Courtesy: F1/X
Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli became the youngest driver in Formula One (F1) history to take a pole position in the Sprint Qualifying at the Miami Grand Prix in the Miami International Autodrome on Friday, May 2. The 18-year-old Italian managed to get the better of McLaren duo of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, while his teammate George Russell finished in fifth place just behind Max Verstappen of Red Bull.
Kimi Antonelli registered a time of 1:26:482, to take the pole position for the Saturday’s Sprint Race at the Miami Grand Prix ahead of championship leader Oscar Piastri by 0.045. The top five drivers were split by just over 0.300 seconds, showcasing how close the Sprint Qualifying was at the Miami International Autodrome, and it could be the same in the qualifying for the main race after the conclusion of the Sprint Race.
The first pole position for Kimi Antonelli is also a vindication for Mercedes in regards to picking a rookie to replace seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton, who left for Ferrari at the end of last season. Furthermore, this was the first time in the ongoing 2024-25 season when Kimi Antonelli was able to defeat his Mercedes teammate George Russell in qualifying.
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I am over the moon. I did not expect it: Kimi Antonelli on first F1 pole position
After taking the pole position for the Miami Grand Prix Sprint Race, Kimi Antonelli was quoted as saying, as per BBC, “I am over the moon. I did not expect it. I was feeling good in the car. I was able to improve lap by lap and find that consistency and that gap came all together. I am super happy with that. We will enjoy this moment but I want to focus on tomorrow because I really want to try to repeat myself.”
Moreover, the highest position on the grid for the Italian in F1 this season prior to the pole position was fifth.
