Dominating in free practice and the first two parts of qualifying, the two-time reigning Dutch world champion was unable to defend his chances due to an accident by Charles Leclerc.

Coming out of the pits late, "Mad Max" was on track to achieve his first time when the Monegasque sent his Ferrari into the wall two minutes from the end of Q3, causing the deployment of a red flag synonymous with the interruption of the session.

"It's unlucky, but we hadn't done a lap yet and it's my fault. It's a shame because we had been very competitive since the beginning of the weekend. The car was very fast, we saw that in Q2, so it's very frustrating," Verstappen said.

Trailed in the championship standings by Pérez (93 points against 87), the Dutchman remains however very ambitious for the race where he said he was aiming "at least for second place".

At the second event of the season, in mid-March in Saudi Arabia, he took second place behind Pérez after starting in 15th position due to a mechanical problem during qualifying.

Dutch Red Bull driver Max Verstappen during qualifying for the F1 Grand Prix of Miami, on May 6, 2023 in Florida © CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP

All the lights are green for his Mexican teammate. Winner of the sprint and Grand Prix last weekend in Azerbaijan, he secured his second pole position of the season and is now the favourite for victory at the Miami International Autodrome on Sunday. However, he did not seem comfortable during free practice.

"It was one of my worst weekends until qualifying. I reset everything and made changes before qualifying and managed to set up the car better. Before qualifying I struggled to find balance and confidence," he said.

Alonso at the party, Hamilton disappoints

Spanish veteran Fernando Alonso set the second fastest time in his Aston Martin and reinvigorated his team who had taken a blow to the back of the head with the disappointing 18th place of his Canadian teammate Lance Stroll.

His compatriot Carlos Sainz confirmed the recovery of Ferrari, who had clinched its first podium of the season in Baku, by claiming third place. Leclerc, author of the pole in Azerbaijan, set the seventh time before hitting the wall and rushing the end of Q3 against his will.

"I'm angry with myself. I made the same mistake I made yesterday at the same corner. Qualifying is one of my strong points but today it didn't go well so I'm very disappointed," admitted the Monegasque.

Monegasque Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc during qualifying for the F1 Grand Prix of Miami, on May 6, 2023 in Florida © ANGELA WEISS / AFP

To everyone's surprise, Denmark's Kevin Magnussen will start from fourth place to the delight of his Haas team, which plays at home in the United States.

After a calamitous weekend in Azerbaijan, Alpine has raised the bar by placing its two cars in the Top 8. Frenchman Esteban Ocon set the 8th fastest time, while his compatriot Pierre Gasly took fifth place, his best qualifying result since joining the French team this winter.

"I'm really happy for the whole team. We found performance while this qualifying session was not easy. I managed to do a good lap with the worn tyres and unfortunately for Charles, he hits the wall and we enjoy it a little. It's very positive and there is a big result to go for this weekend and it would be good for the whole team," Gasly said.

Alpine French driver Pierre Gasly during qualifying for the F1 Grand Prix of Miami, on May 6, 2023 in Florida © ANGELA WEISS / AFP

The disappointment came from Mercedes as seven-time British world champion Lewis Hamilton was eliminated in Q2 after setting the 13th time, while his compatriot George Russell limited the damage by setting the sixth time.

© 2023 AFP