Norris pips Verstappen for Austin Pole

Lando Norris edged out his championship rival Max Verstappen by 0.031 of a second in the US Grand Prix qualifying.

Verstappen had looked like the favourite for pole given his pace in the sprint format. However, Norris was slightly faster in the first run in Q3, and the second runs were aborted after George Russell crashed. Verstappen was faster in the second run at the start of the lap.

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Mercedes struggled compared to Friday. Lewis Hamilton was a surprise Q1 exit after another mistake on a lap, and George Russell crashed in Q3, meaning he’ll start sixth (assuming he doesn’t take a gearbox penalty).

The two Ferraris looked like they might challenge for pole but were off the pace by three tenths in Q3 and will line up in the second row. This is still a promising position, given their strong speed they showed in the sprint race.

Pierre Gasly was the surprise midfield performer. He qualified seventh ahead of Kevin Magnussen and Fernando Alonso.

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Sergio Perez made it into Q3, but had his first run time deleted for track limits before the red flag came out, keeping him in tenth. This means Verstappen will have little help from his teammate again in the race, while Piastri may be able to support Norris tactically from fifth.

With the two championship rivals starting alongside each other, the rise up into Turn 1 will certainly be something to watch out for. Norris may need to be more aggressive after seeing Verstappen’s tyre wear in the sprint race. However, the McLaren has at times performed better on the hard tyres than the mediums, just like in the last sprint weekend in Austria.

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