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.

The Red Bull driver pointed out the work ethic of the two most decorated drivers on the current grid when pulling into the circuit in Miami. “You see that, by the way,” he said to the camera. “Seven-time world champion, four-time world champion… the first in.”