In Miami, Mercedes` highly-rated rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli secured a surprising pole position for the sprint race. His achievement saw him edge out the McLaren drivers and, in doing so, become the youngest driver ever to take pole in any Formula 1 session.
The 18-year-old Antonelli narrowly defeated championship leader Oscar Piastri by just 0.045 seconds. This marks the first time in his burgeoning career that he has finished at the top of a competitive F1 session.
Antonelli stepped into the seat previously held by seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes this season and has already been widely tipped for future success.
Over the team radio immediately after clinching pole, Antonelli exclaimed, “Yes mate! Come on! Come on!”
Speaking after the session, he described the qualifying as “intense”.
Antonelli commented, “I felt really good since this morning and felt confident heading into qualifying. My final lap was incredibly strong; I managed to put everything together perfectly. It`s fantastic that it all came together so well, and I`m absolutely thrilled to secure my first pole.”
Looking ahead, he added, “It will be great starting from the front row tomorrow. It`ll be a slightly different experience, but I`m really looking forward to tomorrow and seeing what we can achieve in both the sprint race and then the main qualifying session.”
The previous record for the youngest pole sitter was held by Sebastian Vettel, who was 21 years and 73 days old when he took pole for Toro Rosso (now Racing Bulls) at the 2008 Italian Grand Prix. This record was set before the introduction of sprint races.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff emphasized that the nature of the pole position didn`t diminish its significance.
Wolff stated, “It`s about his progress. Whether it`s a sprint pole, a pole for the main race tomorrow, or future poles, the key is that he achieved it, and he proved he is the quickest.”
Antonelli will line up on the grid ahead of Piastri and his McLaren teammate, Lando Norris.
Piastri commented, “We can still compete from that position in tomorrow`s sprint. Overall, I`m quite satisfied.”
He added, “Hopefully, we have a little more pace to find, so I remain optimistic. I`ll aim to gain a place in the sprint race before we focus on the main event where the significant points are awarded.”
Max Verstappen, who had missed Thursday`s media day due to the birth of his first daughter, Lily, qualified in fourth place, finishing ahead of Antonelli`s Mercedes teammate, George Russell.
Red Bull will have just one driver competing near the front in the sprint, as Verstappen`s teammate Yuki Tsunoda was eliminated in the SQ1 session and will start from 18th position.
The Ferrari duo of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton qualified in sixth and seventh respectively.
Williams driver Alex Albon secured eighth place, while impressive Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar maintained his recent strong form by qualifying in ninth.
Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin, who is yet to score points this season, achieved a morale-boosting 10th place for his team.
Nico Hulkenberg secured an impressive 11th spot for the Sauber team. Apart from Tsunoda`s early exit in SQ1, there were no other significant surprises in the session.
The initial session included a visibly angry radio communication from Alpine driver Jack Doohan directed at his team.
Doohan complained that his chance to advance from SQ1 was ruined by the angle at which he was released from the garage just before his final attempt.
He lost crucial time having to adjust his car`s line when turning into the pit lane because his teammate Pierre Gasly was exiting the pits alongside him.
Doohan stated over the radio, “Mate, that`s not acceptable. That`s not acceptable. If you`re sending him out after me, you need to ensure he`s prepared, or send him before me. I couldn`t turn out properly because I had to avoid him potentially running into me. And because of that, you`ve eliminated me from Q1. It`s a total joke!”
Doohan`s position beyond the current weekend remains uncertain, especially with Alpine reserve driver Franco Colapinto potentially in line for a drive.
Dominic Ashworth