Miami GP: Ferrari's Charles Leclerc Grabs Pole, Praises "Crazy" Fans

World championship leader Charles Leclerc praised the enthusiasm of Ferrari's many American fans Saturday, but warned of a tense battle ahead after leading the Italian team to a front-row lockout at the inaugural Miami Grand Prix. The 24-year-old Monegasque claimed pole position ahead of his Ferrari team-mate Carlos Sainz after world champion Max Verstappen made a rare error and slipped to third on the grid for Red Bull at a packed Miami International Autodrome.

"The fans are crazy," said a beaming Leclerc. "But it's incredible to be here in the United States and to see how much the sport has grown over the last few years.

"The last race weekend wasn't great for me. I made a mistake in that race. But today it went well.

"We are starting on pole and we need to finish the job tomorrow.

"Red Bull are extremely quick in the straight lines, but we are quick in the corners and it will be a tight challenge tomorrow. We feel very motivated as there are so many Ferrari fans here."

Leclerc clocked a fastest lap in one minute and 28.796 seconds to outpace team-mate Sainz by two-tenths.

'Learn the track'

Verstappen was third after making a slight mistake on his final flying lap. His Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez was fourth with Valtteri Bottas fifth for Alfa Romeo and seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton sixth for Mercedes.

Verstappen, who is on 59 points in the championship and trails Leclerc by 27 points, swallowed his disappointment after missing much of Friday practice.

"Overall, I'm pretty pleased with qualifying," the Dutch driver said.

"I literally did four or five laps yesterday. The whole of today I was trying to learn the track and trying to find a decent balance in the car and actually, to be that competitive in