Drama to the end! Leclerc won qualifying in US Grand Prix, Verstappen didn’t even make the top five

On Friday, October 20, Formula 1 kicked off the nineteenth race of the season, the US Grand Prix. Due to the sprint format of the race weekend, the drivers had only one practice session on Friday, with qualifying scheduled for 11pm our time. And it offered a truly dramatic battle for pole position.

The first part of qualifying (Q1)

The first qualifying segment was won by Lewis Hamilton, who set a time of 1:35.091. Only nineteen thousandths of a second behind him was Lando Norris, with Max Verstappen two and a half tenths of a second slower than Hamilton.

Carlos Sainz finished fourth with a time of 1:35.824, while the elite five were somewhat surprisingly rounded off by Júki Cunoda (1:35.913).

As for the drivers who did not qualify for the second part of the qualifying, given the results of the first practice session, much more was expected from Williams. Logan Sargeant finished as high as 20th in qualifying at the home grand prix.

His teammate Alexander Albon will be no better off in terms of starting position for Sunday’s U.S. Grand Prix. Albon’s time of 1:36.315 was only good enough for eighteenth place. The Williams drivers were separated by Lance Stroll in nineteenth place.

For the first time this season, Fernando Alonso did not qualify for the next qualifying segment. Of note, Aston Martin brought a modified rear wing and aerodynamic elements on the floor to Austin.

Unfortunately, it didn’t help either driver to a better result. Aston, on the other hand, struggled mightily in the first, and due to the sprint format of the race weekend, only practice session. This was due to overheating problems, particularly with the left front brakes on both cars.

Nico Hülkenberg also failed to qualify for Q2. He had his time deleted by the race directors for exceeding the track limits. Thanks to a time of 1:36.213, returnee Daniel Ricciardo, who returned to F1 for the first time since the Dutch Grand Prix where he suffered a fractured metacarpal bone, advanced to Q2.

The second part of qualifying (Q2)

Charles Leclerc won qualifying segment 2 with a time of 1:35.004. He was only four thousandths of a second behind second-placed Verstappen. Hamilton finished Q2 third this time, with the Spaniard Sainz finishing fourth, as he did in Q1.

Fifth place was taken by Esteban Ocon. Ricciardo didn’t qualify for the next, and therefore the last, part of the qualifying, and this time he was deleted by the race directors due to exceeding the track limits.

Cunoda, Ricciardo’s teammate, also failed to qualify for Q3. The Japanese driver will start the US Grand Prix from 11th place.

The third part of qualifying (Q3)

The twelfth and thirteenth starting slots were occupied by Alfa Romeo drivers Zhou Guangyu and Valtteri Bottas. Fourteenth will be Kevin Magnussen at the start of Sunday’s race. The last ten drivers – the aforementioned top five, Norris, Pierre Gasly, Oscar Piastri, George Russell and Sergio Pérez – will fight it out for pole position.

The dramatic battle for the top spot at the start of the US Grand Prix went right down to the final minutes. In any case, Leclerc was the best of all, securing pole position with a time of 1:34.723.

It should be noted, however, that the first place was taken by the reigning champion Verstappen before that. He set a time just 5 thousandths of a second faster, but he exceeded the track limits at turn 19, so the race directors wiped out his fast attempt.

Verstappen will start sixth, having lost over three and a half tenths of a second to Leclerc with his original time. The Monegasque in the service of Ferrari will be joined on the front row by Norris, who was 130 thousandths of a second slower.

Third Hamilton and fourth Sainz will line up on the second row. Fifth place on the grid will be taken by Russell, whose time (1:35.682) has also been deleted.

From seventh and eighth place, Alpine’s Gasly and Ocon will start the US Grand Prix. Checo Pérez was ninth. Much more was expected from tenth-placed Oscar Piastri. The full standings for the start of Sunday’s race can be seen below.

🏁 QUALIFYING CLASSIFICATION 🏁

Charles Leclerc takes his third pole position of 2023! 💫#USGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/85WuKnWZhe

— Formula 1 (@F1) October 20, 2023

Austin, or rather the circuit with the official name Circuit of The Americas, now has its fifth pole position holder in the last five Grands Prix.

Hamilton won it in 2018, Bottas the year after, then Verstappen, Sainz and now Leclerc from 2021.

Source: F1 TV, Twitter / X