#F1 #USGP #SprintQualifying: @Max33Verstappen pips @LandoNorris to US Sprint pole by 0.071s.

Verstappen US Sprint Pole – Reigning world champion Max Verstappen pipped McLaren’s Lando Norris to clinch pole for the 100km US GP Sprint race at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas as championship leader Oscar Piastri ended up third.

This was the Dutchman’s tenth Sprint pole and third at the Circuit of the Americas.

In SQ3, the initial flyers saw Russell the first to set the benchmark of a 1:32.888 as Williams’ Alexander Albon was next to set a 1:33.099 to slot into second.

Carlos Sainz in the other FW47 entry came through to end up second with a 1:32.911.

Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg was next on his flying tour as the German took provisional pole with a 1:32.645 to be 0.243 clear of Russell.

Leclerc followed to only end up fifth with his 1:33.104 as Hamilton jumped Leclerc to take fourth with a 1:33.035.

Norris then snatched P1 with a 1:32.214 to go 0.431 seconds faster than Hulkenberg,

Piastri set a 1:32.523 as Verstappen with two purples in sectors one and three blasted to take the Sprint pole by a slim 0.071 seconds setting a 1:32.143.

Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso jumped into sixth to shuffle Sainz and Hamilton down into seventh and eighth.

Albon in the other Williams FW47 entry split the Ferrari duo to take ninth.

In SQ2, which was topped by Norris, after a late scare, both Ferrari’s of Leclerc and Hamilton just scraped through to send Mercedes’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli out of Sprint Qualifying by a very narrow 0.006 seconds meaning the Italian will start the Sprint 11^th.

RB’s Isack Hadjar ended up 12^th despite a late improvement and in-front of Alpine’s Pierre Gasly who took 13^th and Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll who ended up 14^th.

RB’s Liam Lawson lost his lap-time due to exceeding track limits at the exit of the penultimate corner wounding up 15^th.

In SQ1, which was topped by Norris, a late improvement saw Gasly eliminate MoneyGram Haas F1 Team’s Oliver Bearman by 0.015 seconds with the Briton starting 16^th for the 100km Sprint.

Alpine’s Franco Colapinto made a late gain but could only manage 17^th and ahead of Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda who ended up a low-18^th due to traffic and not being able to make it in time to complete a final flyer.

The other Haas VF-25 of Esteban Ocon was down in 19^th as Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto brought up the rear with the Brazilian losing his lap=time due to exceeding track limits and not making it out in time to complete a final hot-lap.

You can see the full Formula 1 MSC Cruises United States Grand Prix 2025 Sprint Qualifying Results Classification at the link: FORMULA 1 MSC CRUISES UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX 2025 – SPRINT QUALIFYING

2025 US GP Sprint Pole Position – Max Verstappen, #1, Oracle Red Bull Racing, Honda-RBPT, RB21 – 1:32.143:

“It’s been a nice Qualifying, throughout all the segments we were quite close, just about putting it all together, which is not easy when you go to the soft compounds. Excited for tomorrow, happy for today. This has been a very good day for us. I’ll try and have a good start. I hope we have good pace in the [Sprint] but we’ll find out tomorrow.”