UNITED STATES: Sergio Perez secured pole position for the Miami GP in a dramatic qualifying session on Saturday, with Fernando Alonso starting on the front row beside him.
The session ended early after Charles Leclerc spun into the barriers, leaving an unusual but exciting starting grid for Sunday’s race.
Max Verstappen aborted his first flying Q3 lap after being caught out by a gust of wind. Meanwhile, Hamilton had to take evasive action to avoid a collision with Kevin Magnussen earlier in Q1.
The tightness of the field was evident throughout the session, with only 1.214 seconds separating the entire grid in Q1.
Lando Norris and Yuki Tsunoda were among the casualties of the session, while Lance Stroll, Oscar Piastri, and Logan Sargeant will line up at the back of the grid.
In Q2, Carlos Sainz impressed, setting ‘purple’ first and second sectors before fading slightly in the final part of the lap.
Leclerc briefly went to the top with a lap of 1:26.964 before Verstappen set a time of 1:26.751, knocking Leclerc into second.
Hamilton failed to progress to Q3, qualifying 13th on the grid, his worst qualifying performance in any American race in his career.
Hamilton’s lack of pace led to appearances in Q3 for both Alpine drivers, with Kevin Magnussen out-qualifying his Haas teammate for the first time this year.
In Q3, Verstappen was forced to abandon his first flying lap due to gusts of wind, leaving Perez to set the benchmark with a time of 1:26.841, with Alonso in second.
The Q1 session ended prematurely when Leclerc crashed into the barriers after losing control of his car, bringing out the red flag.
As a result, the race director decided not to restart the session. The premature finish set the grid with Perez starting first, Alonso alongside him on the front row, and Verstappen in ninth after failing to set a representative time in the final qualifying session.
The Miami GP will take place on Sunday, and with Perez starting from pole and Verstappen in ninth, it promises to be an exciting race.
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