Max Verstappen Secures Pole in 2024 F1 Miami Grand Prix Sprint Qualifying; Leclerc and Perez Round Out Top 3
After the sprint qualifying session for the 2024 F1 Miami Grand Prix, Max Verstappen secured pole position, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Red Bull’s Sergio Perez trailing behind. The session, divided into three segments, saw five cars eliminated in both Q1 and Q2 before the top-10 shootout in Q3 determined the the final results for the starting grid.
Sprint Qualifying Round 1
McLaren’s Lando Norris emerged as the early frontrunner, setting a lap time of 1m27.939s. Norris’ performance put him at the top of the timesheets for the session, narrowly edging out his teammate Oscar Piastri by 0.117s.
Hot on their heels was the experienced campaigner Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin, who took the third spot, just a quarter of a second behind Norris. Joining Alonso in the top ranks was Verstappen.
However, not everyone managed to make it through unscathed, as several drivers fell short at the first challenge. Alpine’s Pierre Gasly faced disappointment as he failed to progress, alongside the Sauber duo of Zhou Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas, and the Williams pair of Logan Sargeant and Alex Albon. Albon’s session came to an unfortunate end due to a laptime infringement for exceeding track limits at Turn 15.
Sprint Qualifying Round 2
Norris once again topped the timesheet during the Q2 session. The McLaren driver set the pace with a lap time of 1m27.597s. Norris’ run was 0.268s faster than his closest competitor, Perez.
However, the session was not without its share of drama and disappointment for some of the sport’s biggest names. George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, representing Mercedes, faced a setback as they failed to progress to Q3. Hamilton, in particular, encountered misfortune as he clipped the wall during his last-ditch effort to improve his lap time, ultimately falling short of advancing to the next round. The unexpected turn of events adds an intriguing dimension to the sprit race proceedings, as the seven-time world champion will soon be facing an uphill battle.
Joining Russell and Hamilton in elimination were Esteban Ocon of Alpine, Kevin Magnussen of Haas, and Yuki Tsunoda of VCARB.
Sprint Qualifying Round 3
As the tension reached its peak at the Miami International Autodrome, the sprint qualifying session Q3 unfolded intensely. Sergio Perez set the initial benchmark with a blistering lap time of 1m27.876s. However, the field quickly switched from medium to hard tires, setting up for a dramatic finale.
Verstappen delivered after overcoming a big slide at the chicane to snatch pole position with a remarkable time of 1m27.641s.
Meanwhile, Leclerc emerged to second place just a tenth off pole, relegating Perez to third on the grid. The Ferrari driver’s impressive showing added another layer of intrigue to the grid lineup for a potential fierce battle at the front.
Daniel Ricciardo finally had a solid qualifying, securing a commendable fourth place for VCARB, while Carlos Sainz of Ferrari and Oscar Piastri of McLaren followed closely behind in fifth and sixth positions, respectively. The Aston Martins of Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso ended up seventh and eighth on the grid. Norris, despite topping all previous sessions, settled for ninth, over eight tenths off pole. Rounding off the top ten was Nico Hulkenberg of Haas.
The complete results of the sprint qualifying session can be found here.
With the grid now set for the sprint race, anticipation mounts for an interesting day two in Miami.
