US Grand Prix Qualifying Recap: Lando Norris Secures Pole Position Amid Luck, Verstappen Takes P2

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The short break in the season seems to have rejuvenated Red Bull, Max Verstappen, and his RB20. Following his victory in the sprint race, the three-time world champion appears to be on track for pole position in the qualifying session for the United States Grand Prix. However, things took a turn when George Russell suffered a hard crash during the final moments of Q3. As a result, Verstappen’s rival, Lando Norris, will start the race from pole position on Sunday. Verstappen ultimately secured the second-fastest time, confident in his car’s speed.

Q1: Hamilton Stumbles, Lawson Surprises

Max Verstappen wasted no time in Q1, clocking an impressive lap on used soft tires with a fastest time of 1.33.690. In his second run on fresh softs, he further improved, establishing a top time of 1.33.046. Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc finished second, but it was Liam Lawson driving for Visa RB who made a surprising impression, coming in third. However, Lawson will incur a significant grid penalty of sixty places due to a prior incident involving his teammate Daniel Ricciardo, which means he will start from the back.

The qualifying session at the Circuit of the Americas faced numerous challenges due to track limits violations and several times being disqualified. One of the most significant disappointments of Q1 belongs to Lewis Hamilton. The seven-time world champion from Mercedes faltered in the closing minutes, making a critical error at turn 12, which consequently led to his time being invalidated. Afterward, Hamilton expressed frustration regarding changes made to his car’s setup.

Q1 Eliminated Drivers: Alexander Albon, Franco Colapinto, Valtteri Bottas, Lewis Hamilton, Guanyu Zhou.

Q2: Verstappen Again Sets the Pace, Gasly Moves On

Max Verstappen was the first to head out in Q2, aiming to defend his lead. He quickly approached his time from Q1 with a clock of 1.33.052 on used soft tires. Shortly after, Lando Norris, his nearest contender in the championship race, broke into the sub-1.33 club with a stunning lap of 1.32.851.

Toward the end of Q2, Charles Leclerc found himself in a precarious position but managed to recover with a strong performance in his second attempt, rejoining the top contenders. Verstappen again emerged as the fastest (1.32.854), followed closely by Carlos Sainz and Norris. Unfortunately, Yuki Tsunoda fell just short of making it to Q3 despite benefitting from a slipstream from Lawson. Pierre Gasly successfully secured his spot in Q3 from eighth place in his Alpine. Notably, there were no invalidated times in Q2 due to track limit breaches.

Q2 Eliminated Drivers: Yuki Tsunoda, Nico Hülkenberg, Esteban Ocon, Lance Stroll, Liam Lawson.

Q3: Russell’s Crash Gifts Norris Pole Position

Haas driver Kevin Magnussen was the first to venture out for the last twelve minutes of qualifying. Over the radio, Norris received instructions not to overexert himself and simply trust his car. He responded with a blistering pace, clocking 1.32.330, despite a slight steering mistake at turn 19. Verstappen came close in his first attempt but recorded a time of 1.32.361.

As the final moments of Q3 approached, all ten remaining drivers geared up for their ultimate laps. Verstappen had a chance to secure his first pole position since late June in Austria, but an incident nearly disrupted his flow—Gasly had an unsafe release in the pit lane, forcing Verstappen to slam on the brakes to avert trouble. Although Verstappen started his fast lap strongly, recording a purple sector time, his hopes of obtaining pole were dashed when George Russell crashed heavily, triggering yellow flags and bringing an abrupt end to the session. Consequently, Norris clinched pole position, marking his fifth pole in just seven races, with Verstappen relegated to second place.

Top 10 Qualifiers: Norris, Verstappen, Sainz, Leclerc, Piastri, Russell, Gasly, Alonso, Magnussen.

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