United States GP 2025
OCTOBER 18, 2025
Qualifying Report - Verstappen takes commanding Austin GP pole</p>
© Red Bull
Max Verstappen claimed a dominant pole position for Formula 1's United States Grand Prix, leading McLaren's Lando Norris by nearly three tenths as Oscar Piastri could manage only sixth after a difficult qualifying in Austin.
The reigning world champion carried his momentum from Saturday's sprint victory into the main qualifying session at the Circuit of the Americas, producing a flawless single lap in Q3. His 1m32.510s effort—Red Bull's only timed lap in the final phase—was enough to seal his seventh pole of the 2025 season and underline his control of the weekend.
Norris recovered from a heavy crash in the sprint to secure a front-row start with a 1m32.801s, edging Ferrari's Charles Leclerc by just 0.006s. Leclerc's 1m32.807s earned him third despite a spin out of the final corner on his opening Q3 attempt, while Mercedes' George Russell will start fourth after a tidy 1m32.826s.
Lewis Hamilton put the second Ferrari fifth with a 1m32.912s, 0.402s off Verstappen's benchmark, ahead of Piastri's 1m33.084s as the Australian championship leader again struggled for rhythm following repairs to his McLaren.
Rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli delivered another assured performance to take seventh for Mercedes on 1m33.114s, while Haas driver Oliver Bearman impressed with eighth place (1m33.139s) in the team's upgraded VF-25. Williams' Carlos Sainz and Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso completed the top 10, separated by just a tenth.
Verstappen had also topped Q2 with a 1m32.701s lap, ahead of Leclerc and Norris, as most front-runners struggled to find further improvements on their second runs. Piastri scraped through in eighth by a narrow margin, foreshadowing his muted performance in the final segment.
Sauber's Nico Hülkenberg narrowly missed out on a Q3 berth in 11th, joined on the sidelines by Liam Lawson, Yuki Tsunoda, and Alpine pair Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto.
The opening segment saw early drama when Racing Bulls driver Isack Hadjar crashed heavily in the Esses, prompting a red flag and barrier repairs. Once running resumed, Leclerc initially led before Verstappen and Russell improved late on. Norris and Piastri advanced in 11th and 12th, still battling balance issues in their rebuilt McLarens.
Alex Albon's deleted lap for track limits cost him progression to Q2, allowing Colapinto to scrape through in 15th. Eliminated were Gabriel Bortoleto, Esteban Ocon, Lance Stroll, Albon, and Hadjar.
With Verstappen on pole and Red Bull in commanding form, McLaren will look to fight back in Sunday's race, while Ferrari and Mercedes appear closely matched for the remaining podium places.