MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — At just 18 years old, Kimi Antonelli made history as the youngest pole-sitter ever at any Formula 1 event. The Mercedes driver secured the top qualifying position for Friday’s sprint race leading up to the Miami Grand Prix.
Antonelli is making his debut in Formula 1 this year after Mercedes signed him to take over from the seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton. The team believes strongly in Antonelli’s capabilities, and he proved them right during the qualification round for the second sprint race of the season.
“I’m absolutely thrilled; I didn’t anticipate this,” Antonelli stated.
He will begin Saturday’s sprint race alongside the current F1 point standings leader Oscar Piastri from McLaren, who narrowly missed out on pole position by just .045 seconds to Antonelli. This marks the first occasion since 2009 that an Italian driver has secured any pole position in Formula 1.
It was an extremely intense qualifying session,” Antonelli stated. “I’ve been feeling strong all day and went into the session with great confidence. Very pleased to secure my first pole position. Starting from the front row will be fantastic, and I’m eager to see how things go during the sprint race.
Lando Norris, positioned second in the rankings, secured the third spot during qualifying for McLaren and was closely trailed by Max Verstappen, who made his appearance for Friday’s practice sessions in Miami after missing out on theThursday events.
He greeted his first child with partner Kelly Piquet.
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George Russell, who leads for Mercedes, secured fifth place during qualifying; he was trailed closely by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton. Rounding out the top eight positions were Williams’ Alex Albon in eighth spot, Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar right behind him, with Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso completing this segment.
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Jenna Fryer, The Associated Press
