By Camille Lebez Leroy
Verstappen dominates session in qualifying to take pole for the United States Grand Prix
Q1
Q1 of the United States Grand Prix began with a busy pit lane queue, though the two McLarens were notably absent as their crews continued repairs. Ocon led the field out for Haas after his car was fixed following an earlier clash with Stroll. A mix of tyre strategies emerged, several on used softs, while Hamilton chose worn mediums. But the session was halted almost immediately when Hadjar crashed heavily into the barriers after losing the rear of his car. The red flags came out before anyone completed a timed lap, leaving 14:51 on the clock for a restart.
Once running resumed, the Kick Saubers were first back on track as Ferrari and Verstappen waited for better conditions. Hulkenberg set the initial benchmark before Alonso, Russell, and Antonelli traded quick times. Verstappen briefly took the top spot, but Leclerc responded on new tyres to go fastest by 0.065s. McLaren continued to struggle, with Norris running wide and Piastri unable to find pace, their cars appearing unstable after precautionary rear-end changes following their Sprint collision.
As the track evolved, Russell surged to the top before Verstappen reclaimed first with a 1m33.207s lap. The closing moments brought drama as Stroll lost a lap time, Gasly improved, and Albon briefly jumped to eighth before having his lap deleted for exceeding track limits. When the dust settled, Verstappen led from Russell and Leclerc, while Hadjar, Albon, Colapinto, Ocon, and Bortoleto were eliminated.
Q2
Q2 began with Bearman leading the pack out on fresh soft tyres, once again ahead of his teammate. Russell followed on used tyres, while Antonelli, in the other Mercedes, ran on a fresh set. Ferrari stayed in the garage initially, with Norris heading out early and Piastri just behind. The Scuderia seemed stronger than in Sprint Qualifying, showing improved pace that hinted at a promising session ahead.
Antonelli set the early benchmark with a 1m33.044s on his third new set of softs, while Russell could only manage fourth on used tyres. Sainz, showing strong form all weekend, slotted into second, just 0.080s off Antonelli’s time. Norris then went quickest before Verstappen immediately beat him, while Piastri could only manage fifth. Ferrari continued to impress as Leclerc went second, just 0.168s behind Verstappen, and Hamilton moved into fourth. Meanwhile, replays showed Colapinto having a big slide, and Gasly lost a lap time for going wide at the final corner.
As the final runs began, Gasly, Lawson, Russell, Tsunoda, and Colapinto were in the drop zone, with Hulkenberg just hanging on in P10. Russell went out early for his last attempt and delivered a 1m33.058s, just 0.014s behind Antonelli, knocking Hulkenberg out. Tsunoda failed to improve after a poor second sector, while Hulkenberg, Lawson, and Tsunoda all stayed in the elimination zone. Colapinto couldn’t move up either, and Gasly’s last effort was only good enough for 14th. Q2 ended with Verstappen leading the times again, while Hulkenberg, Lawson, Tsunoda, Colapinto, and Gasly were eliminated.
Q3
Q3 began with the usual queue at the end of the pit lane, Bearman leading the pack out on used soft tyres with Piastri just behind him, also on used rubber. Russell followed on fresh softs, joined by Verstappen, Norris, Leclerc, Hamilton, and Antonelli, all on new tyres, while Alonso and Sainz joined the used-tyre runners. Piastri struggled early, lapping slower than Bearman by three and a half tenths, and Sainz quickly went faster than the Australian as well.
When the first laps came in, Verstappen laid down a blistering 1m32.510s, a full four tenths clear of Norris in second. Russell slotted into third, followed by Antonelli, while Bearman impressed with a strong lap to go fifth ahead of Sainz and Piastri. Alonso was eighth, Hamilton ninth after locking up into Turn 1, and Leclerc tenth following a dramatic 360-degree spin at the final corner. The field then returned to the pits to prepare for their final runs on fresh softs, with Leclerc leading the charge back out and Verstappen leaving the garage last.
In the closing moments, tension rose as Verstappen was warned to speed up to make the line, but he didn’t, missing the chance for a final flying lap. Leclerc improved to go second, Hamilton climbed to fourth, and the McLarens tried to challenge, though their laps fell just short. Norris managed to grab second, but Verstappen’s earlier time was untouchable, securing him pole position by nearly three tenths. The Dutchman completed the double, adding Grand Prix pole to his Sprint pole, and will share the front row with Norris ahead of Leclerc, Russell, Hamilton, and Piastri, with Antonelli, Bearman, Sainz, and Alonso rounding out the top ten.
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