Max Verstappen declared there was "light at the end of the tunnel" after qualifying in second for the Miami Grand Prix, with Kimi Antonelli on pole again.

Antonelli, the Formula One drivers' championship leader going into the weekend, bounced back from a costly time penalty in the Sprint race to qualify fastest.

The Mercedes driver has now made pole position for three of four races this season, having ran 0.399 seconds faster than his team-mate George Russell, who placed a disappointing fifth.

And there was a surprise in second place as four-time champion Verstappen, who has not finished higher than sixth at any race in 2026, secured a spot on the front row.

Verstappen, who recently suggested he could quit F1 due to the impact of regulation changes, was boosted by a major upgrade package introduced by Red Bull this week.

"There's light at the end of the tunnel. It's an incredible turnaround for us," Verstappen told Sky Sports.

"I really didn't feel in control of the car up until this weekend. I didn't know what would happen with it.

"The team have brought a really good performance upgrade to the car. They made it more driveable for me, and it really clicked as soon as I jumped in the car here. 

"It felt great, or a lot better. For us, to be on the front row is a bit of a surprise but we'll take it. It's a massive boost for the whole team and we are heading in the right direction."

Miami moments #F1 || #MiamiGP   pic.twitter.com/zjt7UBJ3XB

— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) May 3, 2026

Antonelli is the first Italian driver to achieve three consecutive pole positions since Riccardo Patrese between Canada and France in 1991 (also three).

When he won the Japanese Grand Prix in March, he became the youngest driver to ever lead the championship standings, at 19 years and 216 days old.

"It's been an amazing day to be on pole again. It was a difficult start with the Sprint when it didn't go our way, but we're super happy with the recovery," Antonelli said.

"I got a bit excited with the last lap in Q3, but the first lap was good enough and I'm really happy with that."

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc qualified in third, with Lando Norris – the winner of Saturday's Sprint – in fourth. Lewis Hamilton was sixth, with Oscar Piastri in seventh. 

Sunday's race has been brought forward by three hours, to 13:00 local time, due to the threat of thunderstorms.