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Teen F1 leader Antonelli takes Miami Grand Prix pole

Mercedes’ championship-leading teenager Kimi Antonelli stormed to pole position on Saturday for the Miami Grand Prix, resisting a late charge by four-time champion Max Verstappen in a tense qualifying session.

The 19-year-old Italian, the youngest title race leader in F1 history, produced a fastest lap of one minute 27.798 seconds to top the times ahead of Red Bull’s Verstappen with Charles Leclerc third quickest in his Ferrari.

World champion Lando Norris, who won the sprint race earlier in the day, will start his McLaren from fourth in Sunday’s grid.

It was Antonelli’s third pole and his third in consecutive races, a feat that draws him alongside great former champions Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher in the record books.

His Mercedes team-mate George Russell was fifth ahead of seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton in the second Ferrari and Oscar Piastri, who was seventh in the second McLaren.

Alpine’s Franco Colapinto was eighth ahead of Isack Hadjar in the second Red Bull and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly.

“It has been an amazing day for me to be on pole again,” said Antonelli.

“It was obviously a difficult sprint (race) for me earlier, but I am super happy with this recovery. I got a little too excited in that last lap in Q3, but my first lap was good enough.

“I was so stressed because I was waiting for everyone to finish their laps, but it was good enough and now, hopefully, I will have a magic start tomorrow.”

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