#USGP #SprintShootout: @MaxVerstappen edges Leclerc to pole by 0.055s. #F1 #UnitedStatesGP

Verstappen US Sprint Pole – Red Bull’s Max Verstappen edged Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc by 0.055 seconds to claim pole position for the Sprint race later today as Mercedes’ Sir Lewis Hamilton completed the top three.

The Dutchman spun around after hitting the kerbs in SQ2 in the weekend’s shorter qualifying session, which drivers are mandated to run the C3 yellow-marked mediums in SQ1 and SQ2 and then the C4 red-branded softer compounds in SQ3.

In SQ3, all ten drivers left it to one sole flying lap to set their efforts to decide the grid for the 100-kilometre Sprint due to the drivers only having one set of the softs.

Although track limits were again the main talking point – with the FIA having widened the white line limits exiting turns 9, 12 and 19 to help the drivers following discussions with the teams – the newly-crowned three-time world champion Verstappen made up for his lap-time invalidation from yesterday’s qualifying session to take the P1 slot on the grid for the 100km Sprint.

Verstappen posted the benchmark of a 1:34.538 with all personal best efforts, as Leclerc just fell short by 0.055 seconds of the Dutchman’s lap-time despite the quickest sector two time to take second place on the grid whilst a late purple sector three by Hamilton put the seven-time world champion in third and only 0.069 further adrift of the former’s pole position effort.

Lando Norris lead team-mate Oscar Piastri to take positions fourth and fifth on the grid respectively as Carlos Sainz took sixth in the other Ferrari SF-23 entry.

Red Bull’s Sergio Perez had another miserable qualifying session – finishing seventh and 0.5 seconds off team-mate Verstappen. But the Mexican was forced to run in SQ3 with a new set of softs as he used all of his yesterday.

The same was also for Mercedes’ George Russell, who took eighth place in the second F1 W14 entry as Williams Racing’s Alexander Albon and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly completed the top ten for the Sprint grid.

In the second Sprint Shootout Qualifying segment, which was topped by Verstappen, AlphaTauri’s Daniel Ricciardo qualified outside the top ten in 11^th on the classification and ahead of Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso who took 12^th and Alpine’s Esteban Ocon who placed 13^th.

The other Aston Martin AMR23 of Lance Stroll and Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu were the slowest of the SQ2 runners in 14^th and 15^th respectively.

In the opening segment, which was topped by Verstappen, a late improvement by AlphaTauri’s Ricciardo eliminated Haas F1 Team’s Nico Hulkenberg by 0.012 seconds sending the German to 16^th on the grid for the Sprint.

The other Haas VF-23 of Kevin Magnussen wound up 17^th and in-front of Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas who was 18^th as AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda and Williams Racing’s Logan Sargeant brought up the rear.

Russell is also currently under investigation by the race stewards for appearing to hamper Leclerc’s hot-lap at the penultima corners late in SQ1, with the former saying to the team: “And penalty for Mr Russell – thank you”, after the incident.

You can see the full Formula 1 Lenovo United States Grand Prix 2023 Sprint Shootout Results Classification at the link: https://www.skysports.com/f1/grandprix/united-states/results

2023 US GP Sprint Shootout Pole Sitter – Max Verstappen, #1, Oracle Red Bull Racing – Honda-RBPT, 1:34.538

“The last lap wasn’t great, but we are still on pole, so the car is working well. Today should be great, so many teams quite close. Normally in the race we are quite okay, but this track is quite demanding. Tyre management is quite key around here. It’s going to be tough.”

#USGP Qualifying: @CharlesLeclerc takes 21st-career pole, as @Max33Verstappen has fast lap deleted. #F1

#F1 #USGP FP1 Report: @Max33Verstappen 0.156s ahead of @CharlesLeclerc.

#F1 Lenovo #UnitedStatesGP 2023 Preview. #Formula1 #USGP