F1 US GP: Norris beats Verstappen to pole as Russell crash curtails qualifying
Norris edged Verstappen out in Austin, with the end of qualifying disrupted by Russell's off
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday
Lando Norris scored pole position for Formula 1’s 2024 United States Grand Prix as a George Russell crash prevented Max Verstappen and others from completing their final Q3 fliers.
The session was already a shocker for Mercedes with Lewis Hamilton having been eliminated in Q1.
Norris and McLaren will head the grid at Austin in a stunning turnaround from the sprint race, where Verstappen and the Ferrari drivers seemed to have a clear edge.
After the first runs in Q3, Norris lead Verstappen by 0.031s – staying ahead despite a massive snap through the penultimate corner largely thanks to a strong middle sector.
On the second attempt on new softs late in the final segment, Verstappen ran ahead of his title rival, having only just avoided a pitlane collision with Pierre Gasly exiting his Alpine garage.
But Verstappen’s attempt to topple Norris was thwarted when Russell crashed at the penultimate corner – the Mercedes heading the pack for the final tours.
Russell lost the rear of his W15 through the rapid, plunging left-hander and spun off through the gravel trap on the outside to hit the barriers hard, with the resulting double yellow flags meaning no drivers were able to complete their laps.
Verstappen and Norris had finished the first sector of their final fliers and the world champion had edged a near 0.2s advantage – albeit without getting to the sector where the McLaren had been faster on the first Q3 runs.
The order behind was preserved with Carlos Sainz third for Ferrari, ahead of his team-mate Charles Leclerc, Oscar Piastri in the other McLaren and Russell.
Gasly, who faces a post-qualifying investigation for the pitlane incident with Verstappen, took seventh ahead of Fernando Alonso and Kevin Magnussen, while Sergio Perez was only 10th after losing his first time for running too wide out of Turn 9.
In Q2, Yuki Tsunoda could not progress even with the penalty-addled Liam Lawson giving him a tow down the main straight on both his runs.
Liam Lawson, RB F1 Team VCARB 01
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
Lawson, who was third-fastest in Q1, was never going to compete in the middle segment given his grid penalty for another change on the car Daniel Ricciardo had previously been racing.
The other fallers were Nico Hulkenberg in 12th after a Turn 1 lock-up and exit oversteer snap, plus Alpine’s Esteban Ocon and Lance Stroll, who could not match Alonso’s jump from the drop zone and into Q3 on their final Q2 fliers for Aston Martin.
In Q1, Hamilton was the shock faller – not gaining time as Russell, who progressed in fourth, did when Mercedes went with the rest of the frontrunners and switched from used to new softs.
Hamilton ended up being shuffled down to 19th, with his main time loss coming in an oversteer snap exiting Turn 12, and shipping 0.5s compared to Russell.
Magnussen and Stroll jumped from the drop zone with their final laps right at Q1’s end, which shuffled down Alex Albon and Franco Colapinto for Williams, while the Sauber pair also exited despite personal bests on their final tours – Valtteri Bottas taking 18th ahead of his former team-mate and Zhou Guanyu 20th.
F1 United States Grand Prix - Qualifying results
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| Cla | Driver | # | Chassis | Engine | Time | km/h | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | |
4 | |
McLaren | Mercedes |
1'32.330 |
214.955 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | |
1 | |
Red Bull | Red Bull |
+0.031 1'32.361 |
214.882 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | |
55 | |
Ferrari | Ferrari |
+0.322 1'32.652 |
214.208 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | |
16 | |
Ferrari | Ferrari |
+0.410 1'32.740 |
214.004 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | |
81 | |
McLaren | Mercedes |
+0.620 1'32.950 |
213.521 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | |
63 | |
Mercedes | Mercedes |
+0.644 1'32.974 |
213.466 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | |
10 | |
Alpine | Renault |
+0.688 1'33.018 |
213.365 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 8 | |
14 | |
Aston Martin | Mercedes |
+0.979 1'33.309 |
212.699 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 9 | |
20 | |
Haas | Ferrari |
+1.151 1'33.481 |
212.308 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10 | |
11 | |
Red Bull | Red Bull |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 11 | |
22 | |
RB | Red Bull |
+1.176 1'33.506 |
212.251 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 12 | |
27 | |
Haas | Ferrari |
+1.214 1'33.544 |
212.165 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 13 | |
31 | |
Alpine | Renault |
+1.267 1'33.597 |
212.045 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 14 | |
18 | |
Aston Martin | Mercedes |
+1.429 1'33.759 |
211.678 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 15 | |
23 | |
Williams | Mercedes |
+1.721 1'34.051 |
211.021 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 16 | |
43 | |
Williams | Mercedes |
+1.732 1'34.062 |
210.997 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 17 | |
77 | |
Sauber | Ferrari |
+1.822 1'34.152 |
210.795 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 18 | |
44 | |
Mercedes | Mercedes |
+1.824 1'34.154 |
210.790 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 19 | |
24 | |
Sauber | Ferrari |
+1.898 1'34.228 |
210.625 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 20 | |
30 | |
RB | Red Bull |
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