Qualifying at the F1 Miami GP was another intense battle at the front of the field. Max Verstappen took pole position ahead of Lando Norris and Kimi Antonelli by six hundreths of a second. Norris locked up during his final flying lap of Q3 and clunked the inside kerb, costing him the chance to start ahead of the reigning World Drivers’ Champion.
Mistake for Lando Norris costs him pole position
Norris recognized the mistake he made at Turn 17, where a slight lock-up cost him the chance at pole position.
“Yeah, I just didn’t quite put it together, but that’s it.”
Norris improved his qualifying performance compared to his past few races. At the Bahrain GP, Norris qualified P6 after a mistake on his flying lap in Q3. At the Saudi Arabian GP, Norris appeared to be the favourite for pole position — until he crashed at the start of Q3. The Miami GP sees the five-time race winner return to a front row start.
Norris acknowledged the step-up in his performance, explaining that he has been working with the team to improve his comfort with the car.
“I mean, I’m still very happy with the end result. Just a shame when you miss out on pole. So only that’s the frustrating bit.
“But I think I’ve been trying different things. I’ve been doing different things with the team to try and work a bit more in this area. And things have been taking a step forward.
“So I’m happy. Maybe not quite there yet, but happy with the progress.“
Lando Norris is looking ahead to the race
Norris is looking ahead to the race tomorrow, with the race presenting his best shot at taking points off teammate and current championship leader Oscar Piastri. However, he will have to get ahead of Verstappen if he wants to take his second win at the Miami International Autodrome.
Norris explained that this track may offer better opportunities for overtaking compared to the Japanese GP, where the top three drivers were stuck in a perpetual DRS train.
“The DRS helps a lot around here with the overtaking. It’s what you need.
“You also have some much bigger braking zones than you have in Suzuka. Anyway, I hope that’s the case and we can have a good race tomorrow.“
Norris expects the top four drivers to challenge him, with Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli starting on the second row beside Piastri.
“I don’t just expect competition from Max [Verstappen]. Kimi [Antonelli]’s been quick all weekend and Oscar [Piastri]’s behind as well. So yeah, I just expect a tough race from all accounts.”
Lando Norris compares McLaren and Red Bull’s performance: “It’s impossible to know the difference between the two cars”
Verstappen has taken his third pole position of the season despite reports suggesting the McLaren car is currently the quickest on track. Norris explained that it is impossible to know which drivers are getting the most consistent performance out of their car.
“You know what car he’s got comparing to us. The advantage we have is two quick drivers and they don’t, or we have a car that’s capable of allowing drivers to drive it quicker.
“But impossible to know, impossible to actually know the difference between the two cars.”
Lando Norris praises Kimi Antonelli’s performance at the Miami GP
Antonelli beat teammate George Russell across both qualifying sessions at the Miami GP, taking his first sprint pole position yesterday. While the Sprint race win got away from Antonelli, he is in the mix to score his first podium tomorrow.
Norris praised Antonelli’s performance and strong start to the season.
“I think I fed his ego enough.
“He’s in Formula One for a reason. Everything else he did in his car racing career has been very strong.
“He’s got a very good teammate — a teammate that beat Lewis [Hamilton] over the last couple of years. So if he’s now able to beat that teammate in being George [Russell], then he’s clearly doing a very good job.”
