Verstappen Takes US Pole As Norris Finishes Second

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen stormed to pole position for the United States Grand Prix, beating McLaren’s Lando Norris by nearly three-tenths of a second, while championship leader Oscar Piastri could only manage sixth.

After both McLaren drivers crashed out of the sprint earlier in the day, neither could mount a serious challenge to Verstappen, who didn’t even complete a final flying lap in qualifying. Despite being sent out too late for another attempt, Verstappen’s first run in Q3 was good enough to seal pole by 0.291 seconds.

Dominant Display From Verstappen

It was another commanding session from the world champion, who topped every phase of qualifying. “The car felt strong throughout. I couldn’t finish my last run because it got messy with out-laps, but fortunately, we didn’t need it,” Verstappen said.

The Dutchman’s performance reinforced concerns in the McLaren camp about his growing title threat heading into Sunday’s race.

Norris Edges Leclerc For Second

Norris produced his best lap at the final moment to pip Charles Leclerc by a mere 0.006 seconds, placing the Ferrari driver third on the grid. “It was a bit more of a struggle today,” said Norris. “We had good pace yesterday, but today was tricky. There was no chance we could have got pole — Max was too strong.”

Leclerc admitted surprise at his pace after a spin earlier in qualifying: “It was a big surprise considering how difficult the weekend has been. The car’s balance still isn’t consistent.”

Piastri Struggles To Find Rhythm

Championship leader Oscar Piastri, who started third for the sprint, failed to find his rhythm and ended 0.574 seconds off Verstappen’s pace. “It was just a tricky session. I didn’t feel comfortable, and the lap times showed that. But it’s a long race tomorrow — plenty can happen,” he said.

Mercedes Gain Ground

Mercedes drivers George Russell and Lewis Hamilton delivered solid sessions, finishing fourth and fifth respectively. Russell improved on his sprint grid position, while Hamilton said the team made “a real step forward” overnight despite continued balance issues.

Hamilton, now driving for Ferrari this season, added: “We had massive understeer early on. It got better towards the end, but by then, confidence was tough to rebuild.”

Antonelli Impresses For Mercedes

Rookie Kimi Antonelli secured seventh place, showing maturity beyond his years, while Oliver Bearman impressed with eighth for Haas — the team’s best qualifying of the season. Carlos Sainz (Williams) and Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) completed the top 10.

US Grand Prix Top 10 Grid