AUSTIN, Texas — The Max Verstappen March rolls on.
After taking pole place for the F1 Dash race at the USA Grand Prix on Friday, Verstappen loved a virtually excellent Saturday right here on the Circuit of the Americas. Verstappen captured a win within the F1 Dash race earlier within the day, and capped off his afternoon by taking pole place for Sunday’s foremost occasion forward of McLaren’s Lando Norris and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
“It was, I believe, an excellent qualifying. I believe the situations weren’t simple, with stronger winds immediately in comparison with yesterday,” mentioned Verstappen within the FIA Press Convention after qualifying. “So, Sector 1, yeah, it was a bit more durable to be constant as a result of the automotive was transferring round all over the place. However I suppose everybody, after all, is in the identical boat with that. After which, yeah, simply Q1, Q2, simply attempting to progress each time with the lap time. I didn’t really feel like in Q3 the observe was truly any higher — perhaps barely worse, truly, I believe for lots of people.
“However, yeah, simply looking for slightly bit extra tempo. And fortuitously it was there within the automotive, so simply appeared slightly step ahead in comparison with yesterday’s qualifying.”
Listed here are the complete qualifying outcomes from the F1 United States Grand Prix, together with some winners and losers:
Row |
Place |
Driver |
Crew |
Place |
Driver |
Crew |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Row 1 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Crimson Bull | 2 | Lando Norris | McLaren |
| Row 2 | 3 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 4 | George Russell | Mercedes |
| Row 3 | 5 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 6 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren |
| Row 4 | 7 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 8 | Oliver Bearman | Haas |
| Row 5 | 9 | Carlos Sainz Jr. | Williams | 10 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin |
| Row 6 | 11 | Nico Hülkenberg | Sauber | 12 | Liam Lawson | VCARB |
| Row 7 | 13 | Yuki Tsunoda | Crimson Bull | 14 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine |
| Row 8 | 15 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | 16 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Sauber |
| Row 9 | 17 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin |
| Row 10 | 19 | Alexander Albon | Williams | 20 | Isack Hadjar | VCARB |
In case you had any doubts coming into the USA Grand Prix, you may solid them apart now.
The comeback is certainly on.
Max Verstappen stormed to pole place Friday for the F1 Dash race right here in Austin, after which took the win in that race earlier within the day so as to add one other eight factors to his season complete. Making issues higher for the Crimson Bull driver? The truth that the 2 drivers he’s chasing within the Drivers’ Championship race — Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris — watched him take the checkered flag as spectators after crashing on the opening lap.
That moved Verstappen to inside 33 factors of Norris, and to inside 55 factors of Piastri.
Verstappen now has an opportunity to maneuver even nearer tomorrow, because of a powerful efficiency in qualifying to take pole place forward of Norris, who will begin alongside him on the entrance row. With Piastri set to begin sixth, Verstappen might really shut that 55-point hole.
Verstappen even missed out on his ultimate push lap in Q3, nevertheless it didn’t matter.
“Yeah, it was good. I believe each phase the automotive was very robust. Simply attempting to place the lap collectively round right here typically may be fairly difficult. Additionally, it’s highly regarded, very robust winds as nicely,” mentioned Verstappen trackside after qualifying. “After which in that first sector, having a tailwind is difficult, let’s say it like that. Yeah, the primary run in Q3 was good, simply managed to enhance slightly bit from Q2, sadly, and I couldn’t do my ultimate run. It was a bit messy with the out laps. However fortunately, such as you mentioned, we didn’t want it. So, yeah, for us, once more, a really robust outcome.”
For these questioning, if Verstappen, Norris, and Piastri end the place they begin, Piastri would have 344 factors, Norris would have 332, and Verstappen would have 306.
With 5 race weekends (and two F1 Dash races) remaining.
This has been a weekend to neglect for Isack Hadjar.
Hadjar certified and completed twelfth for the F1 Dash race, and his qualifying effort right here on Saturday afternoon ended virtually instantly after it started. The Visa Money App Racing Bulls driver slid off the racing line at Flip 6 early in Q1, careening into the boundaries and bringing out the crimson flag:
Requested about that incident, and if extra follow time on a standard grand prix weekend would have helped, Hadjar as a substitute turned to self-deprecation.
“If I had one other follow session, I’d have crashed one other follow session,” mentioned Hadjar slyly.
It has been that form of weekend for him.
Final yr in Austin, Lando Norris and Max Verstappen locked out the entrance row for the 2024 United States Grand Prix. However when these two clashed at Flip 1, it opened the door for Charles Leclerc to storm into the lead from P4.
May one thing related occur tomorrow?
Whereas Leclerc can not management what occurs in entrance of him, his qualifying effort on Saturday no less than places him able to capitalize ought to Norris and Verstappen open the door at Flip 1 when the lights exit tomorrow. Leclerc will begin third on Sunday, behind Verstappen and simply forward of George Russell, who certified fourth.
Leclerc even overcame an entire spin at Flip 20 earlier within the session, to take third when qualifying got here to a detailed:
Talking trackside after qualifying, Leclerc admitted that P3 was a “shock” given the outcomes from earlier within the weekend.
“Yeah, I imply, it was fairly an enormous shock, particularly contemplating the weekend that has been very troublesome for us because the starting. We tried and put every part collectively in qualifying. We managed to take action, however I believe there are nonetheless issues we have to perceive from this automotive as a result of there’s a bit an excessive amount of of a swing of efficiency in the identical weekend with out essentially altering the automotive,” mentioned Leclerc. “So we’ll look into it. However it’s been an fascinating Dash race this morning. I believe we’ve discovered lots. We utilized that in qualifying, and it appears to be working. So I hope that any longer we form of catch again slightly bit.”
It is very important keep in mind that Oscar Piastri stays within the lead within the F1 Drivers’ Championship race, at present with a 22-point lead over Lando Norris and a 55-point lead over Max Verstappen.
However in case you really feel like that hole is even smaller, you wouldn’t be alone. Verstappen’s latest run of type, in addition to some troublesome outcomes for Piastri, have made that margin appear razor-thin, particularly heading into Sunday, when Verstappen will line up on the entrance of the grid, with Piastri again in P6.
The Australian driver indicated that he had struggled to get right into a rhythm throughout the session, as he did on Friday throughout F1 Dash qualifying.
“I imply, simply getting within the rhythm with the automotive,” mentioned Piastri when requested after qualifying the place he was struggling. “It’s, , a observe that’s powerful and also you want lots of confidence on and there’s lots of corners to make you pay for it in case you don’t have that feeling.
“Simply sadly lap time didn’t come.”
Piastri stays within the driver’s seat for the Drivers’ Championship, however issues are getting tighter and tighter on the entrance. And beginning sixth on Sunday, he’ll have to clear Charles Leclerc, George Russell, and Lewis Hamilton simply to get again along with his foremost challengers for the title.
So he has some work to do when the lights exit.
The F1 Dash race got here to a bitter finish for Oliver Bearman, who was given a ten-second penalty for an incident with Kimi Antonelli that ended up dropping him out of the ultimate factors place.
He made up for that with a powerful efficiency later within the day, qualifying eighth. It additionally marked his second consecutive look in Q3, after he began ninth on the Singapore Grand Prix.
Talking with the media after qualifying, Bearman admitted he was “proud” of what he and the group had completed on Saturday.
“Yeah, I don’t know what you guys thought, however I felt fairly arduous finished by this morning, so yeah,” conceded Bearman. “Truly, I assumed I had a race ban for a minute, so I used to be actually, actually aggravated.
“However no, clearly with every part that occurred, I had a bit of fireside in me,” continued Bearman. “And and yeah, with the problem I’d say of this weekend for myself, rookie going into this observe on a dash format, very bumpy circuit and fairly distinctive, one rated fairly troublesome by the drivers, plus that I solely put the improve on the automotive in dash quali, it was actually an uphill climb earlier than the weekend and I knew it was going to be an enormous problem.
“So to be standing right here in P8, I’m actually, actually pleased with myself and what the group have achieved.”
Alexander Albon seemed to be by means of to Q2 on the finish of the primary phase of qualifying, as his ultimate push lap was sufficient to keep away from elimination.
Then, nevertheless, got here the information each driver dreads following a lap: His time had been deleted for exceeding observe limits. As an alternative of transferring on to Q2, Albon was headed to speak to us within the media pen.
“It was effective margins and it’s an annoying mistake,” he conceded to us moments later.
Albon additionally famous that the group made some setup modifications to the FW47 following the F1 Dash race that, whereas helpful, proved difficult when heading straight into qualifying.
“We figured there was a little bit of a problem with the automotive in dash quali and the dash race, and we fastened it,” described Albon.
“It’s arduous to know. We’d like to take a look on the information, however the steadiness was unbelievably completely different as soon as we fastened the issue. In a great way, but additionally in a means that simply took me unexpectedly.”
As Sainz famous when talking with the media, Williams has typically proven higher tempo on Sundays than on Saturdays, so that would give Albon an opportunity to battle ahead tomorrow.
