Sergio Perez during Miami Grand Prix qualifying
Sergio Perez during Miami Grand Prix qualifying

2024 F1 Miami Grand Prix - Qualifying as it happened

A recap of all the qualifying action at the F1 Miami Grand Prix.

04 May 2024
22:21
See you tomorrow for the Grand Prix

That's a wrap on our coverage of qualifying in Miami. 

But join us again tomorrow from 20:00 UK time as we build up to the 2024 Miami Grand Prix, with lights out at 21:00. 

22:15
Miami Grand Prix qualifying report

Here is our qualifying report as Verstappen secured his seventh straight F1 pole. 

Max Verstappen (NLD) Red Bull Racing RB20. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 6, Miami Grand Prix, Miami, Florida, USA,
Max Verstappen (NLD) Red Bull Racing RB20. Formula 1 World Championship,…
22:11
Verstappen reacts to his latest F1 pole

"We definitely improved the car a bit. I don't know what it is, every single year we come here, I find it extremely difficult to be consistent with the car feeling, the tyre feeling over one lap.

"It's super hard to make sure that Sector 1 feels good, then Sector 3 at the end of the lap. To make that happens together is incredibly tough.

"Again today, it was about finding that balance. I think we did OK. It wasn't the most enjoyable lap of my career because of how slippery it is and you're not very confident on the lap. But we are on pole, and that's the most important thing."

22:07
Full results from qualifying

Here's the full qualifying results for the Miami Grand Prix

Esteban Ocon (FRA) Alpine F1 Team A524. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 6, Miami Grand Prix, Miami, Florida, USA, Sprint
Esteban Ocon (FRA) Alpine F1 Team A524. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 6…
22:02
Verstappen takes pole in Miami

Verstappen doesn't improve but still claims his sixth pole from six races in 2024! 

Leclerc and Sainz fall short but take second and third ahead of the second Red Bull of Perez. 

21:58
Final runs starting

This is it. Can anyone deny Verstappen? 

21:55
Verstappen on provisional pole

Verstappen is 0.141 seconds clear of Ferrari's Leclerc after the opening salvos of Q3. 

Sainz is third, ahead of Piastri and Perez. 

Norris is sixth and ahead of the Mercedes pair of Russell and Hamilton despite being the only driver on mediums.

Hulkenberg and Tsunoda complete the top 10 with one more run still to come!

21:49
The battle for pole position is underway!

Green light and Q3 - and with it the battle for pole position - has begun.

Q2 ended up being very tight with four different teams represented in the top five. 

Leclerc set the pace ahead of Verstappen, Hamilton, Piastri and Perez.

Let's see how Q3 unfolds...

21:41
Both Aston Martins eliminated

Hamilton does find improvement to go second.

Stroll, Gasly, Ocon, Albon and Alonso are the drivers eliminated in Q2. 

This is turning out to be a rotten weekend for the Spaniard.

21:37
Hamilton and Alonso both in drop zone

Both Hamilton and Alonso need to find an improvement if they are to progress into Q3.

The current drop zone is made up of Ocon, Hamilton, Stroll, Alonso and Albon. 

Final runs are beginning now.

21:35
Albon briefly stops in final sector

Albon has had a moment at Turn 17. He runs way too deep and has to momentarily stop on track to avoid hitting the barriers. 

That leaves him 15th and slowest of the Q2 runners. 

21:33
Leclerc heads McLaren pair

The opening runs are complete and Leclerc leads the way from Piastri, Norris, Sainz and Verstappen. 

Hulkenberg has popped up into an eye-catching sixth for Haas. 

Tsunoda, Perez, Russell and Gasly complete the rest of the current top 10 order. 

Hamilton is only 12th and behind both Alpines. 

21:27
Green light for Q2!

Time for the next part of qualifying! 

21:21
Ricciardo out in Q1!

Bottas, Sargeant, Ricciardo, Magnussen and Zhou are the drivers who are eliminated in Q1.

That's especially disappointing for Ricciardo, who starred in sprint qualifying and the sprint race. What a difference a few hours can make...

The Australian will start Sunday's grand prix last due to his penalty.

Daniel Ricciardo (AUS) RB VCARB 01. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 6, Miami Grand Prix, Miami, Florida, USA, Sprint and
Daniel Ricciardo (AUS) RB VCARB 01. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 6,…
21:15
Final runs beginning now

Who will make it into the second part of qualifying? It's time to find out. 

21:13
Who's in danger of elimination?

Sargeant, Gasly, Magnussen, Zhou and Albon are the five drivers at risk of being dumped out in Q1 with only five minutes to go. 

Ricciardo is on the bubble in 15th. 

21:12
Hamilton goes third with strong lap

Hamilton moves himself up to third and just 0.230s off new pacesetter Sainz. 

21:09
Verstappen fastest

Verstappen pulls 0.136 seconds clear of Sainz with his first timed lap of the session. 

Eight minutes left on the clock. 

21:06
Early times on the board

Sainz and Leclerc lead the way from Perez, Russell, Piastri and Alonso during the early stages of Q1. 

21:00
Q1 and qualifying is go!

We have a green light at the end of the pitlane and the first part of qualifying is underway. 

20:55
Norris gets reprimand for crossing track

Lando Norris gets a €50,000 fine - €25,000 of which is suspended until the end of the season - and a reprimand for crossing the track without permission following his exit from the sprint race.

That is the same penalty Lewis Hamilton got in Qatar last year. 

20:50
Newey taking a good look at the Ferrari - his next F1 team?
Adrian Newey (GBR) Red Bull Racing Chief Technical Officer on the grid. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 6, Miami Grand
Adrian Newey (GBR) Red Bull Racing Chief Technical Officer on the grid…
20:44
Ricciardo carrying penalty into Sunday's GP

Daniel Ricciardo has been the star of the weekend so far in Miami, qualifying and finishing a fantastic fourth in the sprint race. 

The RB driver will be hoping to continue his good form into main qualifying, but he will drop three places for Sunday's grand prix. 

This is because he is carrying a penalty into the weekend after being adjudged to have overtaken under the Safety Car last time out in China. 

Daniel Ricciardo (AUS) RB celebrates in Sprint parc ferme. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 6, Miami Grand Prix, Miami,
Daniel Ricciardo (AUS) RB celebrates in Sprint parc ferme. Formula 1 World…
20:37
Verstappen had the edge yesterday

Verstappen held the upper hand in yesterday's qualifying for the sprint, which he took a controlled victory in.

But the Dutchman was not totally happy with his Red Bull car, describing his qualifying session as "terrible" despite beating Ferrari's Charles Leclerc to pole by just over a tenth on Friday. 

Can Leclerc go one better today, or will Verstappen make it six poles in six races this year?

20:33
Building up to qualifying

We are less than half an hour away from the start of qualifying in Miami. 

Will Verstappen make it two poles in as many days?

Max Verstappen (NLD) Red Bull Racing RB20. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 6, Miami Grand Prix, Miami, Florida, USA,
Max Verstappen (NLD) Red Bull Racing RB20. Formula 1 World Championship,…