The Ferrari driver won his third pole position of the season on the Florida track, and will start from the front row with Carlos Sainz.
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Charles Leclerc is the first poleman in the history of the Miami circuit. The Monegasque set the fastest time in qualifying (1’28”796, circuit record) to claim his third pole position of the season, the twelfth of his career in Formula 1. He will be followed by his teammate Carlos Sainz , second, for a 100% Ferrari front row. Max Verstappen failed in his last attempt and could not fight to the end with the Monegasque, his main rival since the start of the season. He will start third, alongside his Red Bull team-mate Sergio Pérez.
QUALIFYING CLASSIFICATION
HAS @ScuderiaFerrari 1-2 for qualifying! #MiamiGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/XHfE3J57Bg
— Formula 1 (@F1) May 7, 2022
We were expecting some hectic qualifying on a new circuit, but the session was rather calm. Under these conditions, Ferrari and Red Bull were able to continue the crossover that has driven them since the start of the season. And it was the Italian team that took the lead, placing its two drivers on the first two positions of the starting grid for the first time this season. Too much on the attack on his last attempt at the very end of the session, Verstappen had to slow down and settle for third time. Perez, who had acted as pilot fish for the Dutchman, could not do better than 4th.
Behind, Mercedes starts to take its head out of the water. Lewis Hamilton went for a good sixth place on the starting grid, after a complicated start to the session and having come close to elimination in Q1. But everything is not yet ready for the German team, since George Russell, a little further back, will start only 12th.
On the French side, the satisfaction comes from the good seventh place of Pierre Gasly, the best qualification of the season for the AlphaTauri driver. The session was more disappointing for Alpine. Esteban Ocon couldn’t defend his chances after hitting the wall with a spin in the third free practice session earlier in the evening. The chassis of his car could not be repaired in time. He will start from 20th and last place on the grid on Sunday. His teammate Fernando Alonso missed the top 10 by 32 thousandths, and will start 11th.