Verstappen Clinches Pole Position for US Grand Prix in Austin
Max Verstappen has secured pole position for the United States Grand Prix, showcasing his dominance during qualifying at the Circuit of the Americas. The Dutch driver set a blistering time of 1:32.510, which proved to be enough for the top spot, even though he was unable to complete a second run in the final session.
Verstappen, who had consistently led the pack through the earlier rounds of qualifying, initially set the pace in Q3 with his impressive lap. Although he attempted to improve his time in the final moments, he crossed the line just after the chequered flag had fallen, forcing him to rely on his earlier effort. His time put him a comfortable 0.291 seconds ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris, who claimed second place with a time of 1:32.801.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc followed closely behind in third, clocking in at 1:32.807, while George Russell of Mercedes rounded out the top four with a time of 1:32.826. Lewis Hamilton, also of Mercedes, secured fifth position with 1:32.912, while Oscar Piastri faced a challenging session, finishing in sixth.
The top ten was completed by Kimi Antonelli in seventh, Oliver Bearman from Haas in eighth, Carlos Sainz in ninth, and Fernando Alonso in tenth.
Nico Hulkenberg, who had an impressive performance during Sprint Qualifying, was unable to replicate that success, exiting Q2 in 11th place. Yuki Tsunoda and the Alpine duo of Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto followed closely behind in 13th, 14th, and 15th, respectively.
The qualifying session saw early drama when Isack Hadjar crashed, bringing out the red flags and leaving him in 20th place. Track limits also played a significant role, affecting Lance Stroll and Alexander Albon, who had their laps deleted, placing them in 18th and 19th positions. Stroll will start at the back of the grid due to a five-place penalty.
