Lando Norris takes F1 United States GP pole, setting up latest battle with Max Verstappen

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AUSTIN, Texas — Lando Norris secured pole position for Sunday’s United States Grand Prix, with Max Verstappen set to line up alongside him as their championship battle rages on.

It was shaping to be a sprint to the end as both drivers’ lap times were fairly tight (Norris’ Sector 1 lap time was just slightly slower) with a minute or so left in qualifying. But then George Russell triggered a yellow flag as he slammed into the barriers at Turn 19. He walked off under his own power. Norris’ pole position time was 0.031 seconds ahead of the Dutchman.

With six grands prix left in the 2024 season, Verstappen leads Norris by 54 points in the drivers’ championship.

The biggest shock from qualifying was Mercedes, which has seen its competitiveness deteriorate since Friday’s first practice. Lewis Hamilton was knocked out in Q1, ultimately qualifying P19, while George Russell carried on to Q3.

“The car felt great yesterday, so obviously came really optimistic for today,” Hamilton aid in the media pen after qualifying. “Something failed on the front suspension literally as we pulled away from the line for the formation lap, and I had that through the (sprint) race. So they figured that out, they changed the corner. And it felt like a mess, obviously, through quali.”

Mercedes looked like it found its stride before summer break, but McLaren, Red Bull and Ferrari have pulled ahead. Russell said over the radio during Q3 that he wasn’t sure what they were missing compared to Friday’s sessions when he qualified second for the sprint race. Russell qualified sixth for Sunday’s grand prix.

Ferrari, meanwhile, showed competitive pace during the sprint race — so much so that Norris said after the sprint, “I don’t think we have the pace on Max or the Ferraris.” Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc qualified P3 and P4 on Saturday and likely will pose a threat for the final podium spot.

Fresh off of a three-weekend break, several of the teams lower in the standings have shown intriguing competitive performances. Alpine’s Pierre Gasly unexpectedly jumped up to P2 at one point during Q1, ending the session fifth. He and Esteban Ocon ultimately qualified P7 and P13, respectively.

Both Haas cars are fitted with the latest updates, and it showed during qualifying on Saturday. Only Nico Hülkenberg had the parts until now, yet Kevin Magnussen finished ahead of him in the sprint race, going seventh and eighth. The two escaped Q1 later Saturday afternoon, but only Magnussen advanced to Q3.

Then there’s the case of RB. Liam Lawson joined the grid ahead of this weekend, replacing Daniel Ricciardo. He faces a 60-place grid penalty for Sunday’s race but showed a competitive qualifying performance during Q1, ending it third.

RB planned to use him to give Yuki Tsunoda a tow as the Q2 clock neared the end. The Japanese driver relayed instructions of where Lawson should go while giving him the slipstream because “I was picking up so much dust in the straight.” If they did try to create a tow, it didn’t help much, as both were knocked out in Q2, with Tsunoda qualifying P11 and Lawson P15.

Here’s a look at the top 10 from qualifying.

1. Lando Norris
2. Max Verstappen
3. Carlos Sainz
4. Charles Leclerc
5. Oscar Piastri
6. George Russell
7. Pierre Gasly
8. Fernando Alonso
9. Kevin Magnussen
10. Sergio Pérez

Top photo: Chris Graythen/Getty Images