Mercedes` highly-rated rookie driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli secured pole position for the Miami sprint race, outpacing the McLaren competitors. This remarkable achievement made him the youngest driver ever to claim pole in any Formula 1 session format.
The 18-year-old Antonelli finished just 0.045 seconds ahead of championship leader Oscar Piastri, marking his first time topping a competitive F1 session in his burgeoning career.
Antonelli, who took the seat previously held by seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes this season, is widely considered a promising talent within the sport.
Yes mate! Come on! Come on,
Speaking in an interview after the session, he described qualifying as “intense.”
I felt great since this morning and was confident heading into qualifying. The final lap was powerful; I managed to put everything together perfectly. I`m really happy to achieve this first pole.
Tomorrow it will be exciting to start from the front row. It`s a bit of a different feeling, but I`m really looking forward to seeing how we perform in both the sprint race and the main qualifying session.
The previous record for the youngest pole position holder was held by Sebastian Vettel, who was 21 years and 73 days old when he achieved it for Toro Rosso (now Racing Bulls) at the 2008 Italian Grand Prix, prior to the introduction of sprint races.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff stated that the type of pole position achieved was less significant than the performance itself.
It`s about his progress. Whether it`s a sprint pole, a pole tomorrow, or one in the future, the fact is he`s achieved it, and he`s the quickest.
Antonelli will begin the sprint race ahead of Piastri and Lando Norris.
We can still compete effectively from there in the sprint tomorrow. Overall, I`m quite pleased.
Hopefully, we have a little more speed to find, so I remain optimistic. I`ll aim to gain a position in the sprint before focusing on the main race where the significant points are.
Max Verstappen, who recently became a father and missed Thursday`s media day due to the birth of his first daughter, Lily, secured fourth place, qualifying just ahead of Antonelli`s teammate George Russell.
Red Bull will have only one car near the front in the sprint, as Verstappen`s teammate Yuki Tsunoda was eliminated in the SQ1 session and will start 18th.
The Ferrari drivers, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, qualified sixth and seventh respectively.
Williams` Alex Albon will start eighth, while Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar maintained his recent strong form, securing ninth place.
Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin, who is yet to score points this season, achieved a confidence-boosting 10th position for his team.
Nico Hulkenberg placed 11th for Sauber. Apart from Tsunoda`s early exit in SQ1, there were no other major surprises in the early sessions.
The first segment of qualifying included an angry radio communication from Alpine driver Jack Doohan, directed at his team.
Doohan complained his final attempt in SQ1 was compromised by the awkward angle he was released from the garage ahead of his crucial lap.
He lost precious time adjusting his car as he entered the pit lane while his teammate Pierre Gasly was emerging alongside him.
Mate, that`s unacceptable. That`s unacceptable. If you`re sending him out after me, he needs to be ready, or go before me. I couldn`t turn correctly because he was coming out next to me. And then you cause me to be eliminated from SQ1. It`s a joke!
Doohan`s situation beyond this event remains uncertain, especially with Alpine reserve driver Franco Colapinto potentially in line for a seat.
Rupert Caldwell 
Tristan Blackwood