Max Verstappen clinched pole position for the United States Grand Prix in Austin on October 22, 2023, despite missing a chance for a final qualifying run. The Red Bull driver finished with a time that was 0.291 seconds faster than McLaren’s Lando Norris, continuing to strengthen his bid for the championship. With championship leader Oscar Piastri qualifying in sixth place, Verstappen’s performance sets the stage for a potentially critical race.
Verstappen entered the qualifying session with momentum after winning the Sprint earlier in the day. This victory has positioned him to close the gap on Piastri, who currently leads by 55 points. Norris, 22 points behind Piastri, faced challenges during qualifying, as both McLaren drivers struggled after sustaining damage from a collision in the earlier Sprint race.
The qualifying session revealed a competitive field, with Charles Leclerc of Ferrari taking third, marking the team’s strongest performance of the weekend. He was followed closely by Mercedes drivers George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, who finished fourth and fifth, respectively.
In a notable performance, Kimi Antonelli qualified eighth, while Oliver Bearman from Haas and Carlos Sainz of Williams rounded out the top ten. Sainz had previously finished third in the Sprint, indicating a solid pace for the race weekend.
Yuki Tsunoda from Red Bull faced disappointment, failing to advance to Q3 and ending up in 13th place. Additionally, Racing Bulls’ Hadjar suffered a significant crash early in Q1, forcing him to start from the back of the grid.
The full qualifying results are as follows:
1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2. Lando Norris (McLaren)
3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
4. George Russell (Mercedes)
5. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
6. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
7. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
8. Oliver Bearman (Haas)
9. Carlos Sainz (Williams)
10. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
As the teams prepare for the main event, Verstappen’s performance sets a promising tone for the race scheduled to begin at 20:00 local time, with build-up coverage starting at 18:30. Fans can catch all the action live on Sky Sports F1.
In this pivotal moment of the season, all eyes will be on Verstappen to see if he can capitalize on his pole position and continue narrowing the gap in the championship standings.
