Max Verstappen has strengthened his possible title fight by putting Lando Norris on sprint pole by 0.071 seconds at the United States Grand Prix.
Norris topped SQ1 and SQ2, but not for the first time this year, Verstappen recorded an incredible lap when it mattered most – beating Norris and championship leader Oscar Piastri.
Verstappen has taken 41 points from Piastri in the last three races and trails the Australian by 63 points with six rounds remaining. Points can be seen in the live sprint on Saturday at 6pm. Sky Sports F1.
“An incredible last sector from Max Verstappen,” he said. Sky Sports F1Commentary by Martin Brundle.
“Once again, he delivers something that no one else on this grid can deliver at the moment. The way he maintains the pace is truly incredible.”
Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Max Verstappen took pole position in Saturday’s US GP sprint race, ahead of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg took an impressive fourth place, ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso.
Ferrari pair Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc qualified for SQ3, finishing eighth and 10th respectively, while Williams duo Carlos Sainz finished seventh and Alex Albon ninth.
While Verstappen took pole, Red Bull was eliminated in 18th place due to poor timing from Yuki Tsunoda in SQ1 and insufficient time to start his final flying lap.
Kimi Antonelli, who was confirmed as a Mercedes driver for 2026 along with Russell, is eliminated from SQ3 by just 0.006 seconds and starts in 11th place.
How Verstappen won a great sprint pole
McLaren says Verstappen is still involved in the championship race and Friday’s Sprint Qualifying provided yet another reminder that it’s not that Verstappen is needed, but that the Dutchman is increasingly keen on the possibility of a surprising comeback.
Norris was fastest in Friday morning’s only practice session, but Verstappen was unable to complete a full-fledged flying lap on the softs.
In the SQ1 and SQ2, only medium tires are available, while in the pressurized SQ3, everyone can only run on soft tires once.
Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen refuses to comment on whether McLaren prefer Lando Norris over Oscar Piastri, insisting he is focused on what he can do to get back into title contention.
Throughout the entire lap there was little to separate Verstappen and Norris. Norris, the reigning world champion, was 0.064 seconds faster in the first sector, while Norris was 0.025 seconds faster in the middle sector. It was only what Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies described as a “crazy” final corner for the driver that made the final difference of a 0.071-second pole margin.
Verstappen said: “It was a good qualifying, we were very close in all categories and we tried to hold everything together in the crucial moments at the end, which is not easy because you go to soft compounds without any real reference.
“It went well, but we expect it to be a tough fight in the sprint tomorrow. But that’s what we want to see. I’m excited for tomorrow and happy for today.”
“The wind was up and down and gusty. The track was bumpy so the car bounced easily at high speeds. In qualifying like that you have to give yourself a little extra here and there, but for us it was a great day.”
Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
McLaren CEO Zak Brown has revealed driver Lando Norris’ face will have a ‘sporting’ impact after coming into contact with team-mate Oscar Piastri during the Singapore Grand Prix.
McLaren confirmed on Friday that “sporting implications” would affect Norris at least this weekend, but there was no sign of the British driver’s lack of speed compared to Piastri, who ran a “dirty” lap.
Norris has typically started faster than Piastri this year and showed up in a quick turnaround in Sprint Qualifying as Piastri was four-tenths slower than his teammate.
“Of course I wanted to get on pole, but it wasn’t surprising that I was a little slower than Red Bull recently, so I’m still pretty happy,” Norris said.
“I don’t know how bad we were, maybe we could have improved a few things here and there and we just found a few things that were a little off, but that’s the difficulty of this track.
McLaren is confident of challenging Verstappen in the sprint.
Despite his disappointment at missing out on pole, McLaren appeared confident of challenging Verstappen in Saturday’s 19-lap contest.
When asked if he thought he could surpass Verstappen in the sprint, Norris replied: “I certainly hope so. Normally our race pace is a little better.
“We’ve struggled with a good pace all year, especially as close as today was, so it’s not surprising, but I’m more hopeful about the race where we can get back in front.”
Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Lando Norris says he hopes his McLaren will do better in the sprint after missing out on pole to Max Verstappen.
The climb to Route 1 at the Circuit of the Americas has caused plenty of incidents in the past and given the McLaren duo’s contact in Singapore last time out, there could be more drama in Saturday’s sprint.
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella expressed confidence that his driver would come out strong later in the sprint, hinting that the first corner move may not be necessary.
“Here in Austin, we should be seeing more tire degradation,” Stella said. Sky Sports F1. “Things are very heated.
“I think we’ve come from a race where there’s been a bit of a row because there hasn’t been a lot of tire degradation. Here, I expect the race or sprint can be more interesting and there can be more variability depending on tire behavior.
“Usually our car is fine with degraded tires, so I’m looking forward to sprint racing for a number of reasons, including this one.”
Live US GP schedule on Sky Sports F1
Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Take a look back at some of the most dramatic moments from the United States Grand Prix.
Saturday, October 18th
5pm: Building the US GP sprint
6pm: US GP Sprint
7 p.m.: Ted’s sprint notes
9pm: Preparing for US GP Qualifying*
10pm: US GP Qualifying*
12:00 AM (Sunday Morning): Ted’s Qualifying Laptop*
Sunday, October 19th
6:30 p.m.: Grand Prix Sunday: U.S. GP strengthened*
8 p.m.: United States Grand Prix*
10 PM: Checkered Flag: US GP Reaction
11 PM: Ted’s Notes
*It will also be broadcast live on Sky Sports Main Event
Formula 1 will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1 in North America for this weekend’s United States Grand Prix in Austin. Stream Sky Sports NOW – No Commitment, Cancel Anytime
