Max Verstappen has taken pole position for the United States Grand Prix, with the Dutchman’s opening lap in Q3 proving enough to secure him top spot after he ran out of time to make a second effort.
After setting the tone in Q1 and Q2, Verstappen seems to have continued this momentum by being the fastest during the first laps of Q3 with an effort of 1’32”510. While attempting to restart in the final runs, the Red Bull driver did not reach the finish line before the checkered flag fell, meaning he had to build on his previous effort.
That proved enough, his time putting him 0.291 seconds behind his closest challenger Lando Norris in second. The McLaren driver was just six thousandths ahead of third-placed Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, while Mercedes’ George Russell was fourth.
Lewis Hamilton’s other Ferrari took P5, while McLaren’s Oscar Piastri appeared to be having a tricky session in P6. Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli followed in P7, while Haas’ Ollie Bearman, Carlos Sainz’s Williams and Fernando Alonso in the Aston Martin completed the top 10.
After his impressive performance in sprint qualifying on Friday, Nico Hulkenberg was unable to replicate that in qualifying on Saturday. The Kick Sauber driver left Q2 in 11th, putting him one position ahead of Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson in 12th.
Yuki Tsunoda took 13th for Red Bull, with the Alpine duo of Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto close behind in P14 and P15.
There was the start of drama just minutes into qualifying when a crash by Isack Hadjar triggered the red flags, leaving the Racing Bulls man in 20th and last place.
Track limitations proved to be Lance Stroll and Alex Albon’s undoing in the segment, with the deletion of their respective laps placing the Aston Martin and Williams drivers 18th and 19th respectively, although a five-place grid penalty for Stroll will drop him to the back. The other names that left the first gates, meanwhile, were Kick Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto (16th) and Haas’ Esteban Ocon (17th).
HOW IT HAPPENED
Q1 – Verstappen fastest as Hadjar brings out red flags
Hours after an action-packed sprint at the Circuit of the Americas, the paddock’s attention turned to qualifying, which would decide the starting order for Sunday’s United States Grand Prix.
A queue had already formed in the pit lane before the green light signaled the start of Q1, with Ocon leading the pack for the 18-minute segment. Two drivers who emerged after the initial string dispersed were the McLaren pair of Norris and Piastri, both returning to action following their previous opening lap Sprint exit.
A red flag was shown just minutes into the session when Hadjar hit the barriers, having lost the rear of the car before spinning. The Racing Bulls driver was seen banging the steering wheel in frustration after the incident, as work began to free his stalled car from the track.
Once the session’s resumption time was announced shortly afterwards – with just over 14 minutes remaining on the clock – another queue in the pit lane quickly formed. The majority of the field had worn soft tires for their first runs, with the exception of Hamilton, who had run on used mediums before also switching to soft tires.
There was a risky moment for Norris as he attempted to put a first timed lap on the board, with the Briton going wide, forcing him to abandon his effort. Leclerc, meanwhile, was fastest with a lap of 1’33”525, putting him 0.065 seconds ahead of Verstappen.
Norris’ next attempt was more successful but could only put him in seventh, one position behind teammate Piastri. At the other end of the timesheet, the drivers at risk as the session entered its final minutes were Stroll, Colapinto, Albon and Bortoleto, as well as Hadjar whose crash had ended his qualifying prematurely.
The Mercedes pair of Russell and Antonelli caught the eye by briefly taking a one-two finish, before Sprint winner Verstappen moved the former a tenth into the lead on a lap of 1:33.207. Colapinto, meanwhile, had moved out of danger in 15th place, pushing the previously improved Bortoleto back to 16th place.
All eyes were on Albon as the Thai driver tried to escape elimination. He appeared to achieve this quickly by placing his Williams in eighth place – but his lap time was then deleted for exceeding track limits, pushing him back to 19th place.
Another driver whose effort was erased for the same reason was Stroll, leaving the Canadian 18th, which will become last place due to a five-place grid penalty. Bortoleto also failed to advance to Q2 in 16th, with Ocon in 17th while Hadjar – having been unable to rejoin the session – brought up the rear in 20th.
Eliminated: Bortoleto, Ocon, Stroll, Albon, Hadjar
Q2 – Another P1 for Verstappen
A further fifteen minutes passed as Q2 began, with the soft rubber once again proving the tire of choice for the peloton as they prepared to put a time on the board. Verstappen appeared to have continued his form in Q1, setting an early benchmark of 1min 32.701sec.
Leclerc placed second, 0.168 seconds behind Verstappen, with Norris third and Hamilton fourth after the opening runs. Piastri, meanwhile, was back in seventh, not a comfortable position for the McLaren driver.
Further back, the names at risk were Lawson, Russell, Tsunoda, Colapinto and Gasly, the latter yet to complete a lap after his time was deleted due to track limitations. Russell returned to the track earlier than most for his decisive lap, the Briton moving up to 6th place.
As the action resumed in the final minutes of Q2 – with only Verstappen choosing to stay in the garage, seemingly feeling safe at the top – the other Red Bull of Tsunoda was unable to improve on his previous time, leaving him in P13, while Hulkenberg was also unable to progress to P11.
After one lap on the board, Gasly advanced but only to 14th place – ahead of teammate Colapinto – while Lawson also dropped to P12.
Eliminated: Hulkenberg, Lawson, Tsunoda, Gasly, Colapinto
Q3 – Verstappen runs out of time – but still takes pole
The remaining 10 drivers prepared to battle it out in the deciding Q3, with Verstappen and the McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari duos joined by Sainz, Alonso and Bearman for the final shootout.
Most of the peloton opted for new soft tires, while Piastri, Bearman, Alonso and Sainz opted for second-hand sets. And once the first runs were completed, Verstappen was again the fastest to take provisional pole with a lap of 1’32”510, 0”394 ahead of Norris.
Russell and Antonelli had placed third and fourth, with Bearman and Sainz beating Piastri while Alonso, Hamilton and Leclerc completed the order. The latter’s time was around four seconds off that set by Verstappen – and it soon became clear why, with replays showing the Ferrari performing a 360-degree spin into the final corner.
Attention then turned to the last very important runs, for which everyone put on new tires. There were concerns at Red Bull over whether Verstappen would reach the line in time to start his lap – a worry which came to fruition as the Dutchman actually missed, meaning he would have to build on his earlier efforts.
While the others completed their own laps, Verstappen’s first time proved unbeatable. Norris placed second – 0.291 seconds behind Verstappen – while Leclerc was not far behind in third. Russell and Hamilton were next in order, with Piastri returning sixth on a difficult day for the Australian. Antonelli, Bearman, Sainz and Alonso complete the top 10 of the United States Grand Prix.
Key quote
“It was good,” said pole sitter Verstappen. “I think in every segment the car was very strong. Sometimes trying to do a lap can be very tricky here. It’s very hot with very strong winds as well, and in the first sector having that tailwind is a challenge.”
“The first run in Q3 was good, we managed to improve a bit compared to Q2. Unfortunately, I couldn’t do my last run. It was a bit messy with the outside laps, but luckily we didn’t need it. For us, once again, a very good result.”
What’s next
The 2025 United States Grand Prix is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. local time on Sunday. Head towards the RACING HUB to find out how to follow the action at the Circuit of the Americas.
