Fórmula 1 resumed its activities this Friday with the dominance of Lando Norris in the classification for the Grande Prêmio sprint race of Miami. The McLaren driver confirmed his favoritism in Circuito Internacional over Miami by setting a time of 1m27s869. Andrea Kimi Antonelli, from Mercedes, and Oscar Piastri completed the group of top three finishers for Saturday’s short race.
The result marks Norris’s fifth pole position in sprint sessions throughout his career in the category. The Brit demonstrated consistency from the start of the activity, managing to get the most out of the soft tires at the decisive moment. The session marked the return of the world’s motorsport elite after a four-week break without official competitions.
https://twitter.com/F1/status/2050551879885799843?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Desempenho of Gabriel Bortoleto and the challenges on the Flórida track
Brazilian Gabriel Bortoleto ended his participation in qualifying with 11th place on the starting grid. Ele showed a competitive pace during the first phase of the session, managing to advance to SQ2 without major operational difficulties. Entretanto, in the intermediate phase of the dispute, the Audi driver did not find the necessary balance to be among the ten finalists who fought for pole.
The Miami track presented varying grip conditions throughout the intensely sunny day. Diversos drivers faced problems keeping their cars within the limits of the track, especially in low-speed corners. Bortoleto will share the sixth row with his teammate, Nico Hulkenberg, who was immediately behind on the timesheets.
Abaixo, the technical details of the starting positions:
- Lando Norris (McLaren) – 1m27s869
- Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) +0s222
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +0s239
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +0s370
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +0s592
- George Russell (Mercedes) +0s624
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) +0s749
- Franco Colapinto (Alpine) +1s451
- Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) +1s553
- Pierre Gasly (Alpine) +1s605
- Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) – Eliminado on SQ2
Dinâmica of classification and incidents during the initial phases
SQ1 was marked by an atypical situation at the exit of the pits involving Mercedes’s cars. The team released Antonelli at the exact moment George Russell positioned himself in the garage exit hallway. Apesar close to the single-seaters, there was no physical contact and the race management only monitored the incident. Lando Norris took the lead on the timesheets only in the final minutes of that stage.
Lance Stroll was the main negative surprise of the first part of the qualifying training in Miami. The Canadian from Aston Martin suffered from the car’s lack of balance and made mistakes in turns 1 and 17. Ele ended up being eliminated early along with his teammate, Fernando Alonso, confirming a difficult day for the British team. Sergio Pérez, now Cadillac, also failed to advance to the next stage of the classification.
Disputa direct for pole in the final segment on soft tires
The decisive stage, known as SQ3, allowed teams to use the softest tire compounds in the Pirelli range. George Russell even boasted the provisional fastest lap in the first few minutes of the open track. Contudo, Norris lowered the mark significantly in their final attempt, preventing any immediate reaction from their direct opponents.
Charles Leclerc tried one last push to get Ferrari to the front row, but ended up in fourth place. Max Verstappen, current leader of the championship, was unable to repeat the performance of other sessions and will start from fifth position. Alpine celebrated the presence of its two cars in the top ten, with Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly securing strategic positions to score points.
Programação and Miami’s weekend GP schedules
The sprint race takes place this Saturday at 1 pm, with live broadcast nationwide. Logo After the short race, the drivers return to the track at 5pm to define the grid for Sunday’s main race. The event at Miami is considered one of the highlights of the calendar due to the urban structure set up around Hard Rock Stadium.
Sunday’s race is scheduled for 5pm, Brasília time, with packed stands expected. The Miami GP opens the American leg of the season, preceding important stages in the Europa. The technical expectation revolves around tire degradation given the high temperatures recorded in the Flórida.