Max Verstappen crushes Lando Norris' hopes and silences 'silly' F1 critics

has quashed any doubts that fatherhood would impact his speed on the track by clinching a stunning pole position at the . Despite being a new dad to baby Lily with partner Kelly Piquet, Verstappen arrived late in Florida but still managed to secure his third pole of the season, edging out Lando Norris by a mere 0.065 seconds at the Hard Rock Stadium.

Kimi Antonelli grabbed an unexpected third place for the sprint race, while championship frontrunner Oscar Piastri settling for fourth. George Russell rounded out the top five, with all within two-tenths of a second of each other. However, it was a day to forget for Lewis Hamilton, who languished in 12th, marking his poorest qualifying result with Ferrari so far.

Verstappen said: "Clearly becoming a dad didn't make me slower so we can throw that out the window for anyone who has mentioned it. I don't listen to these silly things. There have been enough racing drivers in the past who have been world champions after having kids so I don't know where the idea comes from."

While Norris quipped: "I was hoping becoming a dad would slow Max down but it clearly didn't. Max did a Max lap once again and I cannot fault him. I didn't deliver and it is a shame not to be on pole, but the pace was there and I have been feeling better than I have for the past weekends, and I am ready to see what we can do heading into the first corner."

Hamilton's hopes for a good starting position were dashed after a Q2 elimination left him trailing at 0.718 seconds behind the leaders, marking yet another unsatisfactory qualifying performance this season. Team-mate Charles Leclerc fared better, securing eighth place on the grid while Hamilton faces the uphill battle from four places back.

Meanwhile, Fernando Alonso's sprint crash might have helped Norris secure a win, but despite Aston Martin's speedy repairs, Alonso suffered a Q1 exit, adding to the turbulent weekend for the former champion.

Alonso will line up in 17th with British rookie Ollie Bearman 20th and last, with rain on the radar for Sunday's 57-lap contest.