Norris Grabs Miami Sprint Pole, Edges Out Antonelli in Tight Qualifying

Miami — Lando Norris delivered a blistering lap to clinch pole position for the Miami Grand Prix sprint race, narrowly beating championship leader Kimi Antonelli and preventing McLaren from locking out the front row.

Drawing on his experience from last season at the Hard Rock Stadium circuit, Norris clocked an impressive 1:27.869 to take the top spot. The Briton credited McLaren’s recent upgrades for the turnaround in performance, calling it a “perfect result” and a fitting reward for the team’s hard work.

Norris secured pole for Saturday’s 100km sprint by just 0.222 seconds ahead of Antonelli. Behind them, Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc qualified third and fourth respectively. The main race, marking the fourth round of the season, will take place on Sunday.

Having won last year’s sprint in Miami and finished runner-up in the main race, Norris expressed his liking for the venue but remained cautious. He noted that while it’s a strong start, there’s still plenty to play out over the weekend.

The result is significant as Norris becomes the first driver this season to deny Mercedes a pole position, following their dominance in the opening three races. Despite McLaren’s strong showing, Mercedes has maintained an early grip on the championship.

Elsewhere, reigning world champion Max Verstappen qualified fifth, while George Russell finished sixth. Lewis Hamilton and Franco Colapinto completed the top eight.

Russell admitted surprise at the pace shown by McLaren and Ferrari, calling their improvement “pretty impressive,” while also acknowledging his own struggles with the Miami circuit, especially in hot conditions.

Further down the order, Isack Hadjar and Pierre Gasly rounded out the top ten. It was another tough outing for Aston Martin, with Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll finishing at the back, even behind the new Cadillac entrants.

With inputs from IANS