Max Verstappen Snatches Sprint Pole in Austin Thriller

Max Verstappen secured Sprint pole at Austin, narrowly beating McLaren duo Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. The 19-lap curtain raiser at the Circuit of the Americas promised an intense start to the weekend.

Opening Session Drama

Cars streamed onto track immediately, with all 20 drivers posting laps in the opening five minutes. Verstappen led early with a 1:34.140 lap, slightly ahead of Hamilton and Piastri.

Qualifying Segment Battles

Verstappen improved to 1:33.363, but Norris went faster, taking P1 by 0.139s. Piastri remained third, 0.665s behind his teammate, while Hamilton finished fourth.

Eliminations in SQ1 and SQ2

Alpine’s Bearman missed SQ2 by just 0.015s. Franco Colapinto, Yuki Tsunoda, Esteban Ocon, and Gabriel Bortoleto were eliminated for failing to set a valid lap.

Middle Segment Highlights

Verstappen posted 1:33.163 first in SQ2, but Norris edged him by 0.130s. Piastri and Russell completed the top four, with Hamilton scraping through in P10.

SQ3 Top-10 Shootout

Russell set an early benchmark at 1:32.88. Hülkenberg improved to 1:32.645, but Norris surged four tenths faster. Piastri remained third, while Verstappen clinched Sprint pole by 0.071s.

Top 10 Grid Overview

Norris takes second, Piastri third, Hülkenberg fourth, and Russell fifth. Alonso qualified sixth, just ahead of Sainz, with Hamilton, Albon, and Leclerc rounding out the top 10.

Summary

F1 Austin Sprint Qualifying 2025 saw Verstappen claim pole by mere hundredths of a second. McLaren’s Norris and Piastri showed strong pace, while Hülkenberg and Russell secured solid top-five results.

Source: FIA