2026 Miami Grand Prix - Saturday

Fourth pole position of the season after Saturday fightback

• Kimi Antonelli claimed pole position for Sunday’s Miami Grand Prix with George Russell P5.
• That marks the team’s first pole position here at the Miami International Autodrome.
• It came after a difficult Friday and Saturday morning in which neither driver was fully happy with the W17.
• George had brought his car home P4 in the Sprint with Kimi classified P6 after receiving a five-second time penalty for track limits infringements.
• The team made set-up changes aimed at improving the balance of the car, particularly in low-speed corners, and that seemed to help with our single lap pace.
• Both drivers progressed through to Q3, and both set their best laps on their first efforts in that session.
• Many other drivers also failed to improve and that left Kimi on pole with George in P5.
• The weather forecast for Sunday’s race is mixed, with thunderstorms in the area that could bring rain and add plenty of unknowns.

Kimi Antonelli

I am very happy with how qualifying went for us today. It was a great recovery after a difficult Sprint and the best way to finish the day. I was very happy with my lap and felt like I maximised the car and my performance. I was frustrated to abort my last push lap after a lock up but thankfully the first effort was good enough for P1.

I’m already looking forward to tomorrow. The weather could be tricky but we will be ready for whatever is thrown our way. The aim is always to be prepared and get to the chequered flag as fast as possible. We will work hard to improve our start for Sunday as that has been a major limitation so far this year. I’m confident that as a team we can do so though and put ourselves in the strongest position to fight for the win.

George Russell

P5 is a disappointing result. Kimi did a great job to get pole but, on my side, I think we could have been P3 if we’d have maximised everything. Sadly, given how close the front of the field is, a few small mistakes added up to dropping us a few positions further down the grid. It’s not been my best weekend of the season so far, and I’ve struggled to get along with this track, but I’m hopeful tomorrow will be better.

The expected rain tomorrow will likely play a role in how the Grand Prix goes. We’ve not raced these cars in the wet so that’s an unknown. I’m confident we’ve got good underlying pace though and hopefully that helps us achieve a better result on Sunday.

Toto Wolff, Team Principal & CEO

That was a solid turnaround after a tough weekend here in Miami for us so far. The changes after the Sprint helped get the car in a better place and Kimi delivered a great lap come Qualifying. He pushed slightly too hard on his final effort, but his first one was still good enough for pole. Everything came together for him, and he had the confidence to deliver.

George recovered well despite not feeling at ease with the car today. He was potentially on for P3 before a small mistake at the final corner but he showed he has the pace to battle from P5. It was an incredibly tight session with four different teams in the mix for pole and that is great to see.

Whilst we are pleased with how our Saturday has ended, Sunday is where it all counts. We saw in the Sprint that overtaking is not easy, but the weather is looking changeable tomorrow. That will certainly make our lives interesting so let’s see what the Grand Prix brings.

Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director

Congratulations to Kimi on his third pole position of the season. We’ve not had the smoothest of weekends and it’s not been easy to get the car into a good window for the drivers. The changes we made after the Sprint seem to have helped though and it was a great lap by Kimi to take pole. The improvements we’ve made are encouraging but we know it’s Sunday that really counts.

George was also looking strong but lost some time at the last corner. That cost him several positions in such a tight session but the improvement he also made from Friday and the Sprint was encouraging.

The weather looks like it could make things both interesting and challenging tomorrow. That is especially true considering that we haven't run the car in the wet yet. Despite those unknowns, we are hopeful of having the pace to fight for the victory and continue our solid start to the season.