(Austin) Max Verstappen (Red Bull) will start the sprint race at the F1 United States Grand Prix on Saturday after setting the best time in qualifying at the Circuit of the Americas (5.513 km) in Austin .
The Dutchman, crowned world champion for the third year in a row two weeks ago in Qatar, took his revenge after his disappointing sixth place obtained Friday during qualifying for the Grand Prix.
Verstappen beat the Monegasque Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), who will start in the leading position of the Grand Prix on Sunday, and the Briton Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) by 55 and 69 thousandths respectively.
“It was a good day of qualifying. The last lap wasn’t great but it was enough to take the lead so the car is running well. It should be a good race because many teams are very close,” said the Dutchman.
The two McLaren single-seaters of Briton Lando Norris and Australian Oscar Piastri took fourth and fifth places, ahead of the other Ferrari of Spaniard Carlos Sainz.
PHOTO KAYLEE GREENLEE BEAL, REUTERS
Lando Norris driving his McLaren during the sprint race qualifying session.
The Mexican Sergio Pérez (Red Bull), who plays almost at home in Texas, will start in seventh position. The Briton George Russell (Mercedes), who achieved the 8e time, was penalized three places for having hampered Leclerc during qualifying and fell to 11e place.
THE top 10 is therefore completed by the Thai Alex Albon (Williams), the Frenchman Pierre Gasly (Alpine) and the Australian Daniel Ricciardo (AlphaTauri), who is making his return this weekend after a hand injury.
The Aston Martins, catastrophic on Friday since they finished 17e and 19e of Grand Prix qualifying, raised their heads a little on Saturday: the Spaniard Fernando Alonso and the Canadian Lance Stroll achieved respectively the 12e and 14e chronos.
Frenchman Esteban Ocon took 13e place at the wheel of the second Alpine single-seater, while the Chinese Zhou Guanyu (Alfa-Romeo) will start in fifteenth position.
“It was a bad qualifying,” cursed Ocon, who drove a second faster on Friday and took eighth place on the Grand Prix starting grid, just behind his teammate and compatriot Pierre Gasly.
The sprint race, which will last 19 laps, will start at 5 p.m. local time (6 p.m. Eastern).