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Max Verstappen Nears History by Claiming Seventh Straight Pole Position in Miami

The Red Bull driver again showed his dominance in South Florida by continuing his perfect start to the season in qualifying.

Zach Koons

Red Bull F1 driver Max Verstappen celebrates.
Red Bull F1 driver Max Verstappen celebrates. / Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports

For the seventh straight race in Formula One, Max Verstappen will start from the front of the grid.

The Red Bull driver and world championship leader claimed pole position at qualifying for the Miami Grand Prix on Saturday with yet another impressive performance at the first American event of the season. Verstappen beat out the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, who finished second and third respectively.

Throughout the afternoon session under the South Florida sun, Verstappen expressed his concern with the grip of the soft tires that most of the field was using. He ultimately wasn't able to improve upon his first flying lap of the third qualifying period (1:27.241), but the time was enough for him to land on pole for the sixth time in six races in 2024.

Dating back to last season, Verstappen has earned pole position in seven consecutive races, becoming the first driver since Lewis Hamilton to accomplish the feat. Hamilton notched seven straight poles with Mercedes in 2015 from the Monaco Grand Prix to the Brazilian Grand Prix. The only driver with more is the renowned Ayrton Senna, who went a perfect 8-for-8 for McLaren from the 1988 Spanish Grand Prix to the '89 United States Grand Prix.

Verstappen, who was also the winner of Saturday's F1 sprint race, will now be well-positioned to win the Miami Grand Prix for the third year in a row. A victory would go a long way in extending his lead in the drivers' world championship standings, which has already grown to 27 points over Red Bull teammate Sergio Pérez.

The Miami Grand Prix is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. ET on Sunday.

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Zach Koons

ZACH KOONS