Max Verstappen rebounded from a disappointing result in the sprint race to claim his third pole position of the year in Miami.
The Red Bull driver came out ahead of the two McLaren drivers, who were split by Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
Q1
The track conditions improved rapidly throughout the first phase of qualifying and two rookies grabbed the opportunity to progress to Q2. Gabriel Bortoleto was one of them, producing a superb lap late in the session to go 11th fastest. Team mate Nico Hulkenberg missed the cut by just two hundredths of a second.Following his frustration yesterday, Jack Doohan was pleased to gain a place in Q2. His team mate also went no further, Pierre Gasly complaining about traffic after encountering a Ferrari between turns seven and eight.
However Oliver Bearman was frustrated once more, dropping out in last place. Esteban Ocon narrowly made the cut in the other Haas.
The only team to lose both cars in Q1 was Aston Martin. Fernando Alonso out-qualified Lance Stroll as usual.
Verstappen set the pace in the opening phase of qualifying, followed by the two McLaren drivers. Norris was fractionally quicker than Piastri, but clipped the barrier at the exit of turn 16. The Ferrari drivers made it through but Lewis Hamilton had to use an extra set of soft tyres to ensure his progression.
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Q1 result
| P. | # | Driver | Team | Model | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull-Honda RBPT | RB21 | 1’26.870 | |
| 2 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL39 | 1’26.955 | 0.085 |
| 3 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL39 | 1’27.006 | 0.136 |
| 4 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | W16 | 1’27.014 | 0.144 |
| 5 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams-Mercedes | FW47 | 1’27.042 | 0.172 |
| 6 | 12 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | W16 | 1’27.077 | 0.207 |
| 7 | 55 | Carlos Sainz Jnr | Williams-Mercedes | FW47 | 1’27.098 | 0.228 |
| 8 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | SF-25 | 1’27.279 | 0.409 |
| 9 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull-Honda RBPT | RB21 | 1’27.298 | 0.428 |
| 10 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls-Honda RBPT | 02 | 1’27.301 | 0.431 |
| 11 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Sauber-Ferrari | C45 | 1’27.343 | 0.473 |
| 12 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | SF-25 | 1’27.417 | 0.547 |
| 13 | 7 | Jack Doohan | Alpine-Renault | A525 | 1’27.422 | 0.552 |
| 14 | 30 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls-Honda RBPT | 02 | 1’27.444 | 0.574 |
| 15 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas-Ferrari | VF-25 | 1’27.450 | 0.580 |
| 16 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Sauber-Ferrari | C45 | 1’27.473 | 0.603 |
| 17 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin-Mercedes | AMR25 | 1’27.604 | 0.734 |
| 18 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine-Renault | A525 | 1’27.710 | 0.840 |
| 19 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin-Mercedes | AMR25 | 1’27.830 | 0.960 |
| 20 | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas-Ferrari | VF-25 | 1’27.999 | 1.129 |
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Q2
Having finished third in the sprint race a few hours earlier, Hamilton’s afternoon soured when he ended up on the wrong side of the cut to reach Q3. The Ferrari driver ran wide at turn 17 on his final lap and missed the cut by three-hundredths of a second.
His team mate Leclerc made it through, but the gaps were so tight the pair were separated by just five hundredths and three cars. They included Isack Hadjar, who came closest to getting in. Bortoleto, Doohan and Lawson also went no further.
The McLaren drivers showed their potential in Q2, Piastri heading the times so emphatically he chose not to run again at the end of the session. Norris backed him up in second.
The Mercedes drivers separated them from Verstappen but Russell seemed much less comfortable in his W16 than team mate Antonelli. He complained of a lack of grip and fell into the drop zone before completing an early final run to secure his place in Q3.
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Q2 result
| P. | # | Driver | Team | Model | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL39 | 1’26.269 | |
| 2 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL39 | 1’26.499 | 0.230 |
| 3 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | W16 | 1’26.575 | 0.306 |
| 4 | 12 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | W16 | 1’26.606 | 0.337 |
| 5 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull-Honda RBPT | RB21 | 1’26.643 | 0.374 |
| 6 | 55 | Carlos Sainz Jnr | Williams-Mercedes | FW47 | 1’26.847 | 0.578 |
| 7 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams-Mercedes | FW47 | 1’26.855 | 0.586 |
| 8 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | SF-25 | 1’26.948 | 0.679 |
| 9 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull-Honda RBPT | RB21 | 1’26.959 | 0.690 |
| 10 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas-Ferrari | VF-25 | 1’26.967 | 0.698 |
| 11 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls-Honda RBPT | 02 | 1’26.987 | 0.718 |
| 12 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | SF-25 | 1’27.006 | 0.737 |
| 13 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Sauber-Ferrari | C45 | 1’27.151 | 0.882 |
| 14 | 7 | Jack Doohan | Alpine-Renault | A525 | 1’27.186 | 0.917 |
| 15 | 30 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls-Honda RBPT | 02 | 1’27.363 | 1.094 |
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Q3
The first runs in Q3 indicated the battle for pole position was going to be stunningly close. Verstappen produced a 1’26.492 to head the times and the McLaren drivers lapped within two-hundredths of a second off him.A slight mistake by Verstappen at the first corner as he began his final lap raised the possibility he might be beaten. But he kept the rest of the lap clean and cut nearly three tenths of a second off his time.
The McLaren drivers had been consistently off his pace in the first sector but Norris was strong in the second. His hopes of beating the Red Bull vanished at the final corner, however, where he clambered all over the kerb on the inside, losing too much time.
Piastri initially backed him up in third place but was knocked back again by the driver who beat him to pole position for the sprint race – Antonelli. Russell took fifth in the other Mercedes.
Williams capped a largely successful qualifying session with sixth and seventh places, Carlos Sainz Jnr leading the way. However Alexander Albon is under investigation over an infringement in the pits.
They beat both the Ferraris, Leclerc only able to manage eighth fastest ahead of Ocon. The Red Bull drivers bookended Q3 as Tsunoda took 10th, lapping over seven tenths of a second off Verstappen.
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Q3 result
| P. | # | Driver | Team | Model | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull-Honda RBPT | RB21 | 1’26.204 | |
| 2 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL39 | 1’26.269 | 0.065 |
| 3 | 12 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | W16 | 1’26.271 | 0.067 |
| 4 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL39 | 1’26.375 | 0.171 |
| 5 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | W16 | 1’26.385 | 0.181 |
| 6 | 55 | Carlos Sainz Jnr | Williams-Mercedes | FW47 | 1’26.569 | 0.365 |
| 7 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams-Mercedes | FW47 | 1’26.682 | 0.478 |
| 8 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | SF-25 | 1’26.754 | 0.550 |
| 9 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas-Ferrari | VF-25 | 1’26.824 | 0.620 |
| 10 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull-Honda RBPT | RB21 | 1’26.943 | 0.739 |
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2025 Miami Grand Prix
- Albon did not disobey team orders in Miami says Vowles after Sainz’s complaint
- McLaren score their most emphatic win since Hamilton’s 2008 Silverstone triumph
- Mercedes bringing “more obvious” upgrades for first European races
- ‘It doesn’t matter much whether you finish third or fourth’ – Verstappen
- ‘That’s not how I race’: Was Sainz right to feel aggrieved by Albon after Miami GP?
Jim from US (@jimfromus)
3rd May 2025, 23:16
The commentary never disappoints. 30 seconds after saying that VER has a new floor and TSU doesn’t. The tell us how bad TSU is in an identical car as VER.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
4th May 2025, 1:02
At least tsunoda made it into q3 this time, I’m thinking perhaps we have to start considering getting in q3 with the current number 2 red bull an achievement, it’s pretty rare for drivers to do that, at least the ones they try out (I’d have tried sainz when they had the chance).
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
4th May 2025, 1:04
About that, impressive performance by williams, they had arguably a better car than ferrari, when hamilton got eliminated in q2, leclerc didn’t have a lot of margin, so williams looked like the 4th best car here, consistently just behind the front runners.
Ekr
4th May 2025, 2:15
When Sainz damages his car every other race?
Mog
4th May 2025, 9:41
Sainz was a safe pair of hands at Ferrari, but the midfield had much higher risk of collision due to denser traffic. Factor in the car is not as good and risky driving is arguably much more favourable to gain for a small team when points are possible. A crash here and there is to be expected.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
5th May 2025, 2:06
Note that I said williams, not sainz specifically: the car looks better than ferari (and did so in the race too), when is the last time that happened?
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
5th May 2025, 2:06
ferrari*
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
5th May 2025, 2:15
Ah, now I got your point, you were referring to the previous comment, obviously sainz is making quite a lot of mistakes and didn’t have the best start of the season at williams, but peak sainz last year was certainly pretty good, not far behind top drivers at the level of leclerc, and the drivers they try at red bull tend to be drivers sainz beat before going to ferrari.
Tsunoda is doing better than lawson, there’s no doubt, but they didn’t try any big name, which seems to be needed if they want someone who can extract the best performance from the number 2 red bull.
MG1982 (@mg1982)
4th May 2025, 7:08
Yeah, it looks like on certain tracks Ferrari is not even 4th best car. Forgetable season for the fans.
Lee1
4th May 2025, 8:42
What happened to Albon getting a penalty for pushing into the line?
Armchair Expert (@armchairexpert)
4th May 2025, 0:56
Tell me why shouldn’t I think Red Bull is a midfield car, which in the hands of Max, the Greatest of All Time driver, is pushed to the absolute limit to pole positions and race wins? If that’s not the case and Red Bull is so competitive, why Tsunoda finished last in Q3 behind McLaren, Mercedes, Williams, Ferrari and Haas, 0.7s slower than his team mate?
Jere (@jerejj)
4th May 2025, 6:55
Hamilton’s pace fluctuation is weird & a positive qualifying for especially Williams, but also Ocon.
Doohan out-qualifying Gasly was another surprising aspect.
Ben
4th May 2025, 10:33
Id agree but I can’t actually remember a time when his pace was good. He’s just plain slow. He got a lucky pit stop yesterday which masked how bad he was struggling. Before the pit stop he was dropping like a stone from the cars in front and close to being overtaken by Albon and Alonso.
The Ferrari isn’t where it needs to be as Leclerc showed us in P8. Lewis is obviously slower than Leclerc so being P12 isn’t a surprise. Arguably it’s one of his best qualifying sessions.
I don’t see much fluctuation. I just see a mother season of him being massively off the pace.
Riccard
4th May 2025, 12:07
Yeah, I agree with Ben: Hamilton’s pace isn’t really fluctuating.
Tsunoda and Hamilton did well in the sprint because they were so far off the pace that their teams thought “can’t hurt to pit them” – and it worked.
That doesn’t mean they had great races.
Ferdi
4th May 2025, 10:21
100% penalty first corner tomorrow for Max. McLaren doesn’t need to worry. FIA has got this firmly under control. They didn’t even bother to look at the PIA-ANT turn 1 thing. McLaren is the perfect poster boy for F1.
RomTrain (@romtrain)
4th May 2025, 11:23
even commentators in austrian red bull tv said, there was nothing to look at. lol.
while it was pretty clear, that max deliberately cut the corner in the last race.
RH
4th May 2025, 13:41
It is not that clear especially when there’s no racing room but the problem with prejudice is that it’s hard to see beyond it.
SteveP
4th May 2025, 19:04
English saying: People who live in glass houses should not throw stones.
Or biblically: “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone”
Riccard
4th May 2025, 12:10
It’s tough being a steward. You want to apply the rules in a way that lets drivers go racing and doesn’t disrupt the show, but still respects the rules.
Max was penalised the other week for running off the road vs Piastri, but wasn’t penalised this week for impeding in qualifying or for pit box alignment in the sprint. Yes, there were reasons for all those decisions… but that just shows stewards are taking things on a case-by-base basis and doing the best they can.
Less tinfoil, more “you know what, it’s hard being the judge sometimes”.
tielemst
4th May 2025, 13:17
Man, if I didn’t know better, I’d think you’re a bit biased. Max could have easily gotten a penalty for impeding, and even Horner said they just rolled the dice on a (lenient) penalty last week.
kuvemar
4th May 2025, 14:37
He could get a penalty every lap today and it still wouldn’t make up for all the times he got away with it. The stewards are almost as lenient with him as they were with Seb.
tielemst
4th May 2025, 13:17
Man, if I didn’t know better, I’d think you’re a bit biased. Max could have easily gotten a penalty for impeding, and even Horner said they just rolled the dice on a (lenient) penalty last week.
bull mello (@bullmello)
4th May 2025, 17:05
Very good interview by Martin Brundle of Verstappen, Norris and Antonelli on F1TV. He asked pertinent questions and let them speak. They all responded as actual people and being drivers. This is how interviews should happen.
Some interviewers botch it up pretty bad and that is sad.