AUSTIN, Texas – Max Verstappen took pole position for the United States Grand Prix sprint race, beating McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.Verstappen secured the first position with a final lap that was 0.071 seconds faster than Norris’s. Tension increases in the fight for the championship, with Verstappen approaching the leaders since the summer break.
Although Saturday’s sprint race only awards eight points, the pressure on the McLaren drivers intensifies in the presence of the current champion.
Norris and Piastri arrive at the weekend after their incident in the Singapore Grand Prix. A crash in the sprint could benefit Verstappen.
Nico Hülkenberg from Sauber, who achieved his first podium at the British Grand Prix, will start fourth, followed by George Russell and Fernando Alonso.Ferrari, after its victory on the same circuit last year, had a less outstanding performance, with Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc in eighth and tenth position, respectively.Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon from Williams will share positions with Hamilton after an outstanding performance in SQ3.Kimi Antonelli from Mercedes failed to advance to SQ2, finishing just behind Hamilton.Isack Hadjar from Racing Bulls placed 11th, followed by Pierre Gasly from Alpine and Lance Stroll from Aston Martin.Liam Lawson did not set a time in SQ2 and will start the sprint in 15th position.Yuki Tsunoda, with a disappointing performance, failed to get past the first qualifying session, finishing in a low 18th place.Oliver Bearman, Esteban Ocon, and Franco Colapinto did not advance, as did Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto, who failed to set a lap time.Everything worked well. I expect a tough battle tomorrow in the sprint, but I think that’s exactly what we want to see.
Max Verstappen
