lap of FP1 but clearly saved the best until last. To become the youngest driver to take a pole position in any format in F1 is a special moment and one he deserves to savour right now. Our attention will swiftly turn to tomorrow though with the Sprint and then Qualifying for the Grand Prix later in the afternoon.

"George started Sprint Qualifying well but as it progressed, he was struggling to get the tyres to bite and is understandably disappointed with P5. We probably went too early on the final run with him but that was to get a bit of flexibility if the lap didn't go to plan. We will review that ahead of Qualifying tomorrow.

"We spent a long time focusing on long run work this morning, so didn't get a look at the Soft tyre until SQ3. That long run programme was aimed at understanding why our long run pace was not as competitive as we hoped for in Jeddah. We know that we have work to do to improve the car in that area, and we don't expect a quick fix, but it will be interesting to see how we get on tomorrow. The Sprint always provides some useful learning and we'll be doing whatever we can to get a strong result with both cars."

McLaren

Friday did not start well for McLaren in Miami, after they managed to leave a couple of foreign objects in Norris’ cockpit in practice, earning themselves a warning from the FIA. Piastri did top the session though by quite some margin, so it looked like an intra-team fight was brewing for Sprint pole. But come Sprint Qualifying, neither McLaren driver had an answer to the pace of Antonelli. They at least mopped up second and third, Norris managing to close right up to Piastri, which bodes well for Qualifying tomorrow.

Oscar Piastri, 2nd, 1:26.527

“I'm reasonably happy with that result. It certainly wasn’t the best lap ever. I had a lock-up going into the last corner which I think was probably where P1 got away, but congratulations to Kimi [Antonelli] on his first Pole in F1. P2 is still a good result, and I think we’ve got a bit more pace to unlock. I'm feeling positive and hopeful of making up a spot tomorrow.”

Lando Norris, 3rd, 1:26.582

“A decent result in a close Sprint Qualifying. We were just pipped by the Mercedes, so congrats to Kimi [Antonelli] on his first Pole. I think there was probably a little bit more in it but otherwise I’m happy with P3 and looking forward to going racing tomorrow.”

Andrea Stella, Team Principal

“First of all, congratulations to Andrea Kimi Antonelli on his first Pole position in Formula 1. It’s pretty impressive for a driver of his age to be able to achieve this result, clearly proving great talent.

“In terms of our Sprint Qualifying session, we were quick in every mini session on both the Medium and Soft. The field is tight as we have seen all season. There are no margins, so unless you really put together perfect laps, Pole position should not be given as a granted result. We are happy with today’s result, it’s good starting positions for the Sprint tomorrow and proves once again that we are competitive. The team can now continue to work hard and look forward to the remainder of the weekend.”

Red Bull

Tsunoda was the victim of some miscommunication at the end of SQ1, not given enough of a hurry up and missing the chance to start his final flying lap. Thanks to a small lock up on his first run, he found himself down in P18 and thus might be using his Sprint as more of a test session. Verstappen did make it to the top 10 shootout, despite landing in Miami late after celebrating the birth of his daughter. Once there he was the only driver to opt for two flying laps on the softs, winding up a credible fourth.

Max Verstappen, 4th, 1:26.737

“I think what we did in Q3 today was good and the tyres were holding on quite well, but unfortunately from FP1 I was struggling a little bit with understeer in the car. Around here with those low-speed corners you just lose quite a bit of lap time. In the first sector, we were quite competitive, as that’s where there are a few high-speed corners, but as soon as we got to the low-speed we were lacking a bit of grip. P4 is alright, it is not where I want to be, but we need to be realistic with the limitations that we have at the moment. I do think we are still quite competitive. It is difficult to say where we will be in the Sprint weekend as we don’t have a lot of data in the long runs. Going off my own feeling and the balance of the car, it will be tough with the heat but we will try our best."

Yuki Tsunoda, 18th, 1:29.246

“Today was a disappointing day for me. A lot of cars cost my lap on my first run and then on the last corner I had a big lock up and didn’t get the lap banked. To be honest that lap was pretty gone from turn one already, because of the traffic and I wasn’t able to do a proper lap at all. I knew I was going to be tight for my second run, but I couldn’t do much about it, there’s a car in front of me and I can only go so fast on my out lap. We were held up in the garage and these things can sometimes happen, but we know we need to work on communication too. I am pretty far back for the Sprint but I, obviously, will try my best and anything can happen on this track. I will keep positive and try my best."

Ferrari

Ferrari managed to get both cars into SQ3, Hamilton scraping through with a last-gasp effort. But despite showing some decent pace in practice, neither driver could compete for the front two rows. Leclerc wound up ahead of his team mate to the tune of a couple of tenths, but neither driver was left happy after a day where they just did not have the pace to compete with Mercedes, McLaren or Red Bull.

Charles Leclerc, 6th, 1:26.808

"We’re not happy with our position. There wasn’t much room for improvement today, and it looks like this is our baseline for now.

"I’ll try to have a good start in tomorrow’s Sprint and take it from there. It isn’t an easy weekend so far, so we have lots of work to do."

Lewis Hamilton, 7th, 1:27.030

"We’re not quite where we want to be just yet, but there were definitely some encouraging signs, especially in SQ1 where the car felt more connected. There’s still work to do, but we’re focused on maximising the package we have and continuing to build from here."

Fred Vasseur, Team Principal

"Congratulation to Kimi (Antonelli) for his mega lap, he did a very good job and he is a long way ahead. Behind him the situation was much closer and we were not far from the guys in front of us but that’s not enough, as we found it difficult to put everything together. There were some mistakes and we have struggled with the car balance and that comes at a price in today’s Formula 1.

"Tomorrow in the Sprint race, tyre management and degradation will come into play and it could be another story."

Williams

Williams were the pick of the midfield runners in practice, with high hopes of getting two cars not just into SQ3, but right in the mix with the top teams. But instead Sainz bowed out in P15 after looking the quicker of the two team mates. He locked up and ran wide on his one and only lap in SQ2, apologising to the team for his mistake on the radio. Albon saved their blushes by making SQ3, and found himself in the ‘best of the rest’ slot as he chases more points for his team to keep them ahead of Haas in the Championship.

Alex Albon, 8th, 1:27.193

"Friday done with and it was generally a very positive day. The car’s been in a really good place from the moment we did the first lap in FP1. I’m happy but it looks like some of the other teams found a bit more performance on their side over the course of the day. We were pretty much optimised from the outset, but we fell back a little bit in SQ3. It’s not a bad place to be though. Best of the midfield and we’re in a good place to score points, but there’s still a little bit of homework to be done before main Qualifying tomorrow."

Carlos Sainz, 15th, No time set in SQ2

"In hindsight, it was not the right call to risk getting into SQ3 with only one lap. I made a mistake locking up into Turn 11 and that was it, there was no time left on the clock. Up to that point, the lap was good but I’m obviously not happy because we were fast today. It’s going to be a tough Sprint tomorrow. I’ll try my best to recover and go at it again in the afternoon in Qualifying. We seem to have good pace this weekend, so I look forward to getting back on track."

Racing Bulls

Lawson exited in SQ2 after a mistake on his final flying run, the Kiwi racer sliding wide as he battled for grip in the high temperatures. Hadjar had looked the more likely to go out early, after a mistake saw him lose his first lap time in SQ1. But he made his last lap count, before sailing through SQ2 and into the top 10. The rookie did not have the pace to beat Albon in the Williams, but could still steal a point or two from ninth on the grid.

Isack Hadjar, 9th, 1:27.543

“It was a stressful Sprint Qualifying today. We didn’t have a good first run in SQ1 as I made a mistake in the last corner, and that put pressure on us to finalize the last push lap. After that, I was happy with the lap I made in SQ2, which allowed us to go to SQ3. We were really tight on time, and it wasn’t an ideal position to start the lap as I was only a couple of seconds behind Charles, but I knew we had to make the most out of it. Tomorrow, the start of the race will be crucial, so we’ll try to have a good shot at it, to then try and fight for points.”

Liam Lawson, 14th, 1:28.375

"It was quite a messy session, very different to FP1. It's a shame because the car wasn't in a bad place this morning, but we fought with the balance a lot more in Sprint Qualifying. We obviously have some things to analyse as a team, so we hope that will put ourselves in a good place ahead of the sprint race tomorrow."

Alan Permane, Racing Director

“It was tough day for our two guys, as they have never been here before. A lot of learning and not very much time to do that in a sprint weekend, they had to make every lap count today. Liam struggled with the rear of his car all the way through Sprint Qualifying and this is something that we need to understand before Qualifying tomorrow afternoon. Fantastic job from Isack: to be back into SQ3 in his first time here is very impressive. His last lap was a little bit compromised with timings, and having to do the lap very close to a car in front, which means I think there was even more in the car. We will certainly be looking to see what changes we're going to make ahead of Qualifying tomorrow after the Sprint, to extract even more lap time.”

Aston Martin

After a few difficult races where Aston Martin were off the pace, they seem to have found some answers as to how to set their car up. Alonso looked solid all the way through Sprint Qualifying, making it to the top 10 for the first time this year in any qualifying format. Stroll could not match that, the Canadian falling at the first time of asking after a scruffy final lap in SQ1.

Fernando Alonso, 10th, 1:27.790

"It's a bit of a surprise to qualify where we did because the car is still struggling with balance and it's not always consistent - but all in all, a good day. This is the first time we have made it into SQ3 this season so hopefully we can keep up that momentum. Only the top eight cars will score points tomorrow, but we will try our best."

Lance Stroll, 16th, 1:29.028

"Sprint Qualifying didn't play out well for me today: I had a lot of traffic on my final push lap and was a bit unlucky with where I came across [Max] Verstappen on the final straight. All of that cost me a few tenths and I just missed the chance to get through to SQ2. Let's see what tomorrow brings for the Sprint race, hopefully some opportunities come our way and there is a chance to make up some positions."

Kick Sauber

Bortoleto kissed the walls in SQ1, luckily not damaging his car. He dropped out early on, but Hulkenberg did make SQ2 and came within a hair’s breadth of the top 10. It was a big improvement for the team, who have lost both cars in Q1 in the last three Qualifying sessions. But with points only available for the top eight in a Sprint, it might be a tough ask to score tomorrow. What this result should do though, is give the team confidence heading into the other sessions.

F1 EXPLAINS: The making of the Miami Grand Prix

Nico Hulkenberg, 11th, 1:27.850

“I’m happy we maximised our potential in Sprint Qualifying today. Given the challenging FP1 we had this morning, P11 feels even more rewarding. I suffered from a flat spot in my first stint on the medium tyres, leaving me only the soft tyres for another four laps – obviously, that wasn't the best preparation for qualifying. It’s definitely a positive start for the team as we enter the Miami race weekend: now our aim will be to retain the competitiveness we have shown today into tomorrow’s Sprint race.”

Gabriel Bortoleto, 19th, 1:29.312

“I was really happy with my final SQ1 lap, as I was gaining quite a bit on my previous attempt and I think it would have been enough for a place in SQ2. But I had a lock up at turn 17 and effectively lost the lap. It’s a shame, and it will make the Sprint very difficult: overtaking here can be a challenge, especially in tomorrow’s shorter format. We will give it our best to improve our position and learn as much as we can about race conditions. Most importantly, we saw today that our performance is quite solid and can allow us to be in the midfield: we can look forward to Qualifying, later tomorrow, where we can hopefully have a stronger showing.”

Jonathan Wheatley, Team Principal

“Nico delivered a very strong Sprint Qualifying session today, just missing out on SQ3 by eight hundredths of a second. Gabriel made a small mistake going into the final corner, and that ultimately cost him—he had the potential to make it into SQ2. Overall, an encouraging performance from both drivers, and credit to the team for doing an excellent job in preparing the cars and putting us in a competitive position. We’re looking forward to tomorrow’s Sprint race and the Qualifying session to follow.”

Haas

Bearman was the first to fall foul of the barriers, getting out of shape on the dirty part of the track and losing the rear of his car in a slow-speed spin. That crash late on in FP1 brought out the red flags, ending the session. Whether it cost him much confidence was hard to tell, as Haas mistimed his last run in SQ1 and he failed to start a push lap as the chequered flag fell. Ocon did make SQ2 but could go no further in what was again a very congested midfield.

Esteban Ocon, 12th, 1:28.167

“I think there was a little bit more in the car, especially as in the last corner I went in a bit deep, so I need to see how much we lost but I don’t think it was enough to go through. Overall, I think it was quite positive because we look pretty strong, but obviously it’s not quite enough for where we want to be for a Sprint, as it’s the top eight scoring points, but we’re giving it our best tomorrow. It was a good preparation ahead of qualifying tomorrow as well. I think the car feels better than in Jeddah which is a good thing, from the simulator work we did and also some of the running we’ve done here, it was quite clear to us, but we still have more to work on.”

Oliver Bearman, 20th, 1:29.825

“It was tough but I only managed to get one lap in as I missed the flag unfortunately, so we need to analyse it.”

Ayao Komatsu, Team Principal

“We didn’t maximise the potential of Sprint quali today. Our Q1 execution, especially on Ollie’s car, we need to review as he didn’t make it around to have a second attempt. Esteban did a very good job in SQ1, in SQ2 it wasn’t perfect, but I think we need to improve the overall package to make the car a bit more forgiving. At the moment, if drivers do an absolutely perfect lap, it’s good, but if there’s the slightest deviation from that, it can cause big front lock-up issues. The good thing is that when we put it together, the car looks like it has good speed. In the Sprint tomorrow, especially from Esteban’s position, we’ll do our best and with Ollie as well, we have potential.”

Alpine

Alpine had a messy Friday in Miami. Neither driver got a lap in on the softs thanks to the red flag in practice, and then with the clock ticking down in SQ1, they opted to send both cars out together. Doohan could not quite make the turn out of the tight garage with his team mate and mechanics in the way, and the time lost pushing him back into position saw a couple of other cars get ahead. That traffic cost him the chance of making it to the start line for his last flying lap – something he was unimpressed with, especially since Gasly did not need to be out there, having already done enough to make SQ2.

Pierre Gasly, 13th, 1:28.167

“It has been good to be back on track here in Miami where there is such enthusiasm for Formula One. Today was important as we had just one Free Practice session to prepare for Sprint Qualifying and the weekend ahead. This morning’s FP1 was very tricky, but we made some good progress and improvements ahead of Sprint Qualifying this afternoon. We lacked some grip at the start of the last run in SQ2 as the tyres still felt a bit cold and that meant that I lost two tenths there however there was more grip later in the lap. We will review today’s work and analyse the learnings. The focus is now to work with the engineers to prepare for tomorrow’s Sprint Race.”

Jack Doohan, 17th, 1:29.171

“Of course, from the result, it was not the end to Sprint Qualifying we were hoping for. The feeling in the car was good and we felt good heading into the session. On the final run, we lost places in the queue in the pitlane with the car having to be pushed back by the mechanics, which meant we were out of position and chasing to make it to the line in time. It’s frustrating not to be able to put in a second fast lap, particularly with the improvement in lap time we saw and potential in the car. It's something we’ll review and debrief as a team on. We will look to maximise what is possible in tomorrow’s Sprint Race to move through the order and learn as much as we can ahead of the rest of the weekend. We also have tomorrow’s Qualifying where we will aim to set ourselves up well for the race on Sunday.”

Pirelli

Mario Isola, Motorsport Director

“First of all, allow me as an Italian to congratulate Kimi for this wonderful pole position. It’s the first time since Pirelli returned to Formula 1 in 2011 that one of our countrymen has topped a qualifying time sheet.

“As for tyre behaviour, the Medium and Soft performed as expected, while the decision by the vast majority of the teams to save two sets of Hards clearly show that this compound will play a crucial role in the race. As we saw in Jeddah, having two sets of Hards also allows for more flexibility for the teams in the event of any potential safety car periods.

HIGHLIGHTS: Catch all the Miami Sprint Qualifying action as Antonelli makes history with maiden pole

“The track got quicker progressively and significantly, not just from one session to the next, but also during each session, confirming that the surface is rubbering-in considerably the more the cars run. We expect this trend to continue tomorrow.

“In free practice, of course we didn’t see any real long runs aimed at Sunday’s race, with only short simulations, possibly more useful for assessing set-ups for the Sprint. As teams can work on their cars after the Sprint, the short race has increasingly become the perfect simulation session for the actual Grand Prix and that will also be the case tomorrow.”