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It was Norris’ first pole since Las Vegas last year, three races from the end of the championship, and one thought – at least – that Mercedes might not have it all their own way this year.
Antonelli scored a good result for Mercedes after a difficult session.
The Mercedes car often struggled in the heat, and the 32C temperature didn’t help.
But after not looking competitive for most of the session, Antonelli proved to be the last car to set a time in the final session, where the track became more crowded and productive.
“It was a very chaotic session,” said the Italian. “I struggled a lot with the car and I couldn’t get in at the junction (in the first two sessions, tires were needed), and the smoother, suddenly, the car became more alive. I felt more comfortable.
“We definitely felt that we were expecting this weekend to be very difficult, because those teams have brought special improvements and closed the gap massively or got in front of us. McLaren have the same engine as us and they will improve the car a lot, but I think we can be in the fight.”
Russell took the opposite route and ran first, 0.4 seconds back from his team-mate, not a great result as he had to gain nine points on the champion Antonelli.
“It’s amazing how big a leap McLaren and Ferrari have made,” Russell said. “It’s amazing. They were faster than us all day. On my side, I was fighting all day.
“Miami is not a track that I particularly like, especially in these hot conditions, but it’s just qualifying for the Sprint. It’s just warming up the tires in the twisty part in the middle. Struggling to find the right balance with the car.
The Ferrari was fastest in practice and the first two qualifying stages in the middle tyre, but struggled in the final session.
“The improvements are good,” Leclerc said. “It’s just everyone who has made improvements. McLaren has made a big step but I felt like they didn’t show it in their first races so they were always there but they didn’t put everything together.
“On our side we struggled with the tyres, the mediums were working really well, the softs didn’t feel good so we have to look at it. We know we’re stronger in the race pace but there’s still work to be done in terms of qualifying.”
