Drama in Miami: Perez claims Pole, Verstappen's hopes dashed by Leclerc accident
Sergio Perez claims Miami GP pole in thrilling qualifying, as Verstappen starts 9th following Leclerc's dramatic crash. Alonso & Sainz secure 2nd & 3rd, with Hamilton facing a challenging race from P13.
Sergio Perez secured pole position for the Miami Grand Prix, with Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen set to start ninth on the grid after a disappointing final lap in qualifying.
Charles Leclerc's crash during the final minutes of Q3 resulted in a red flag that concluded the session, dashing Verstappen's hopes of a better starting position.
Meanwhile, Fernando Alonso will line up second for Aston Martin, with Carlos Sainz Jr. taking third for Ferrari.
Q1
Q1 started under clear skies, despite earlier rain predictions. Initial pace was set by Valtteri Bottas, only for Kevin Magnusen to swiftly overtake him in the Haas.
Verstappen and Perez led the way, with Leclerc and Alonso not far behind. Meanwhile, Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton faced a troublesome first lap and a near collision with Magnussen, resulting in an investigation by the stewards.
In the final five minutes of Q1, Hamilton and George Russell found themselves in danger of elimination.
However, both Mercedes drivers managed to progress to Q2, leaving Yuki Tsunoda and Lance Stroll out of the running. The McLaren duo of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris also failed to make the cut.
Q2
Q2 saw Verstappen and Perez out on fresh soft tires, with Alonso joining them in the Aston Martin.
The Mercedes pair opted for used sets of softs. Verstappen continued his impressive form, with a time of 1'27.110. Perez and Alonso trailed behind, while the Mercedes drivers were a full second adrift.
The Ferraris of Leclerc and Sainz ran on fresh soft tires, with Sainz moving into second place and Leclerc settling for fifth.
As Q2 progressed, Hamilton and Russell were once again in danger of elimination. While Russell scraped through to Q3, Hamilton could only manage 13th, ending his session early.
Zhou Guanyu, Nyck de Vries, and Alexander Albon also failed to progress.
Q3
The final session, Q3, saw fierce competition between Red Bull and Ferrari.
Verstappen made an error in the first lap, leaving Perez to set a provisional pole position time of 1'26.841.
Alonso and Sainz followed closely in second and third, respectively. With just over three minutes remaining, Leclerc crashed out at turn six, bringing out the red flag and effectively ending the session.
With the red flag in place, race director Niels Wittich declared the session over, confirming Perez's pole position and Verstappen's ninth-place start.
Alonso and Sainz completed the top three, while Magnussen, under investigation for a Q1 incident, took provisional fourth.
Pierre Gasly, George Russell, Charles Leclerc, Esteban Ocon, Max Verstappen, and Valtteri Bottas rounded out the top 10.
The dramatic qualifying session sets the stage for an exciting Miami Grand Prix, with Red Bull's Perez leading the charge and teammate Verstappen eager to make up for lost ground from his ninth-place start.
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