Kimi Antonelli delivered pole position for Mercedes in Miami Grand Prix qualifying on May 2, clocking a 1m27.798s lap to lead the field. The performance reasserted Mercedes’ momentum after a sprint blip earlier in the weekend, with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen second at +0.166s and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc third at +0.345s.
McLaren’s early-weekend strength was checked as its drivers were edged back. Lando Norris will start fourth after finishing +0.385s off the benchmark, while George Russell put the second Mercedes in fifth at +0.399s. Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton secured sixth, +0.521s adrift.
Oscar Piastri took seventh for McLaren (+0.702s). Alpine placed both cars in the top 10, with Franco Colapinto eighth (+0.964s) and Pierre Gasly 10th (+1.012s), split by Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar in ninth (+0.991s).
Eliminated in Q2 were: Nico Hulkenberg (Audi) 11th at +1.323s; Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) 12th at +1.383s; Ollie Bearman (Haas) 13th at +1.451s; Carlos Sainz (Williams) 14th at +1.452s; Esteban Ocon (Haas) 15th at +1.656s; and Alex Albon (Williams) 16th at +1.830s.
Falling at the first hurdle in Q1 were: Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) 17th at +1.480s; Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) 18th at +2.445s; Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) 19th at +2.511s; Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) 20th at +2.976s; Sergio Perez (Cadillac) 21st at +3.314s; and Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) 22nd at +5.084s.
With the grid set, attention turns to whether Antonelli can convert pole into a victory and how Verstappen and Leclerc will challenge from second and third. McLaren’s recovery prospects from fourth and seventh, along with Alpine’s double top-10 presence, add further intrigue heading into the Grand Prix.
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*Originally published on [News Formula 1](https://newsformula.one/article/miami-gp-2026-qualifying-antonelli-takes-pole-for-mercedes). Visit for full coverage.*