Verstappen on Sprint Pole in Austin, McLaren Disappoints

Max Verstappen has taken pole position for Saturday’s sprint race at Austin. His championship rival, Lando Norris, could only manage fourth.

Verstappen pipped George Russell by 0.012 of a second. Ferrari looked strong in SQ1 and SQ2, but the soft tire runs in SQ3 didn’t seem to suit them. Charles Leclerc made an error in the first sector that cost him a potential pole lap, being only two tenths off Verstappen in third.

Lando Norris was fourth, also 2 tenths off. McLaren haven’t looked as strong in Austin as they’ve had in recent races. The team has raised suspicion over a new front-floor device on the Red Bull for this weekend.

Both Verstappen and Norris will have little help from their teammates on Saturday, with Perez only 11th, while Piastri was a surprise 16th after having his fastest lap deleted in SQ1 for a track limit infringement.

Source: Andy Hone/Getty Images

Haas were the surprise package in the midfield on home soil. Both cars made it into SQ3. Magnussen, 8th, and Hulkenberg, 6th, ahead of Hamilton, who had a scruffy lap.

The battle for the sprint race looks to be wide open, with all four top teams having a car in the front two rows. George Russell may be in the strongest position, with the inside line for the first corner typically being favourable in Austin, but the newly resurfaced track might change that.

In terms of championship fights, McLaren are still a force to be reckoned with, tending to have a stronger pace in races than in qualifying. Max Verstappen should be happy with any points gained over Norris for Saturday and he now has a strong chance of achieving that.