He kept chipping away, and when the checkered flag flew at the end of qualifying for the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix, Max Verstappen was where he has been so many times before over his storied career.

Kimi Antonelli, who at 18 years old became F1's youngest pole winner in history when he started first in Saturday's sprint race, qualified third for Mercedes. It is the first time he qualified higher than teammate George Russell, who was fifth behind current F1 points leader Oscar Piastri of McLaren.

Max Verstappen insisted his brilliant pole position for Sunday’s Miami Grand Prix is proof that becoming a father will not slow him down. Verstappen was a late arrival to the sixth round of the campaign in Florida after his girlfriend, Kelly Piquet, gave birth to their daughter, Lily, earlier this week.