Max Verstappen says he was surprised that his 'terrible' SQ3 lap was enough to take a sprint pole at Formula 1's Miami Grand Prix.
Verstappen skated around the Miami Autodrome on his only lap in the final top 10 shootout, but his nearest rivals also struggled to improve on their SQ2 times despite bolting on softer tyres for the final shootout. McLaren's Lando Norris particularly looked to have missed a chance for a second consecutive sprint pole, his table-topping SQ2 faster than Verstappen's pole-winning effort of 1m27.641s.
'I didn't really improve a lot on the soft, but somehow we are first. I will happily take it, but it didn't really feel enjoyable out there to drive for whatever reason.' Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20 Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images Verstappen said he had been confident he could fight for pole after Friday morning's single 60-minute practice session, but that confidence disappeared once he exited the garage for qualifying, while Norris topped both SQ1 and SQ2.
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