2024 F1 Miami GP qualifying report: Charles Leclerc P2, Carlos Sainz P3 in Florida

2024 F1 Miami GP qualifying report: Charles Leclerc P2, Carlos Sainz P3 in Florida. 2024 F1 Miami GP qualifying report and results.

Max Verstappen will start at the front once again, having secured his first pole position in Florida, and his sixth consecutive at the start of the season. Behind him are the two Ferrari SF-24 cars, with Charles Leclerc ahead of Carlos Sainz, while Sergio Perez will start fourth, a significant distance from his Red Bull teammate. The top ten is rounded out by drivers from McLaren and Scuderia Ferrari, followed by Nico Hulkenberg and Yuki Tsunoda. Here is a summary.

Miami qualifying – Q1
The two Stake cars, Magnussen, Sargeant, and Ricciardo were eliminated, much to the disappointment of the latter two: the American had performed well in his laps, and for the Australian, it’s incredible to see the difference from just a few hours ago in the Sprint Race. Alpine, on the other hand, did great work, managing to get both drivers through, also helped by significant track evolution. Initially, there seemed to be some issues for Verstappen, but they were promptly resolved, putting him on pole right away.

Miami qualifying – Q2
In Q2, Lance Stroll, Pierre Gasly, Esteban Ocon, Alex Albon, and Fernando Alonso were eliminated, the latter having also struggled in the last moments of Q3. This session showed little track evolution, with all the latest arrivals failing to improve. Several top drivers, including Leclerc and Hamilton, alongside Verstappen, set interesting times.

Miami qualifying – Q3
In the first round of Q3, Lewis Hamilton began by setting a blazing time in the first sector but then made some mistakes in the middle sector, costing him almost half a second. Then came Max Verstappen, who as expected gave half a second to his teammate, and Charles Leclerc, with a great lap, took second place. It was interesting to see Lando Norris going out on mediums, a choice also made by the two Mercedes cars of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton for their final attempt a few minutes later. The final minutes were anticlimactic, as no one improved. This achievement put the Dutchman into an exclusive club: six consecutive pole positions at the start of the season.