After a stunning lap, young Italian Kimi Antonelli secured pole position for the Miami Grand Prix sprint race, becoming the youngest ever driver in Formula 1 history to start from P1 in any format.

However, not everyone had a positive outing in Miami. Let’s take a look at the winners and losers from sprint qualifying at the 2025 Miami Grand Prix.

2025 Miami GP: Winners and Losers

With less time available than in traditional qualifying and every driver desperate to complete their lap as late as possible, chaos ensued. Poor communication between teams and drivers played a major role.

Miami, being partially a street circuit, is only used for Formula 1 – similar to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. As a result, the asphalt is dusty and lacks grip early in the weekend.

As cars circulate, rubber builds up in the surface, increasing grip lap by lap. That’s why everyone tries to time their final runs as late as possible to benefit from peak track conditions.

That led to traffic problems and coordination errors, most notably for Yuki Tsunoda and Jack Doohan.

Winner: Kimi Antonelli

Undoubtedly the biggest winner of the session. Kimi delivered a phenomenal lap, clocking in 0.045s quicker than Piastri and 0.100s ahead of Norris. Making this achievement even more impressive – this was his first-ever drive at the Miami circuit.

As Kimi stated after the session, Mercedes made the most of the sole free practice session to gather as much data as possible and build confidence.

The challenge now: hold off the McLarens behind in tomorrow’s sprint.

Loser: Yuki Tsunoda

The biggest disappointment of the session was Yuki Tsunoda, who, due to a breakdown in team coordination, failed to start his second flying lap in time and ended the session P18.

While preparing for his final push, Tsunoda found himself behind his team-mate. In an attempt to create a gap, Yuki slowed down, only for Max to dive into the pits, abandoning his lap and leaving Tsunoda stranded without a run.

Such a coordination mistake is rare – especially for a team like Red Bull.

Winner: Isack Hadjar

Another standout performance came from Isack Hadjar, who reached SQ3 and once again out-qualified his team-mate Liam Lawson.

Looking at their telemetry, Hadjar built a huge margin – over four-tenths – in Sector 1 alone.

The graph shows Hadjar had superior stability into Turn 1 and much more confidence through the fast, front-limited corners of T4–T6.

Sector 2, which demands high technical precision, was closely matched – but in Sector 3, Hadjar once again edged ahead. A better exit from the final corner and more stability under throttle made the difference.

Loser: Liam Lawson

Liam Lawson is under increasing pressure after two poor outings for Red Bull and a sudden demotion to the sister team, Racing Bulls, swapping places with Tsunoda.

Though many believed this change would benefit him – especially in the more manageable VCARB02, a car he’s already driven – things still look bleak. Hadjar, despite being a rookie, has clearly adapted better.

More from the Miami Grand Prix

👉 Miami Grand Prix here to stay as massive calendar extension signed

👉 Revealed: Three bold predictions for the 2025 Miami Grand Prix

Winner: McLaren

Both McLaren drivers were slightly off Antonelli’s pole lap, but the session was still a net positive. The time gaps were minimal, and there’s a strong chance McLaren will show superior race pace in the sprint.

The MCL38 continues to prove it’s the most adaptable car to changing track conditions – particularly in hot weather. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the Papaya cars take the lead tomorrow.

Loser: Ferrari

Ferrari continues to struggle. At the beginning of the season, they already looked like the weakest of the top four teams – and nothing seems to have changed.

Sector-by-sector, Leclerc was slower than Antonelli. Though the time loss per sector was relatively small, Charles consistently gave away time throughout the lap.

His only notable strength was under braking after DRS zones and through the T4–T6 complex.

Winner: Fernando Alonso

Aston Martin’s performance decline is no secret – they appear to be shifting focus to 2026 and the new regulations. The team hasn’t scored a point in the last three race weekends and currently sits seventh in the Constructors’ standings.

Nonetheless, Alonso delivered his best qualifying of the season, making it into SQ3 (or Q3) for the first time. He will start the sprint from P10 and try to fight for the points.

Loser: Jack Doohan

Jack Doohan experienced a situation strikingly similar to Yuki Tsunoda’s – ending sprint qualifying in 17th place without even getting a chance to improve his time at the end of SQ1.

The Australian encountered issues while leaving the garage, with Alpine mechanics having to assist his release onto the pit lane. As a result, he joined the queue of cars last and ultimately ran out of time to complete a second flying lap.

Doohan’s frustration was clearly audible over team radio. He has already been under pressure for several weeks, with ongoing speculation that Argentine driver Franco Colapinto could replace him mid-season. Performances like this one certainly don’t help his case.

Read next: Albon questions Mercedes W16 legality in Miami GP radio message