U.S. GP:Norris on pole in thrilling qualifying ahead Verstappen as Russell crashes
McLaren’s Lando Norris clinches pole in thrilling qualifying session at Austin
AUSTIN -- In an exhilarating qualifying session at the United States Grand Prix, Lando Norris secured a remarkable pole position for McLaren. The Briton's commanding performance in Q3, posting a time of 1m 32.330s, proved unbeatable as the session ended prematurely due to a dramatic crash involving George Russell.
Verstappen, holding a 54-point lead over Norris in the drivers' standings following his sprint race victory on Saturday, was on a faster lap when Russell crashed at the penultimate corner, causing yellow flags to be deployed and effectively ending the session. Norris, who had set a time 0.031 seconds quicker than Verstappen during their initial Q3 runs, secured pole position as a result. Upon hearing the news over the team radio, Norris joyfully exclaimed, "F---ing beautiful!"
After the session, Norris remarked, "It was a beautiful lap. I wasn't going to go much quicker than that—you know when you just do a lap and think it's going to be tough to beat. I put everything on the line, given that we've been on the backfoot all weekend and haven't matched the pace of the Ferrari or Red Bulls. I had to do something special, and today I did just that—a cool lap and a nice way to start the race tomorrow."
Despite securing pole position, Norris still faces a significant challenge in holding off Verstappen on Sunday to convert his pole into a fourth career win.
Max Verstappen fell just short, ending the session 0.031s behind Norris to claim second place. Verstappen commented:
"In the first part of Q3 there I lost a lot of time, but I knew that we had another run. But I couldn't finish a lap otherwise we had a really good shot. If I'm on the front row at least the potential to be first was there."
Ferrari's Carlos Sainz, who beat Norris to second place with a last-lap move in the sprint race, secured third. Sainz noted:
"Yesterday we were P5, today we were P3 so we did a good step in the right direction. I'm a bit gutted for the last lap because I was three tenths up on my lap, but it's easy to say now. I think we've done some good progress, we should be in the fight tomorrow if we can get a good start and with the two guys in front it should be a fun one."
Teammate Charles Leclerc lined up in fourth, while McLaren's Oscar Piastri completed the top five. Russell's earlier time positioned him in sixth.
Pierre Gasly impressed for Alpine with a solid seventh-place finish, while Fernando Alonso took eighth for Aston Martin. Kevin Magnussen thrilled Haas fans by reaching ninth in his first Q3 appearance of 2024, while Red Bull's Sergio Perez settled for tenth after his initial lap was deleted due to track limits.
Yuki Tsunoda narrowly missed Q3, concluding in 11th for RB, followed by Haas's Nico Hulkenberg, who was eliminated after a lock-up on his final attempt in Q2. Esteban Ocon finished 13th for Alpine, with Aston Martin's Lance Stroll in 14th.
Daniel Ricciardo's replacement at RB, Liam Lawson, opted against setting a time in Q2 as a grid penalty for a power unit change ahead of the weekend meant he is set to start from the back of the grid regardless of his time. Lawson's Q1 time would have made the cut for Q3, but he only went back on track in Q2 to attempt to give teammate Tsunoda a slipstream.
A major shock came in Q1 when Lewis Hamilton managed just P16 following a troublesome middle sector, resulting in the seven-time world champion being relegated to P19. Hamilton, who set the 19th fastest time in Q1, said he wanted to start from the pit lane on Sunday so that the team can alter his setup before the race start.
Russell, who reported he was OK after the crash, said he was "confused" as to why it happened:
"I'm a little bit confused why yesterday me and Lewis were in the fight for pole and today something was missing. The car didn't feel as put together, it just seems like such a theme at the moment that when we find a sweet spot we have a car that's capable of pole positions and race wins and when we can't find that sweet spot we are nowhere." Williams pair Alex Albon and Franco Colapinto finished 16th and 17th, alongside the Saubers of Valtteri Bottas in 18th and Zhou Guanyu in 20th.
Qualifying highlights: 2024 United States Grand Prix
The session was packed with surprises and skill, setting the stage for an exciting race at Austin. Fans and teams alike are eager to see how the grid unfolds on race day, with plenty of action promised.
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