Miami, FL
Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli continues strong form with Miami Grand Prix Pole
Formula 1 is back after an unexpected one-month hiatus because of the war in the Middle East, and somehow the series has reconvened in Miami, right where we were and not where we were, if that makes sense.
It may not, but I’ll explain.
Through the first three races, there were two clear-cut top teams: Mercedes and Ferrari. Mercedes’ driver Kimi Antonelli had also won two straight Grand Prix coming into Miami, and is the current championship leader.
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Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli comes into the Miami Grand Prix as the championship leader. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)
However, teams brought a considerable number of upgrades — plus the FIA and F1 have tuned the regulations a little after some team feedback — and suddenly, we’ve got more teams battling toward the front.
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This was noticeable in Saturday morning’s Sprint, which featured a McLaren 1-2, led by reigning world champion Lando Norris.
But the bigger shakeup came in qualifying.
While the Silver Arrows’ 19-year-old superstar took pole by around a tenth and a half, what was surprising was that he was battling Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
Red Bull had massive struggles through the first three rounds of the season and, even to Verstappen’s surprise during his post-session interview, was battling for pole.
Even wilder, there are four different teams represented on the first two rows of the grid: Mercedes with Antonelli on pole, Red Bull with Verstappen in P2, Ferrari with Charles Leclerc in P3 and McLaren with Norris in P4.
Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli (centre) with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen (left) and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc after Miami Grand Prix qualifying. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)
Now, all eyes are going to be on the start of what is expected to be a wet race.
Starts have been the Achilles’ heel for Mercedes, and especially Antonelli this season, something that was seen on Saturday morning during the Sprint.
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Fortunately for him, Verstappen’s starts haven’t been much better, but unfortunately, starting right behind Antonelli is Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari, and the Scuderia’s cars have been absolute missiles off the line all season long (really since preseason testing).
So even with the short run into Turn 1 at the Miami International Autodrome, which is just under 200 meters, I think we’re going to see Leclerc jump at least one, maybe both, of the cars on the front row.
Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli celebrates taking pole for the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)
Maybe the wet weather can reduce that Ferrari advantage when the lights go out, but even if it does, Antonelli has Verstappen — a wet-weather fiend — alongside him.
Antonelli’s best chance of his third-straight Grand Prix will be best if he can get off the line cleanly and keep the lead out of Turn 1, but no matter what, this is shaping up to be the biggest challenge of his championship campaign so far.
The Oregon Ducks come off a chaotic recruiting period in the 2027 cycle, where they hosted official visitors and added to their list of commitments. Coach Dan Lanning and the Oregon staff are simultaneously looking ahead to future recruiting classes.
As the 2027 cycle starts to wind down and the 2028 cycle begins to pick up, the Ducks entered the recruiting sweepstakes for four-star edge rusher Elijah Tillman.
Oregon Ducks in the Mix for Four-Star EDGE Elijah Tillman
Tillman is a 6-7, 210-pound edge rusher from Loganville, Georgia. He’s listed as a consensus four-star recruit and is ranked as high as No. 152 in the class by Rivals.
In a recent interview with Rivals’ Chad Simmons, Tillman revealed that Oregon and the Miami Hurricanes are among the schools that he wants to visit. According to 247Sports, the Ducks offered him back on April 30, 2026, while the Hurricanes extended an offer all the way on January 25, 2025.
Tillman told Rivals that the different schools in the mix are even at the moment, but that Oregon and Miami were two of the schools that he wants to go out and see.
Four-Star Elijah Tillman’s Potential Oregon Ducks Fit
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With Tillman’s large frame, which still has the opportunity to grow, he would provide the Ducks with size on the edge right away.
The 2027 recruiting class currently features five-star edge rusher Rashad Streets, three-star Achilles Reyna and three-star Josh Christensen at the position. The program prepares for current starters Matayo Uiagelelei and Teitum Tuioti to head to the NFL Draft at the conclusion of the 2026 season, leaving opportunities for the next couple of recruiting classes.
Additionally, the Ducks haven’t earned any commitments from the state of Georgia in their 2027 recruiting class. The last commit Lanning landed from Georgia was Dayton Raiola in the 2026 class, who made his decision on February 4, 2026. Making a big push for Tillman could possibly reignite the program’s recruiting in the Peach State.
Miami Hurricanes vs. Oregon Ducks Recruiting Battle
Miami is the other program that appears to be making a big push early for Tillman. Oregon fans are very familiar with former Ducks coach Mario Cristobal, who took Oregon recruiting to a different level before leading the Hurricanes to the National Championship game last season.
Cristobal and the Hurricanes have battled Lanning and the Ducks for blue-chip recruits more and more over the recent recruiting cycles. Most notably, Miami flipped four-star cornerback Ai’King Hall’s commitment from Oregon earlier in the 2027 cycle.
The two rivals also emerged as finalists for linebacker recruit Jalaythan Mayfield, who ended up choosing the Indiana Hoosiers. Oregon got the best of the Hurricanes once in the 2027 cycle when four-star offensive lineman Gus Corsair committed to the Pacific Northwest program over the Vanderbilt Commodores and Miami.
While the Hurricanes aren’t a Big Ten rival that the Ducks commonly go toe-to-toe with on the field and in the recruiting realm, Cristobal’s role in the recruiting rivalry adds a little bit more fuel to battles for recruits like Tillman.
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The Miami Dolphins will have new starters at their cornerback positions since both Jack Jones and Rasul Douglas are not back with the team. The team drafted Chris Johnson in the first round and it’s pretty likely he’ll have a large role and should claim the one starting spot. The other starting spot should be up for grabs among the rest of the group. Jason Marshall is one of those players who has a better chance of claiming that starting spot after showing some flashes his rookie season. Jeff Hafley has already said he envision Marshall playing on the outside and the second-year corner should get plenty of chances to prove himself during the preseason.
You can check out that story here, and the rest of the day’s round-up below.
Phinsider News You May Have Missed
With Miami-Dade Superintendent Jose Dotres’ contract ending in February 2027, school board members are now looking to have his replacement by August.
Dotres has served as the superintendent for the third-largest school district since 2022. The school board started the search for his replacement in April.
More than 20 people applied for the position, but now only six have secured spots as semifinalists.
Here’s a closer look at who Miami-Dade’s superintendent might be:
Jose Bueno
With roughly 33 years of experience within Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Bueno currently serves as Dotres’ Chief of Staff.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Bueno’s tasks include coordinating and implementing major projects “that have significant district-wide impact on the goals of the district and involve coordination of other divisions and offices.”
He started as a teacher within the country back in 1993 and is a Florida International University and Nova Southeastern University graduate.
Ernie Lozano
Lozano is currently Broward County’s Public Schools Chief Human Resources Officer.
His passion is creating a safe and secure environment for both students and staff.
“He has been recognized for his contributions to the District’s safety and security initiatives, receiving accolades for his exceptional leadership and commitment to student and staff well-being,” according to a bio on the site for the National Student Safety and Security Conference & Workshop.
Before his career in human resources, Lozano served within education as a teacher, assistant principal and more.
Sylvia Mitchell
Hope builder, executive leadership coach and seasoned superintendent are all descriptions Mitchell has on her LinkedIn.
Living in Houston, Texas, Mitchell is familiar with the Sunshine State since she was a principal at Charter Schools USA in Fort Lauderdale back in 2012.
She has also served as superintendent twice in Texas and is currently Executive Vice President, Curriculum, Design & Development for Per Scholars.
Carlos Perez
Perez is a charter school principal in West Palm Beach and the former executive director of the Education Reform Project, a nonprofit organization based in Miami Beach.
According to the nonprofit, Perez has over 25 years of experience within education, mainly in New York, but now in Florida.
Perez has also been an assistant superintendent in the past, as well as taking part as an Executive Board Member for the New York State Association of School Personnel Administrators.
Christopher Ruszkowski
Currently based in South Carolina as CEO of South Carolina’s Children’s Fund, Ruszkowski has moved all over the country, and Florida will be no exception.
According to his LinkedIn, he served as New Mexico’s Secretary of Education back in 2019. Before living in South Carolina, he was a conservator for the Texas Education Agency. A conservator oversees the state’s takeovers of large school districts and charter school networks.
Getting his master’s at Stanford, Ruszkowski was a Distinguished Policy Fellow at the Hoover Institute located within the university.
Rafael Villalobos
Since 2022, Villalobos has been the South Region Superintendent of Miami-Dade County Public Schools. Before that, he was a principal for over ten years.
The Nova Southeastern alum has been in Miami for most of his life, even graduating from South Miami Senior High School in 1990.
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