Kimi Antonelli vaulted to pole in Miami with a blistering 1:27.798 lap, outpacing Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc. The 22‑year‑old Mercedes rookie turned the grid upside down, marking the first front‑row finish for the upgraded Red Bull in 2026.

The session saw the big four—Mercedes, Red Bull, Ferrari, and McLaren—all vying for the top spot. Antonelli’s time set a new benchmark, leaving Verstappen and Leclerc more than a tenth of a second behind.

George Russell’s Mercedes slipped to fifth, four tenths off Antonelli, while Lewis Hamilton sat sixth in the second Ferrari. Alpine’s Franco Colapinto finished eighth, with Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar trailing by 0.8 seconds.

The result gives Mercedes a psychological edge heading into the race, while Red Bull and Ferrari must fine‑tune their cars to close the growing gap. Antonelli’s pole puts pressure on the championship leaders to deliver.