The reigning F1 world champion had been on provisional pole after the first Q3 runs in qualifying, but a mistake through Turns 5-6 on his final lap, coupled with improvements by Ferrari duo Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, shuffled him back to third place, with Leclerc taking pole ahead of Sainz.
Verstappen admitted he didn't expect to be within reach of pole position given how much track time he lost on Friday at the new Miami International Autodrome, where a gearbox change delayed his start to second practice before a hydraulics issue restricted him to just one lap for the entire session.
