AUSTIN, Texas – Max Verstappen secured the pole position for the United States Grand Prix, surpassing McLaren’s Lando Norris. Championship leader Oscar Piastri faced difficulties, qualifying in sixth place.
Verstappen set a time of 1:32.510 at the start of Q3, enough to secure pole position. Although Red Bull didn’t send him out for a final lap, it wasn’t necessary. Norris finished 0.291 seconds behind the leader at the Circuit of the Americas.
This first row opens the door for Verstappen and Norris, who will seek to close the gap with Piastri in Sunday’s qualifying.
It was good. I think the car was very strong in each segment. Trying to put the lap together here can sometimes be tricky. It’s also very hot, very windy. And then, in the first sector, the tailwind is a challenge.
Max Verstappen
Verstappen added that his first lap in Q3 was good, managing to improve a bit compared to Q2. Although he couldn’t complete his last lap, the result was very positive.Max Verstappen logró su séptima pole de la temporada.Norris commented that, although he felt comfortable the day before, today they struggled more, possibly due to the wind. He was happy with the second place, acknowledging that they had no chance of reaching the pole.
Verstappen had already scored eight points by winning the sprint race, in which Piastri and Norris suffered a crash after contact with Nico Hülkenberg.
Verstappen’s victory in the sprint race leaves him 55 points behind Piastri and 33 behind Norris before Sunday’s main race.
Verstappen, who has overtaken the two McLaren drivers in the last three races, will seek to repeat his good start in the sprint race, with a clean start that allows him to take the lead in turn 1.
Piastri, championship leader, had a complicated day and finished half a second behind Verstappen’s time.
The Australian driver, whose form has been inconsistent since the summer break, will face a difficult race on Sunday to minimize damage, with Charles Leclerc, George Russell and Lewis Hamilton starting between him and Norris.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli was seventh for Mercedes, followed by Oliver Bearman, who will start eighth for Haas.
Carlos Sainz, who obtained a meritorious third place in Saturday’s sprint race, qualified ninth, ahead of Fernando Alonso.
The session was interrupted by a red flag, following Isack Hadjar’s heavy accident in the early stages of Q1. The French debutant, who was unharmed, will start from the last position.
