Miami GP sprint qualifying: Verstappen takes pole from Leclerc (2024)

1. Posted at 21:54 3 May21:54 3 May

   Verstappen beats Leclerc to Miami sprint pole

   Andrew BensonBBC F1 correspondent in Miami

   

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   Red Bull’s Max Verstappen beat Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc to take pole position for the sprint race at the Miami Grand Prix.

   The Dutchman was 0.108 seconds quicker than Leclerc, with Red Bull’s Sergio Perez third ahead of Daniel Ricciardo’s RB in a surprise fourth place.

   McLaren’s Lando Norris appeared to miss an opportunity to compete with Verstappen for pole with a slow first sector of his final lap.

   Mercedes drivers George Russell and Lewis Hamilton could manage only 11th and 12th places.

   Read the full report here

2. Posted at 21:53 3 May21:53 3 May

   Back on Saturday at 16:30 BST

   Well, that didn't quite live up to the hype after the opening two sessions, but maybe tomorrow's short race will throw up some surprises.

   Definitely time for us all to go to bed now. Get some rest and then join us again on Saturday from 16:30 BST for build-up to the second sprint race of the season, followed by qualifying for the main grand prix on Sunday.

   Catch you tomorrow!

3. Posted at 21:51 3 May21:51 3 May

   'I pushed too hard' - Norris

   Final word of the night goes to Lando Norris, who topped both SQ1 and SQ2 but will line up ninth on the sprint grid on Saturday.

   "I just pushed too hard, simple as that," says the McLaren man. "Just silly, to be honest.

   "Couple of mistakes in Turn One and a big spiral from there. A shame, because I think we did a good job and the upgrades were working."

   Can he challenge in the race? "I hope so. The pace was really good. Probably one of the quickest. Disappointing with today but I'll do my best tomorrow."

4. Posted at 21:49 3 May21:49 3 May

   Red Bull on top

   Red Bull are also in prime position in the constructors' championship after their fourth win in five races and they now hold a 44-point lead over nearest rivals Ferrari.

   Lando Norris' second place in China has boosted McLaren's advantage over fourth-placed Mercedes to 44 points, while Nico Hulkenberg's top-10 finish two weeks ago gives Haas a bump up to five points.

   

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5. Posted at 21:46 3 May21:46 3 May

   Verstappen continues to dominate

   Would anyone bet against Max Verstappen sealing a fourth consecutive drivers' world championship this year? Probably not. The Red Bull man was superior again at the Chinese Grand Prix, taking victory in both the sprint and main race.

   

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   The top nine drivers all scored points in Shanghai and stayed in the same positions they were in after the Japanese Grand Prix.

   Lance Stroll was involved in a messy coming together with Daniel Ricciardo last time out but the Canadian held on to to 10th place, two points clear of RB's Yuki Tsunoda on 11th spot.

6. Posted at 21:44 3 May21:44 3 May

   Post update

   If you're new to the whole sprint format, there are championship points on offer from first down to eighth in tomorrow's sprint race, so let's have a quick look at how the title race looks before we wave goodbye...

7. Posted at 21:41 3 May21:41 3 May

   'Very proud of what I did today' - Ricciardo

   Daniel Ricciardo was gutted after the Chinese Grand Prix but he's back to his smiley best in Miami .

   So, where did that result come from? I don't know! I mean, I know, I've been able to do it before," Ricciardo tells Sky Sports. "I know it's in me, but did I expect to do a second-row start? Probably not that good.

   "I felt really good in Q2 and I knew that lap would be good enough for Q3, so I think at that point we were P5, and in my head I was like, 'ah, P5 would be really nice for Q3,' then we got P4 and it was wild. The laps were good but it's hard to be clean around here, it's a tricky track.

   "I'm very proud of what I did today but the team have brought the updates the last few races and things look like they're turning around. It's just nice starting towards the front."

8. Posted at 21:37 3 May21:37 3 May

   'It was tight out there' - Russell

   George Russell will start the sprint race in 11th place and says the team are unsure what happened to the upgraded Mercedes today.

   In practice, the soft tyre was feeling really good on our car but on the mediums, we just couldn't get the sweet spot," says Russell. And I found myself on the wrong side of it.

   "It was tight out there. We shouldn't have been in the position to be that close to the margins cut off. We need to work over that and make some improvements for the main qualifying."

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9. Posted at 21:34 3 May21:34 3 May

   Post update

   The first thing Max Verstappen asked on the radio after securing pole position was: "Lol. What happened to the others? That was terrible!"

10. Posted at 21:31 3 May21:31 3 May

    'It felt pretty terrible' - Verstappen

    

    Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

    Max Verstappen is on sprint pole tomorrow. Here's what he had to say after taking the top spot.

    "To be honest with you, it felt pretty terrible," said the Red Bull driver. "I don't know, maybe that last session was just a bit difficult, as already in SQ2, I didn't feel great.

    "SQ3 just felt a bit similar for me, I didn't really improve a lot on the softs, but somehow, I'm first. Of course, I'll happily take it but yeah, didn't really feel enjoyable out there today. "

    In practice, it felt really, really nice, I was very comfortable - and confident. Qualifying, not so much.

    "I thought after practice we were confident we could fight for pole, then in qualifying, it didn't really look like that for me. But somehow, we still ended up in first.

    "I don't know what happened to the other cars in the last lap."

11. Posted at 21:28 3 May21:28 3 May

    Team radio - Ricciardo

    "Yeah wow. Awesome, awesome. It's good. It's good. We belong towards the front, so, happy for everyone."

12. Posted at 21:25 3 May21:25 3 May

    Post update

    Daniel Ricciardo has an even bigger smile on his face than usual after his fourth place in sprint qualifying. Can the RB driver stay in the points tomorrow?

13. Posted at 21:22 3 May21:22 3 May

    And the rest

    11. George Russell (Mercedes)

    12. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

    13. Esteban Ocon (Alpine)

    14. Kevin Magnussen (Haas)

    15. Yuki Tsunoda (RB)

    16. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)

    17. Zhou Guanyu (Sauber)

    18. Valtteri Bottas (Sauber)

    19. Logan Sargeant (Williams)

    20. Alex Albon (Williams)

14. Posted at 21:20 3 May21:20 3 May

    Post update

    What a disappointing session for McLaren. Those soft tyres did not want to play ball.

15. Posted at 21:19 3 May21:19 3 May

    Top 10

    1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - 1.27.641

    2. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)

    3. Sergio Perez (Red Bull)

    4. Daniel Ricciardo (RB)

    5. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)

    6. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)

    7. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)

    8. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)

    9. Lando Norris (McLaren)

    10. Nico Hulkenberg (Haas)

16. Posted at 21:17 3 May21:17 3 May

    Chequered flag

    The McLarens were out of the picture in the fight for pole.

    Max Verstappen will start the sprint at the front of the field, Charles Leclerc, after his first practice troubles, will line up alongside him and Sergio Perez will take his place in third spot.

17. Posted at 21:15 3 May21:15 3 May

    Post update

    Little mistakes don't punish Max Verstappen like some others. The reigning world champion goes onto provisional pole as he beats his team-mate Sergio Perez.

    Lando Norris can only manage ninth! Charles Leclerc is on the front row with Verstappen.

18. Posted at 21:14 3 May21:14 3 May

    Post update

    Max Verstappen and his Red Bull are rapid in the first sector but the Dutchman takes a slight wobble. Will that hinder his chances for a sprint pole?

    Sergio Perez goes to the top and provisional pole position.

19. Posted at 21:12 3 May21:12 3 May

    Two minutes to go

    Blink and you miss this sprint qualifying.

    Right, the Haas of Nico Hulkenberg is starting his flying lap.

20. Posted at 21:11 3 May21:11 3 May

    Five minutes to go

    The clock is ticking down and the crowd are fanning themselves from the heat.

    Anyone want to give it go? Yes. Cars are lining up now to come and play.

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