F1: Champion rides again — Lando Norris on pole position for the Sprint race

Reigning champion Lando Norris claimed pole position for the Sprint race in Miami—the second Sprint of the season—held as part of the fourth round of this year’s Formula 1 championship.

The McLaren driver secured first place with a lap time of 1:27.869, finishing more than two tenths of a second ahead of second-placed Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes, who is currently leading the overall standings.

It was already evident on Friday in Florida that the one-month break after three challenging opening races suited McLaren, and the numerous upgrades they brought for this weekend have, so far, proven successful.

Norris confirmed that by taking Sprint pole, while Oscar Piastri came close to securing a front-row lockout for the team, only to be split from his teammate in the final moments of qualifying by the young Antonelli. The Australian will start third, ahead of Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari.

Fifth place went to four-time champion Max Verstappen in Red Bull Racing, ahead of George Russell in Mercedes, the winner of the previous Sprint race in China, who was over six tenths behind. Lewis Hamilton finished seventh for Ferrari, while the top ten was rounded out by Franco Colapinto (Alpine), Isack Hadjar (Red Bull), and Pierre Gasly (Alpine).

The second part of Sprint qualifying passed without drama for the championship’s frontrunners, while a place in the top ten slipped away from Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Huulkenberg of Audi, Oliver Bearman of Haas F1 Team, the Williams duo Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz, as well as the only rookie Arvid Lindblad of Racing Bulls.

In the first part of qualifying, the other Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson was eliminated in 17th place. Behind the New Zealander were Esteban Ocon in Haas, as well as the Cadillac pair Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas.

The biggest disappointment came from the Aston Martin drivers Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll, who will occupy the last row of the grid for Saturday’s Sprint race, notably as the only team without upgrades this weekend.

Top 10 for the Miami Sprint:

1. Lando Norris (McLaren)
2. Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
3. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
5. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
6. George Russell (Mercedes)
7. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
8. Franco Colapinto (Alpine)
9. Isack Hadjar (Red Bull)
10. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)

The Sprint race is scheduled for this evening at 19:00, while qualifying for the main race will take place later the same day at 23:00. The main race is set for Sunday at 23:00.