This session has finished. No further updates will be posted.
Qualifying for the 2024 United States Grand Prix is coming up next
Red Bull and Max Verstappen appear to be back to their best at the Circuit of the Americas. Verstappen won the sprint race earlier today from pole position, and is now looking to claim the top spot on the grand prix grid for the first time since the Austrian Grand Prix in June.Mercedes may prove Verstappen’s greatest threat for pole position. George Russell was only 0.012 seconds off the Red Bull in the first qualifying session yesterday and the team believe Lewis Hamilton was on course to claim pole position until he had to back off for yellow flags at turn 12, causing by Franco Colapinto.
McLaren were in the hunt too during Friday’s qualifying session. McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown reckoned Lando Norris had the pace for a place on the front row, until he lost time in the final sector. Oscar Piastri was eliminated in the first round after losing his final lap time due to a track limits infringement.
Norris indicated McLaren may be able to unlock more pace from their car between the sprint race and qualifying. The team brought several new parts this weekend but haven’t been able to get their car fully dialled in having only had a single practice session.
Q1 has begun. Several drivers were already queued up at the pit lane exit waiting to head out. Alexander Albon leads the field out.
The Alpine and Sauber drivers put up the first times – they’re likely to be fighting to get out of Q1. Fernando Alonso does a 1’34.496 to go top but only two-tenths of a second up on Valtteri Bottas.
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
The first times from the front runners now: Lando Norris does a 1’34.029 to go top, Carlos Sainz Jnr is 0.075s slower in second, Oscar Piastri slots in third.
The McLaren and Ferrari drivers running used soft tyres for their first runs. So is Max Verstappen who is on course to top the times with this run.
A very strong opening two sectors from Verstappen, a 1’33.690 puts him on top by three-tenths of a second. Sergio Perez matches Norris’ time to within three-thousandths of a second so he is second for now. Bad news for Charles Leclerc – his lap time was deleted for a track limits infringement and he now has no time.
A fine effort from Nico Hulkenberg puts him into second. The Haas drivers are revelling in their upgraded car – the points they took in the sprint race put them ahead of RB in the constructors’ championship.
The track is improving quickly and Pierre Gasly goes quickest now in his Alpine with a 1’33.550 on a new set of soft tyres. The front runners aren’t going to be able to make it through on their old rubber. Seven minutes to go.
Sainz surprisingly fails to beat Gasly with his new tyre run. Leclerc does, a 1’33.241 puts him top. Norris also can’t beat Gasly despite using new tyres, he goes fourth. That’s looking like a great lap by the Alpine driver.
With three minutes to go the Mercedes drivers are in the drop zone, as are the Sauber drivers and Yuki Tsunoda, the latter having had a lap time deleted for going over the white line earlier.
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
Verstappen goes top, 1’33.146. Russell goes third but Hamilton is only 16th – he’s out in Q1!
Alonso gets up to 10th, Stroll in the other Aston Martin just makes it in with a lap for 15th. Magnussen also goes through in seventh.
Out in Q1: Both Williams, both Saubers and Hamilton’s Mercedes.
“The car’s getting worse,” complains Stroll.
Hamilton: “What’s happened to this car, man?”
Q2 is go. No one out yet.
RB have sent Lawson out to give Tsunoda a tow: “Tell me when I start the lap exactly how far back he is.” Lawson will start at the back anyway due to his power unit penalty.
Verstappen has a very smooth opening lap and produces a 1’33.052 to go top. Perez is four-tenths of a second slower in second.
Another good effort by Gasly who goes 0.377s off Verstappen for second. Sainz now third.
Norris goes quickest in the middle sector and takes the fastest time off Verstappen with a 1’32.851. Piastri backs him up just five-thousandths of a second off the Red Bull.
Russell goes fourth. He says the track is ‘plateau-ing’.
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
With six laps to go both Aston Martins are in the drop zone, so is Ocon who doesn’t have the upgrades on his Alpine. Leclerc is in there too, which will worry 10th-place Tsunoda. Lawson, 15th, is unlikely to set a time.
Verstappen is fractionally off his best in sector one, fastest of all in sector two. He crosses the line with a 1’32.584 to go fastest of all, 0.267s faster than Norris.
Leclerc gets in with a 1’32.962 for third which puts him third and Tsunoda in the drop zone. Perez looks safe with a lap for fourth.
Tsunoda gets ahead of the Haas drivers and Hulkenberg’s had a poor first sector so the RB driver has a chance.
Magnussen beats Tsunoda but Hulkenberg doesn’t. The Aston Martin drivers are last to do their times and Alonso takes ninth, eliminating Tsunoda. Stroll stays 14th.
Out in Q2: Tsunoda, Hulkenberg, Ocon, Stroll and Lawson.
Q3 is go.
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
Norris sets a 1’32.330 to go quickest, Verstappen can only manage second, he’s three-hundredths of a second off the McLaren though.
It looks like a two-car fight for pole position. The Ferrari drivers are over three-tenths of a second off. Piastri is fifth, six tenths of a second off his team mate. Perez has no time for now as he exceeded track limits at turn nine.
A near-miss between Gasly and Verstappen in the pits – potentially an unsafe release by Alpine.
Russell’s crashed at turn 19! The yellow flags are out which means no further improvements. Norris takes pole!
Here’s the grid for the 2024 United States Grand Prix.
So Lando Norris snatched an unexpected pole position away from Max Verstappen – thanks partly to George Russell crashing out. Read our report of the qualifying session here.
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
2024 United States Grand Prix
- McLaren insist stewards made ‘provable error’ after losing bid for review of Norris’ penalty
- Why McLaren’s focus on Verstappen’s driving failed to overturn Norris’ penalty
- Stewards reject McLaren’s request to review Norris’ United States GP penalty
- McLaren know Norris’ penalty is likely to stand – so what do they hope to gain?
- McLaren request review of Norris’ penalty for off-track pass on Verstappen
