Verstappen Wins in Austin: Pole Position Ahead of Norris

AUSTIN, Texas – Max Verstappen secured pole position for the United States Grand Prix, outpacing McLaren’s Lando Norris, while championship leader Oscar Piastri found himself in a challenging sixth place. Verstappen set a time of 1:32.510 at the start of Q3, a record that secured him the top spot. Although Red Bull did not send him out on track for a final lap, it was not necessary. Norris finished 0.291 seconds behind the leader at the Circuit of the Americas.

The front row of the grid gives Verstappen and Norris the opportunity to reduce the gap with Piastri in Sunday’s race, at a time when Verstappen has become an unexpected contender in the fight for the title.

It was good. I think the car was very strong in every segment. Trying to put the lap together here can sometimes be tricky. It’s also very hot and windy. And then, in the first sector, having a tailwind is a challenge.

Max Verstappen

Verstappen added: “The first lap in Q3 was good. I managed to improve a bit compared to Q2. Unfortunately, I couldn’t do my last run. It was a bit messy with the out laps, but fortunately… we didn’t need it. So, for us again, a very solid result.”

Norris commented: “Yesterday I felt quite comfortable. And I don’t know if everyone else has improved a bit or if today’s wind hurt us a bit more, but we both had more difficulty today making the laps and being as fast as this guy.

So, we were pushing. And I’m very happy with second place. It could have been worse, but there was no chance we could get pole today.

Lando Norris

Verstappen had already taken eight points off McLaren by winning the sprint race, in which Piastri and Norris collided after contact with Nico Hülkenberg, which left them out of the race. Verstappen’s victory in the shortened event puts him 55 points ahead of Piastri and 33 points ahead of Norris before Sunday’s main race. Verstappen has finished ahead of both McLaren drivers in the last three races. He will seek to replicate his start in the sprint, with a good start that allows him to take the lead in turn 1. Piastri, championship leader, struggled throughout the day and finished half a second behind Verstappen’s time. The Australian driver, whose form has declined 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, ahead of qualifying star 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 his Spanish compatriot Fernando Alonso. The session featured a red flag, with Isack Hadjar suffering a heavy accident in the early moments of Q1. The French rookie was unharmed in the accident, but will start from the back of the grid.