Red Bull's Max Verstappen claimed pole position at the Miami Grand Prix on Saturday, followed by a 2-3 finish of Ferarri's Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz.
Verstappen beat Leclerc by 0.141 seconds to become the second racer to take the first six poles of a season after French great Alain Prost with Williams in 1993. This was the seventh pole in a row for the triple world champion since last year's finale in Abu Dhabi. The 26-year-old had already won the practice session, sprint qualifying, and the sprint race this weekend. The Dutchman is the only racer who has topped the podium in Miami since it first joined the F1 fixture in 2022, and aims to achieve a hat-trick having taken pole for the first time at the Miami International Autodrome.
L-R: Charles Leclerc, Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz pose for a photo after qualifying as top 3 for the Miami Grand Prix in Miami, Florida, U.S., May 4, 2024. /CFP
"I don't know what it is, every single year we come here, I find it extremely difficult to be consistent with the car feeling, the tire feeling over one lap," said Verstappen. "Again today, it was about finding that balance.
"I think we did OK. It wasn't the most enjoyable lap of my career because of how slippery it is and you're not very confident on the lap.
"But we are on pole, and that's the most important thing," he added.
Red Bull's other racer Sergio Perez finished fourth, followed by McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. Mercedes' George Russell and seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton will make up row four in Sunday's Grand Prix. Nico Hulkenberg's Haas and RB's Yuki Tsunoda rounded off the top 10.