Max Verstappen stuns McLaren as Lewis Hamilton suffers Miami misery

Max Verstappen secured a remarkable pole position for the Miami Grand Prix, with hot favourites McLaren having again been left stunned by the reigning world champion. 

Verstappen set a staggering 1m 26.204s on his final hot lap to claim a third pole of the season. Lando Norris had to settle for second after going 0.065s slower, with Kimi Antonelli in third. 

Oscar Piastri had to settle for a surprise fourth, having failed to replicate some exceptional pace he demonstrated in Q2. George Russell completed the top five.

There was significant disappointment for Lewis Hamilton, who after finishing third in the Miami Sprint found himself eliminated in the second stage of qualifying.

Report continues below!

Q3 - Verstappen clinical

Despite McLaren having dominated on Saturday, it was Verstappen on provisional pole following the opening hot laps in the final stage of qualifying. 

Throughout qualifying, the Red Bull driver had an advantage in the first sector, indicating that the RB21 is strong at generating heat into its tyres quickly. 

He had provisional pole by just three-thousandths of a second from Piastri, whilst Norris was only 0.017s behind the Dutchman. It was a clear three-way fight for pole in the closing minutes.

Verstappen was the first of the lead trio to set his final lap, with two-tenths having been found. Neither Norris nor Piastri had a response, but Antonelli did.

The sprint pole sitter improved to go third fastest, demoting Piastri to the foot of the second row. Russell completed the top five, ahead of Carlos Sainz, Alex Albon, Charles Leclerc, Esteban Ocon and Yuki Tsunoda.

Q2 - Hamilton early exit

In Q2, Russell was in need of some "confidence" after informing Mercedes that he had "no grip". The Briton was at risk of not making the top 10, having been in 11th ahead of his final lap. 

Hamilton was also in need of a big lap having been pushed into the elimination places. Russell safely improved to go third fastest; however, the same could not be said for his former team-mate.

A mistake by the 40-year-old saw him bail out of his final lap, leaving him out of qualifying in 12th. It marked a disappointing end to what had been a positive day, having finished third in the sprint.

Isack Hadjar missed out on Q3 by just 0.020s, with Hamilton, an impressive Gabriel Bortoleto, Jack Doohan and Liam Lawson having joined him in a Q2 departure. 

At the top, Piastri was untouchable on a 1m 26.269s, over two-tenths clear of Norris in second. 

Q1 - Aston Martin agony

In Q1, Hamilton found himself in danger ahead of his final flying lap after being in 15th. Momentarily, Hamilton found himself in the drop zone, before improving to eighth.

There were no huge surprises in the elimination places, which included Fernando Alonso who miraculously managed to take part in qualifying.

Alonso's car required significant repairs ahead of qualifying following a crash in the sprint race, which damaged several areas of the car. 

Unfortunately, it was a double-Aston Martin exit in the first stage of qualifying. Nico Hulkenerg claimed 16th, ahead of Alonso, Pierre Gasly, Lance Stroll and Ollie Bearman.

At the top, it was a McLaren one-two. Piastri set a 1m 26.870s to go fastest in Q1, with Norris having been just under one-tenth adrift.