The Formula 1 edit

Welcome to the Miami race week! On Friday, May 2nd, sprint qualifying was held! Here’s everything you need to know.

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5 drivers are eliminated every qualifying round. Lance Stroll, Jack Doohan, Yuki Tsunoda, Gabriel Bortoleto, and Oliver Bearman were the unfortunate drivers to get the shaft during this fast paced lap. Lance Stroll managed P15, but once VCARB driver Isack Hadjar set a second lap time after his first was deleted, the Frenchman in pink pushed Stroll back down to the grid and out of SQ1. Hadjar to 8th.

After SQ1 finished, Aussie Jack Doohan had a bone to pick with his team, claiming that his release from the garage at the start of sprint quali was unsafe, which affected his driving abilities. He also criticized the Alpine team for not making sure he was ready before they released his team-mate Pierre Gasly. Doohan believes that since this happened, it guaranteed him a spot at the back of the grid, when circumstances would have been different if the team followed the proper race instructions.

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British driver Lando Norris started out this lap as the fastest driver, putting him in first. He was followed by the new father Max Verstappen who just welcomed his daughter into the world a couple days ago! The leader for the WDC Oscar Piastri followed behind Verstappen in P3. Surprisingly, Stake Kick Sauber driver Nico Hulkenberg was still on the track!! With his team-mate already eliminated, The Hulk made it into 7th. Unfortunately, Hulkenberg’s bliss was shortly lived because he began to drop and ended up getting eliminated in the round.

Sprint qualifying was certainly not Carlos Sainz’s qualifying to score on. The Williams driver kept letting other drivers pass him and just couldn’t seem to find a rhythm, he ultimately ended up exceeding track limits and then basically skidded off the track. His time was deleted and he was eliminated in SQ2. So, now all heads were turned towards Williams’ other driver, Alex Albon, to see if he would be able to secure a spot in SQ3. Can he do it? Yes he can! To seventh goes Alex Albon, but he was quickly sent to 8th when Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton found the time he needed.

The drivers eliminated in SQ2 were Nico Hulkenberg, Esteban Ocon, Pierre Gasly, Liam Lawson, and Carlos Sainz. On to SQ3!

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Max Verstappen set the first time of SQ3, the time to beat was one minute and 27 seconds! British driver George Russell immediately beat that time with a lap one second shorter!! Russell to pole! Alex Albon makes it to 3rd with Fernando Alonso close behind in 4th, but nothing is quite determined yet because not all lap times are set!

Max Verstappen takes back pole position from George Russell. following Russell in 3rd place is Lewis Hamilton, but who is this we see in the teal car? Kimi Antonelli takes pole position with a lap of one minute and 26 seconds! How outstanding for the Italian driver! Here comes Lando Norris! Will he be able to deny this historic moment for the 18 year old? No he can’t!! Lando takes 2nd. Then comes Norris’ team-mate Oscar Piastri who beats Lando’s time and takes second, but can he pass Kimi Antonelli? Nope! The rookie holds onto the lead!

Kimi Antonelli secures pole position for the Miami Sprint Qualifying! What an amazing drive from the youngest driver on the grid!! He is followed by Oscar Piastri in second and Lando Norris in 3rd. Max Verstappen in fourth, George Russell 5th, and Charles Leclerc in 6th. Lewis Hamilton in 7th, Alex Albon in 8th, Isack Hadjar in 9th, and then Fernando Alonso completes our top ten!

This was surely a drive that will go down in history for Kimi Antonelli! We can expect to see absolutely wonderful things from the 18 year old in the future! I’ll see you at qualifying! xx