United States GP 2024
OCTOBER 19, 2024
Qualifying Report - Norris grabs pole
© McLaren
Lando Norris secured a stunning pole position for the United States Grand Prix in Austin after a dramatic qualifying session that saw George Russell’s crash cut the final Q3 laps short. Norris, driving for McLaren, led the timesheets with a lap time just 0.031 seconds faster than Max Verstappen after the first Q3 runs. The second round of flying laps was shaping up to be a fierce battle between the two, but Russell’s accident put a stop to any further improvements on the grid.
The session was already filled with surprises, most notably the shock elimination of Lewis Hamilton in Q1. The Mercedes driver struggled with oversteer and couldn’t find the necessary pace, ultimately finishing 19th, his worst qualifying result in recent memory.
Norris’s lap was not without its challenges. He endured a major snap of oversteer through the penultimate corner but managed to hold on and post the quickest time, benefitting from a particularly strong middle sector. As the drivers prepared for their final runs on fresh soft tires, Verstappen was determined to reclaim pole position. However, just as the reigning world champion and Norris began their final laps, Russell lost control of his Mercedes in the fast left-hander at the penultimate corner.
Russell spun off into the gravel and made contact with the barriers, bringing out double yellow flags that forced the session to be effectively over. As a result, no driver was able to improve on their previous laps, leaving Norris on pole and Verstappen second on the grid.
Behind them, Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz took third place, ahead of teammate Charles Leclerc in fourth. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, who has been in strong form, claimed fifth place, while Russell, despite his crash, will start sixth.
Pierre Gasly took seventh for Alpine, though he was placed under investigation for an unsafe release in the pit lane during the session, narrowly avoiding a collision with Verstappen’s Red Bull. Fernando Alonso will start from eighth on the grid for Aston Martin, with Kevin Magnussen and Sergio Perez rounding out the top ten. Perez had a tough session, losing one of his lap times for exceeding track limits at Turn 9.
In Q2, Yuki Tsunoda failed to advance despite receiving a slipstream from his AlphaTauri teammate Liam Lawson, who had already been hindered by grid penalties. Lawson had posted an impressive third-fastest time in Q1 but was never a serious contender in Q2 due to those penalties. Esteban Ocon, Lance Stroll, and Nico Hulkenberg were also eliminated in Q2.
The biggest surprise of the day came in Q1 when Hamilton couldn’t find the pace to advance. He struggled in the final sector, particularly losing time at Turn 12 with a significant oversteer snap, which cost him around half a second compared to Russell.
As a result, Hamilton will start from 19th, just ahead of Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu, who completed the back of the grid. This sets the stage for an unpredictable race, with Norris leading the pack and Verstappen hungry to make up for the lost opportunity.