Red Bull's Sergio Perez takes pole position for F1 Miami Grand Prix

By Can Erozden

ANKARA (AA) - Red Bull's Mexican driver Sergio Perez sealed the pole position for Sunday's Miami Grand Prix in Formula One.

Perez beat his opponents in the third qualifying session with a time of 1.26.841 seconds to guarantee the leading spot in the race.

His teammate and the 2023 F1 World Championship leader Max Verstappen qualified for the ninth spot in Sunday's race.

Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso was second after finishing the Q3 in 1.27.202 seconds. Carlos Sainz qualified third for Ferrari.

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc crashed in qualifying. The driver from Monaco broke his rear wing in the accident and qualified seventh.

The US is poised to host the Miami Grand Prix in the state of Florida -- Round 5 of the 2023 Formula 1 season.

The race, which will start at 1930GMT, will be run over 57 laps of the 5.4-kilometer (3.3-mile) Miami International Autodrome.

The Miami Grand Prix made its Formula 1 debut in 2022, and Verstappen, who was the defending champion, won the race.