Max Verstappen cruised to pole position for the United States Grand Prix, putting McLaren on notice ahead of a crucial race for the Formula 1 Drivers’ title.
The Dutchman required only one run in the final part of qualifying to take pole but almost three tenths of a second from Lando Norris.
Charles Leclerc scored a good result for Ferrari with third, with Oscar Piastri only able to take sixth place behind George Russell and Lewis Hamilton.
Q1 was barely a few moments in when the red flag was out caused by Isack Hadjar, who lost it across the esses and planted his Racing Bulls nose-first into the wall at Turn 6.
The Frenchman was OK but angry, kicking the remnants of the advertising hoardings strewn across the run-off area once out of the stricken car.
After a delay of around five minutes, it was back to the action. Both Saubers of Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto were the first to set a time, with Alonso and Russell quickly getting up to speed to go first and second, as a flurry of cars began to set competitive laps.
Verstappen and Leclerc were next, the Ferrari setting a 1:33.525s to go fastest. Hamilton went into third as Piastri went into fifth.
Norris, on his first flying lap, pushed the limits and slid wide at the end of the esses, ending the possibility of a good time, backing out and waiting for another turn.
He would go again immediately and took a conservative approach to go seventh.
Russell and Antonelli would go first and second before Verstappen took first from the Brit, with a 1:33.207s.
Hulkenberg went up into fifth, as team-mate Bortoleto improved to get out of the drop zone, but only just. Lawson went into fifth and safety, as Franco Colapinto knocked Bortoleto back down.
Alex Albon, at the very end, jumped into eighth, dropping Colapinto down again. He and Bortoleto were out along with Esteban Ocon, Lance Stroll, and the condemned Hadjar.
Colapinto would be reprieved however, as Albon’s final lap was deleted, after having exceeded track limits on the exit of Turn 20.
Bearman through but Tsunoda out
Oliver Bearman was the first driver to set a time in Q2, a 1:33.238s, with Antonelli quickly displacing him by two tenths.
Norris, despite losing the left grip on his steering wheel, went quickest, with Verstappen then taking over, with Antonelli and Sainz third and fourth.
Leclerc jumped into second with Hamilton going fourth, as Piastri sat in seventh.
Now on their second runs, Russell was now in the elimination zone but he moved into sixth place with three minutes to go.
Yuki Tsunoda was having a wretched time of it, first complaining that Liam Lawson was intentionally slowing him down as the Kiwi was on a slow lap, and then failing to move into the top 10, seeing him eliminated.
Predictably, but Alpines were out too, with Lawson and Hulkenberg joining them, confirming Oliver Bearman’s place in the final part of qualifying.
Bearman was out of the blocks for Q3, setting going quicker than Piastrim but Russell went quickest, with Antonelli in second.
Norris then went top but Verstappen blitzed it with a 1:32.510s, four tenths quicker. Hamilton’s first run was ruined by locking up at Turn 1.
With now a minute to go, Verstappen was itching to get back out, telling the team he was “behind schedule,” and he was proved right, by missing a chance to set another fast lap by a matter of seconds.
Leclerc got into second, with Verstappen now facing an anxious wait to see if his first lap would be good enough.
Norris couldn’t better it, going quicker but still nearly three tenths off Verstappen, and Piastri could only take sixth, ensuring the Red Bull man’s place at the top of the front row for the second time in the weekend.
Russell would go fourth, with Hamilton fifth, Piastri seventh, Bearman eighth, Sainz ninth and Alonso 10th.
READ MORE – F1 2025 United States Grand Prix – Qualifying Results
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