Max wins fifth pole of the year and matches Prost’s career pole total of 38.
MIAMI, FLORIDA—Max Verstappen might not have liked how his Red Bull Racing entry ran on Friday in sprint qualifying. Still, on Saturday, the Dutchman continued his success by taking the sprint race in the morning and equaling Alain Prost’s record of 38 poles. In addition, he has won every pole this season after five rounds.
Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz took second and third and could be a problem for Verstappen on race day Sunday, but not if the way the car is to the Red Bull driver’s liking.
Max Verstappen: We definitely improved the car a bit. But every year I come here, I find it really difficult to be consistent with the car’s feeling on one lap. It is super hard to make the car feel good in sectors one and three.
— ””Verstappen set the quickest lap in qualifying for Sunday’s race very early in the final session, and the other nine drivers could not match him. The performance gave Verstappen another pole for the fifth time this year and equaled the record of pole positions set by Alain Prost in 1993.
Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate, Sergio Perez, took fourth, with the two McLarens of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris next in fifth and sixth. Another duo–the Mercedes of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton–finished in seventh and eighth. Nico Hulkenberg, always a great qualifier in his Haas, took ninth, with RB Cash App’s Yuki Tsunoda wrapping up the top ten.
Others did not fare well. The RB Cash App entry, Haas F1’s Kevin Magnussen, and Williams home driver Logan Sargeant were out in the first round. The Williams of Alex Albon, Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso, and Alpine’s Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly were out of the second.
In the earlier sprint race, Verstappen won, with Leclerc in second and Perez in third. Ricciardo finished fourth and got his first points of the season. Finishing right behind him was Sainz’s Ferrari.
— ””For Verstappen, it was another record and chance for victory on Sunday. However, there were still some concerns about the car. “It was the same today,” continued Verstappen, “but we did OK. It was not the most enjoyable lap of my career just because of how slippery it is, but we’re on pole.”
Race time today is 4 p.m. Eastern. You can watch the action on ABC-TV.
