United States GP - Sprint Shootout

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Pirelli United States GP

Sprint Shootout

October 18, 2024

Max Verstappen has claimed pole position for the sprint race at the U.S. Grand Prix, narrowly edging out George Russell with a time just 0.012 seconds faster.

This 19-lap sprint on Saturday gives Verstappen a chance to extend his 52-point advantage over Lando Norris in the drivers' championship, with Norris qualifying fourth. The sprint offers valuable points, awarding eight to the winner, seven for second, and decreasing by one point down to eighth place.

Verstappen’s pole marks his first since the Austrian Grand Prix in July and signals a potential resurgence for Red Bull following a challenging stretch in recent races. “I’m happy with today,” Verstappen expressed. “I think the whole day, the car was working quite well, and of course very happy to be first. It's been a while, so yeah, very pleased with today.”

Norris, who qualified fourth, was 0.250 seconds behind Verstappen but faced tough competition from Russell and Charles Leclerc, who will start in second and third, respectively. “Not very good, P4. Not a great day. Been struggling the whole day, honestly, with the balance and the setup. In a way, happy with P4, because I feel like it could have been a lot worse, but my lap was shocking,” Norris remarked. “So yeah, not a terrible day, could have been worse, could have been better, but I'll take it.”

Carlos Sainz will begin fifth for Ferrari, followed by Nico Hulkenberg of Haas in sixth. Lewis Hamilton, frustrated by his seventh-fastest time, felt that yellow flags disrupted his best lap, costing him a chance at pole. He believed his initial sector could have positioned him well before the flags slowed him down.

Kevin Magnussen will start eighth in the second Haas, with Yuki Tsunoda of Red Bull ninth and Williams driver Franco Colapinto rounding out the top ten. Meanwhile, Sergio Perez faced ongoing difficulties, missing the Q3 cutoff by 0.192 seconds and will begin 11th, just ahead of Alpine's Pierre Gasly in 12th. Lance Stroll, Fernando Alonso, and Liam Lawson all had their Q2 times disqualified for exceeding track limits, placing them 13th, 14th, and 15th, respectively.

Lawson is making his F1 comeback this weekend as Daniel Ricciardo’s replacement, starting 15th for the sprint but set to begin from the back of the grid in the main race due to exceeding his car's quota with new power unit components. Oscar Piastri, Norris’ teammate, was eliminated in Q1 after his fastest lap was invalidated for track limits at Turn 19. Esteban Ocon will start 17th, with Alex Albon in 18th after spinning in his final corner, followed by Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu in 19th and 20th.