Four-time world champion Max Verstappen secured pole position for Saturday’s United States Grand Prix sprint race in Austin, leaving McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri chasing in a closely contested session.
The 28-year-old Dutchman waited until the final seconds to deliver his fastest lap, outpacing Norris by just 0.071 seconds. Piastri, who leads the championship, qualified third, three-tenths of a second slower than Verstappen. Despite his points advantage, Piastri has struggled to replicate the form that has kept him 22 points clear of Norris and 63 ahead of Verstappen in the standings.
“Yes, that was a nice qualifying,” Verstappen said. “It was tight through all the segments and I just tried to put it all together, which is not easy but it came together in the end. I expect it will be a tough battle in the sprint race, but that’s what we all want to see, isn’t it?”
This marks Verstappen’s third consecutive sprint qualifying success in Austin and his 10th sprint pole in 22 attempts since 2022. Having already reduced Piastri’s championship lead by 41 points, Verstappen has reignited his pursuit of a fifth title, with the experience and confidence to attempt a remarkable comeback in the final six races.
Red Bull team boss Laurent Mekies praised Verstappen’s ability to outperform his car while emphasising that Red Bull are prepared to compete for victories in all remaining events.
The qualifying session took place under scorching Texan conditions, with air temperatures of 33C (91.4F) and track temperatures reaching 45C (113F). French rookie Isack Hadjar initially led the session in his Racing Bulls car with a lap of 1:34.758, with all drivers on medium compound tyres.
Both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, who had suffered gearbox issues during practice, returned to action, while Lewis Hamilton and Verstappen soon set the pace. Verstappen topped SQ1 with a 1:34.140, beating Hamilton by 0.086 seconds, with Piastri third. Norris later improved to 1:33.224 to lead the session.
Several drivers were eliminated early, including Yuki Tsunoda, Oliver Bearman, Franco Colapinto, Esteban Ocon, and Gabriel Bortoleto, while Leclerc just made it through. Notable performances included Nico Hulkenberg, who qualified fifth in his Ferrari-powered Sauber for his first top ten appearance of the year.
In SQ3, Verstappen regained the top spot with a final lap of 1:32.143, securing pole ahead of Norris, Piastri, and Hulkenberg. Ferrari and Mercedes struggled in the final stage, with Leclerc qualifying eighth and Hamilton tenth.
Verstappen’s late surge in Austin sets the stage for an exciting sprint race as he looks to further close the gap on championship leader Piastri.
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