The English driver Lando Norris (McLaren) achieved pole for this Sunday’s race at the United States Grand Prix, ahead of the World Championship leader Max Verstappen (Red Bull), while the Spanish Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) and Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) will start third and eighth.
The day did not start well for the McLarens, nor the week, seeing a dominant and victorious Verstappen this Saturday in the sprint. The Championship leader seemed intractable on a track where he had won the last three races, but an accident by George Russell (Mercedes) left him without the last attempt in search of pole.
Norris took advantage of the start of Q3 and saved the first position for this Sunday’s race by 31 thousandths, against a ‘Mad Max’ who encountered the yellow flags. The Briton achieved his sixth pole of the season and the fourth of the last five races, but he needs to do well against Verstappen in search of points that will tighten the fight for the World Championship.
Behind and with the potential to take advantage of it, the Ferraris have shown that the improvement in recent races is real and that in Austin they have pace. Sainz, who was second in the sprint a few hours earlier, will start third in search of the podium or even the victory he longs for as a farewell in red. Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc will start fourth, wanting to improve his performance in the short race.
Oscar Piasttri (McLaren), who has not finished performing at the Circuit of The Americas, and Russell will start fifth and sixth, while seventh appears Pierre Gasly (Alpine) who could be sanctioned for a dangerous exit from the pits where he almost collided with Verstappen . That would improve an already great qualifying session for Fernando Alonso, who finished eighth.
The double world champion, who could do nothing to scratch points shortly before, squeezed his Aston Martin to overcome cuts until he began to feel that his car has something more to offer than in the last races with the various improvements in Austin.