MIAMI, Fla. — Max Verstappen was the quickest of all Formula 1 drivers during qualifying for Saturday’s Sprint race at the Miami International Autodrome.
The reigning champion and Red Bull Racing driver recorded a 1-minute, 27.641-second lap time around the circuit in preparation for Sunday’s Miami Grand Prix.
Meanwhile, Ferrari rival Charles Leclerc finished .108 seconds behind, qualifying runner-up to Verstappen.
“To be honest with you it felt pretty terrible,” Verstappen said after jumping out of the car. “I don’t know, maybe that last session it was just incredibly difficult to get the tyres to work. Already in SQ2 I didn’t feel great. In SQ3, I think it just felt similar for me, I didn’t really improve a lot on the soft, but somehow we were first.”
Red Bull Racing’s Sergio Perez qualified third, with Daniel Ricciardo surprising with a fourth-place performance in his Visa Cash App Red Bull entry. Carlos Sainz placed fifth in his Ferrari.