Max Verstappen inched closer to a third consecutive win at the Miami Grand Prix on Saturday by continuing his long domination of Formula 1 qualifying. The three-time reigning F1 champion won his seventh consecutive pole, but first at Miami, where Verstappen failed to earn the top starting spot in the first two races around Hard Rock Stadium, yet still won them both. “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, with the tire feeling over one lap,” Verstappen said.
The only American driver in Formula One had a somewhat decent showing in the Saturday sprint race ahead of the Miami Grand Prix. Then Logan Sargeant totally tanked in qualifying at a time his seat with Williams seems in serious jeopardy. The sprint race was won by three-time reigning F1 champion Max Verstappen, who is undefeated on the Miami circuit since its 2022 debut.
Formula 1 is back in the United States for the first time in six months and the first stop is the Miami Grand Prix, the race that was supposed to be the American showpiece. Miami was the big party when it debuted in 2022 but the question is: Has its status fallen enough that Sunday's race is simply just the first of three events in what has traditionally been NASCAR country? Tyler Epp, president of the Miami Grand Prix, acknowledged ticket sales for the third running of the event have been “soft” but felt there would be an uptick ahead of Sunday's race.