Mercedes' rookie Kimi Antonelli becames F1's youngest polesitter in any format

By Reuters

Mercedes' Italian rookie Kimi Antonelli became Formula One's youngest polesitter in any format after lapping fastest in Miami Grand Prix sprint qualifying on, while New Zealand's Liam Lawson settled for 14th.

The 18-year-old Antonelli, preparing for only his sixth grand prix weekend, lapped with a best time of one minute 26.482 seconds to pip McLaren's championship leader Oscar Piastri by 0.045 seconds.

McLaren's Lando Norris was third fastest with Red Bull's four-times world champion Max Verstappen completing the second row on the day he announced he had become a father for the first time.

Lawson lapped in one minute 28.375 seconds for Racing Bulls, nearly a second slower than team-mate Isack Hadjar, the French rookie who qualified for the grid five places higher in ninth.

Antonelli captured all of the headlines.

"The last lap was mighty. I put everything together. I'm really happy to get the first pole," the surprised Italian said, who replaced seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes in January.

Hamilton, winner of the first sprint race of the season in China from pole position for Ferrari, qualified seventh with teammate Charles Leclerc sixth.

Mercedes' George Russell will line up ahead of them in fifth.

Only the top eight places in Saturday's 100km race score points.

Williams had Alex Albon qualify eighth, with Fernando Alonso completing the top 10 for Aston Martin.

Piastri leads closest rival Norris by 10 points and will be chasing his third grand prix win in a row in Sunday's main event, with qualifying for that race taking place after the Saturday sprint.

Practice

Earlier, Lawson - who is still chasing his first championship points of the season - was 11th fastest in practice, while Piastri topped the time sheets.

Being a sprint weekend, the 20 drivers were limited to just one free practice session for the entirety of the Grand Prix.

Australian Piastri, chasing a third win in a row, lapped on the quickest soft tyres with a best time one minute 27.128 seconds with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc next best but 0.356 slower.

Red Bull's reigning champion Max Verstappen, arriving in Miami after celebrating the birth of his first child with partner Kelly Piquet, was third quickest and 0.430 off the leading pace.

Norris toolkit

Norris, last year's Miami winner who lost the championship lead to Piastri in Saudi Arabia two weeks' ago, was only 12th on the timesheets after red flags prevented him completing a lap on soft tyres.

He had to pit earlier after he found tools, including a torch, left in the cockpit when he took to the track for his first lap.

Stewards said they were investigating the team for releasing the car in an apparently unsafe condition, with the risk of a fine.

The session was stopped with four minutes remaining after Haas rookie Ollie Bearman hit the wall at Turn 12, before some drivers had completed quick laps on the soft tyres.

"I'm fine, sorry," the Briton said.

Miami extension

Earlier, Formula One handed Miami the longest race contract in the sport, securing the grand prix until 2041 with a 10-year extension on top of an existing decade-long deal.

The first of three US rounds on the 24-race calendar - the others being Austin's Circuit of the Americas and Las Vegas - is being held at the Hard Rock Stadium this weekend.

It was first held in 2022.

Formula One chief executive Stefano Domenicali said Formula One wanted to think big and the extension marked "a strategic milestone of enormous importance".

"In this moment of an incredible period of growth of Formula One, we want to make sure that we stay tuned and work together with the best partner that we have," the Italian told a press conference.

"Miami will be part of our bigger strategy to be even stronger in the United States of America. This is a place where it is crucial to be.

"We are getting bigger and bigger but we are still very small if you compare to the biggest sport franchise in the US... this will help us to grow in the right segment, in the right direction."

Liberty Media-owned Formula One has boomed in popularity, particularly in the Americas where it has plenty of potential for growth, thanks largely to the hit Netflix docu-series 'Drive to Survive'.

Baby news

Earlier in the day, four times world champion Verstappen and partner Kelly Piquet announced the birth of daughter Lily.

Pictures of the couple and baby were posted on the Instagram accounts of Verstappen and Piquet, daughter of Brazil's triple champion Nelson.

"Welcome to the world, sweet Lily. Our hearts are fuller than ever - you are our greatest gift. We love you so much," they wrote.

Piquet also has a four-year-old daughter Penelope with former F1 racer Daniil Kvyat.

Verstappen joins Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg as the only fathers on the current Formula One starting grid following the departures of Mexican Sergio Perez and Denmark's Kevin Magnussen.

Le Mans 24 Hours winner Hulkenberg, 37, told reporters in Miami that being a father had not slowed him down and had in fact been only beneficial for his racing.

"Once we step in the car - visor down, go out - even for me, I tend to forget what goes on outside because we're just so focused and so driven to perform and maximise," he said.

- Reuters