Lando Norris delivered a stunning performance to secure pole position for the United States Grand Prix, with Max Verstappen lining up alongside him on the front row for Sunday’s race. Norris described his pole-winning lap as the best of his career, beating Verstappen by a mere 0.031 seconds in qualifying.
Verstappen, who won the sprint race earlier on Saturday to extend his championship lead, had to settle for second on the grid. Carlos Sainz qualified in third, followed by Charles Leclerc and Norris’ McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri in fifth.
Norris set the pace early on in the final qualifying session and capitalised on a fortunate situation when George Russell crashed out in his Mercedes, forcing all drivers to back off. This allowed Norris to secure his fourth pole position in the last five races.
In contrast, Lewis Hamilton experienced a challenging qualifying session, starting way back in 19th place. Hamilton, a five-time winner in Austin, struggled with car issues, compounded by a suspension failure during the sprint race earlier in the day.
Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate, Russell, out-qualified him for the 14th time this season, despite also suffering a late crash in qualifying. Hamilton expressed his frustration over the car’s performance and hinted at starting from the pit lane to avoid further setbacks in the race.
As Norris celebrates his pole position and championship hopes, the focus will be on how Verstappen and Hamilton navigate their positions on the grid in what promises to be an exciting race at the Circuit of the Americas.