MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Reigning Formula 1 champion Lando Norris won the pole for Saturday's sprint race at the Miami Grand Prix, beating current F1 points leader Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes.
Norris' McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri was third, only 0.017 seconds behind Antonelli, ahead of the second sprint race of the season.
Friday was the first time drivers were able to test changes made by FIA, the sports governing body — during a five-week hiatus.
The organization implemented changes to the regulations after drivers heavily criticized how the electrical battery power has changed the cars and competition.
“It was great,” Norris said. “Perfect result for us, nice way to reward the team. We've got a lot of new upgrades on the car, so nice to feel some grip again. ... I've always loved Miami.”
Charles Leclerc of Ferrari finished fourth, ahead of Red Bull's Max Verstappen.
Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas qualified 19th and 20th, respectively, in Cadillac's debut on North American soil.
Max Verstappen has “nothing new” to say regarding his future racing plans and whether the four-time world champion is seriously considering quitting Formula 1.
The Dutchman first suggested he could walk away after the Japanese Grand Prix in March. He’s been vocal about his dissatisfaction with new regulations and called changes made to the cars ahead of this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix “a tickle” of a fix.
He said in Miami he has not considered his future because he’s been “busy with other things,” which included racing at the Nordschleife in Germany to prepare for a 24-hour race later in May.
“I still have time and I’m taking my time,” he said. “The rest, I mean, also for myself, I don’t know at the moment. What I said in Japan is still the same, but I also still have a lot of time.”
Miami is the first race in five weeks because two Middle East events were called off due to the war in Iran. During that time, Verstappen’s race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase said he is leaving for McLaren by 2028 at the latest. The duo has been together since 2016.
Verstappen had previously claimed he would not want to work with another race engineer, but has backtracked on that now.
“Otherwise I don’t get to drive, I will have to work with someone else,” added Verstappen. “But I think times change and the offer that he got, I would be an idiot to try and keep him. It’s not only about me all the time, it’s also about his career and moving forward. So for me, it was a no-brainer to be honest. But the future, that’s what we’re looking at now with a different race engineer. I’m sure we’ll find a solution for that as well.”
Colton Herta is not the only American in the junior F2 series racing at Miami this weekend – also in the field is Sebastian Montoya, who was born and raised in this city before moving to Europe to pursue his racing career.
The 21-year-old is the son of former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya. He races under the Colombian flag, but has American citizenship by birthright.
He is thrilled to be racing in his former hometown.
“It’s really emotional because I grew up here. I think the first time I drove a go-kart was 15 minutes away,” Montoya said. “So to see how far it’s actually come is amazing and obviously I dreamed of hopefully one day racing here in F1. I didn’t expect to be here in F2, but it’s a really pleasant surprise.”
Antonelli posed on top of the shoulders of Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Jordan Phillips. Dolphins running back Ollie Gordon clutched a football as he danced near a small obstacle course. Inter Miami veteran Luis Suarez took turns kicking soccer balls with Charles Leclerc.
There were all kinds of crossovers at the Miami Grand Prix — where entertainment, culture and sports collide each year in Miami Gardens, Florida.
Players from the Dolphins, who play their regular season at Hard Rock Stadium, on the Miami International Autodrome's campus drove mini F1 race cars around a small course, while drivers like Antonelli tried a series of football obstacles.
“I feel great,” Dolphins quarterback Quinn Ewers said in his mini car, “Couldn't be more prepared for this scenario.”
The Miami Grand Prix announced Friday that it is adding a 115,000 square foot extension to its Paddock Club building at the Miami International Autodrome, set to be ready in time for the 2027 race.
The new structure, which will extend to Turn 1, will be able to hold more than 9,000 attendees and includes 300,000 square feet of space, making it one of the largest paddock clubs in Formula 1.
“The expansion of our Paddock Club is another example of innovation and investment in our event and growing Formula 1 in the United States,” said Tom Garfinkel, managing partner of the Miami Grand Prix. "We wanted to not only make the Paddock Club bigger to meet demand, but differentiate the experience into something new and unique.”
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