Verstappen takes US pole with Norris second

Lando Norris, who is the reigning champion of the Grand Prix of the United States, was beaten by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in sixth place.

Even though Verstappen, the world champion, was unable to complete a final run in qualifying, neither of the McLaren drivers were able to challenge him earlier on Saturday.

Verstappen won the race by 0.291 seconds, but Verstappen was too late to maneuver in time to start the final lap before the chequered flag.

It was a fantastic performance that highlighted McLaren’s concern for his future in the drivers’ championship.

In a challenging session, Norris saved his best for last, tying Charles Leclerc with Ferrari for second place, just 0.006secs.

Verstappen is 55 points clear of Piastri in the grand prix, while Norris is 22 points adrift.

Verstappen, who won every qualifying session, said: “Each segment was very strong, and putting the lap together around here is very challenging.

“Good” was the first run of Q3. Just managed to slightly improve on Q2 . We didn’t need it for our final run, which was a little messy due to the out laps, but thankfully we didn’t need it.

According to Norris, “It was a little more of a struggle today, for whatever reason,” but yesterday was still quite peaceful.

“I’m not sure if the wind or other people’s performance has improved.” And catching up with this guy was a little more difficult. Today, there was no chance we could get pole.

I anticipate a successful race with Max. In the past, there have been some positive ones.

Leclerc’s first qualifying run was a spin out of the last corner, and he had no expectation of a lap of this caliber on his final attempt.

Piastri, who placed third overall in the sprint, never looked quick during qualifying.

He said, “Just a tricky session, didn’t feel particularly comfortable out there, and the lap times show (it).” However, there will be a lot of action in tomorrow’s race, so make up some ground.

“The car was a little unpredictably,” the author said. For the positions that were in my path, it was very tight. What should I try to look at first?

Russell placed third in the sprint because of his grid position, and Hamilton was only 0.105secs ahead of Leclerc, who placed the Ferrari fifth.

The seven-time world champion noted that, in comparison to yesterday, things had a little improved. Throughout the entire qualifying period, the car wasn’t quite right. I was gradually adding wings as I went along with my massive understeer.

It eventually improved, but it’s almost too late to regain that confidence. It’s a real step forward to be third and fifth.

Kimi Antonelli placed second behind Piastri, while Oliver Bearman placed eighth behind Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso for best of the rest.

1. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen

2. McLaren’s Lando Norris

3. (Ferrari) Charles Leclerc

4. George Russell (Mercedes)

5. Robert Hamilton (Ferrari)

6. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri

7. (Mercedes) Kimi Antonelli

8. Has Has Oliver Bearman (Haas)

9. Williams vs. Carlos Sainz

10. Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso