AUSTIN, Texas – Max Verstappen secured pole position for the United States Grand Prix, surpassing McLaren’s Lando Norris. Championship leader Oscar Piastri struggled and qualified sixth.
Verstappen set a time of 1:32.510 at the start of Q3, which was enough. Red Bull didn’t send him out on track for a final attempt, but it wasn’t necessary. Norris finished 0.291 seconds behind the leader at the Circuit of the Americas.
This front row of the grid gives Verstappen and Norris the opportunity to close the gap with Piastri in Sunday’s race.
It was good. I think in each segment the car was very strong. Trying to put the lap together here can sometimes be tricky. It’s also very hot, a lot of strong wind. And then, in that first sector, having a tailwind is a challenge.
Max Verstappen
Verstappen added that his first lap in Q3 was good and that he managed to improve a little compared to Q2. Although he couldn’t complete his last attempt, the result was very good for the team.Max Verstappen logró su séptima pole de la temporada.Norris commented that he felt comfortable the day before, but that today things were more difficult due to the wind and the improvement of the other drivers. He was happy with second place, knowing that it could have been worse.
Verstappen had already added eight points to the McLarens 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 will seek to replicate his good start in the sprint, where a clean start allowed him to take the lead.
The championship leader, Piastri, struggled throughout the day and was half a second off Verstappen’s time.
The Australian driver, whose form has declined since the summer break, will have a complicated race on Sunday to minimize damage, with Charles Leclerc, George Russell and Lewis Hamilton on the grid between him and Norris.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli was seventh for Mercedes, ahead of Oliver Bearman, who will start eighth for Haas.
Carlos Sainz, who achieved a third place in Saturday’s sprint race, qualified ninth, followed by Fernando Alonso.
The session was interrupted with a red flag due to Isack Hadjar’s heavy crash in the early moments of Q1. The French rookie was unharmed, but will start from the back of the grid.
