United States GP: Verstappen charges to pole as Piastri falls flat in Qualifying

Max Verstappen was peerless as he claimed his seventh pole of the season in qualifying for the United States Grand Prix.

Verstappen proved almost three-tenths faster than Lando Norris while championship leader Oscar Piastri struggled for pace and could do no better than sixth.

Max Verstappen on pole as Oscar Piastri falls flat

Much of the field queued at pit exit ahead of the session starting, headed by Esteban Ocon.

Neither McLaren was in line, both Norris and Piastri in the garage as mechanics continued to work on their cars following the damage they sustained in the Sprint earlier.

Both had undergone gearbox changes, not for any specific concern but out of caution – better to change it than learn of issues during qualifying or the race.

McLaren’s delay was only momentary. Within two minutes both papaya machines were on track alongside their 18 rivals, though it was a brief foray before the red flag was thrown for Isack Hadjar.

The Frenchman left the road at Turn 6, the back end stepping out and sending his Racing Bulls off the road, nosing heavily into the tyre barriers with force as he became the first driver eliminated from the session.

It was a fairly lengthy interruption as the stricken Racing Bulls was recovered and the tyre barrier repaired.

After struggling for pace in Sprint Qualifying on Friday, Charles Leclerc recorded the fastest lap as the initial foray began, logging a 1:33.525s.

Lewis Hamilton was just over a tenth slower than his teammate to go third best, behind Verstappen whose initial effort came on a used set of tyres.

A scrappy lap from Piastri left him sixth while a mistake at Turn 9 saw Norris run wide. Abandoning the lap, he remained out and immediately embarked on another flier.

It was only good enough for seventh, behind Piastri, with a 1:33.843s.

The McLaren pair were out of sequence with the bulk of the field, which began banking their second efforts with around three minutes remaining.

George Russell jumped up to provisional pole in the process, only to be knocked off by Verstappen with a 1:33.207s, a tenth quicker than the Mercedes.

As the chequered flag waved, the four drivers who joined Hadjar on the sidelines were Lance Stroll, Ocon, Gabriel Bortoleto, and Franco Colapinto.

Moments later, Colapinto was handed a reprieve after Alex Albon’s final lap was deleted for track limits – as had happened to Stroll – dropping him to 19th.

Verstappen headed the segment from Russell and Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes showing promising pace.

Antonelli set the early running as Qualifying 2 began, his 1:33.044s an improvement of half a second over his Qualifying 1 best. It didn’t last, deleted for track limits at the final corner.

Even had it stood, Verstappen would have bettered it with a 1:32.701s that left him at the top of the totem.

Leclerc was second best from Norris, while Piastri was only seventh.

The usual lull followed ahead of the final flurry of laps, Russell kicking that off with a 1:33.058s that moved him up to sixth.

Only 14 of the remaining runners headed out, Verstappen confident enough with his lap to remain in the garage.

His Red Bull teammate, Yuki Tsunoda, did head out as he fell short of the time needed to make it into the top 10.

Nico Hulkenberg also couldn’t replicate the lap he managed on Friday, when he qualified fourth best, and was eliminated in 11th.

Also missing the cut were Liam Lawson, Pierre Gasly, and Colapinto.

After an underwhelming Qualifying 2, Piastri was among the first out at the start of Qualifying 3.

The championship leader had a set of used tyres fitted to his car as he clocked a 1:33.475s.

Soon after, Norris flashed across the line in the sister car to log a 1:32.904s to take provisional pole. It was brief, as Verstappen soon stole it away with a lap almost four-tenths faster.

A spin at the final corner hurt Leclerc’s lap, the Ferrari going around but remaining in track limits as he set a 1:37 as a result.

Late out of the garage ahead of his final lap, he didn’t reach the line to start his final lap before the time ticked down, leaving him with an agonising wait as everyone else looked to bump him off top spot.

Others did improve, though not enough. Norris closed the gap to three tenths with Leclerc third and Russell fourth.

Lewis Hamilton will start alongside Piastri on Row 3 after a disappointing session for the Australian, who struggled for pace throughout.

Then came Antonelli, Bearman, Sainz, and Alonso to complete the grid.

United States Grand Prix Qualifying results

1. Max Verstappen, Red Bull, 1:32.510
2. Lando Norris, McLaren, 1:32.801
3. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, 1:32.807
4. George Russell, Mercedes, 1:32.826
5. Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, 1:32.912
6. Oscar Piastri, McLaren, 1:33.084
7. Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes, 1:33.114
8. Oliver Bearman, Haas, 1:33.139
9. Carlos Sainz, Williams, 1:33.150
10. Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin, 1:33.160
11. Nico Hulkenberg, Sauber, 1:33.334
12. Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls, 1:33.360
13. Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull, 1:33.466
14. Pierre Gasly, Alpine, 1:33.651
15. Franco Colapinto, Alpine, 1:34.044
16. Gabriel Bortoleto, Sauber, 1:34.125
17. Esteban Ocon, Haas, 1:34.136
18. Lance Stroll, Aston Martin, 1:34.540
19. Alex Albon, Williams, 1:34.690
20. Isack Hadjar, Racing Bulls, No Time