Leclerc Claims Pole Position In Austin, Verstappen’s Fastest Time Deleted Due To Track Limit Violation

Charles Leclerc secured pole position for the United States Grand Prix, the 19th round of the Formula 1 World Championship, in Austin, Texas. The Ferrari driver delivered a stellar performance to top the time sheets in the final qualifying session.

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Red Bull's Max Verstappen initially set the fastest time in the Q3 session, putting him at the front of the grid. However, his lap time was deleted for exceeding track limits, costing him pole position. He will end up starting from the sixth position on the grid.

Leclerc's impressive run saw him grab his third pole of the season, setting the stage for a thrilling race. He was followed closely by McLaren's Lando Norris, who secured a front-row start alongside Leclerc. Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes will line up right behind them in third place.

Session Breakdown

In the initial Q1 session, Hamilton set the pace, narrowly edging out Norris and Verstappen. Several drivers were eliminated in this stage, including Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg , (shockingly) Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, Williams’ Alex Albon, Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll, and Williams’ Logan Sargeant.

Notably, Fernando Alonso's record of making it into Q3 at every Grand Prix this year was broken, with the Aston Martin driver only managing the 17th fastest time. 

The Q2 session saw Leclerc emerge as the fastest, just ahead of Verstappen and Hamilton. AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda, Zhou Guanyu, and Valtteri Bottas of Alfa Romeo, Haas’ Kevin Magnussen, and the returning Daniel Ricciardo for AlphaTauri were among the drivers knocked out in this stage.

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In the final Q3 session, Leclerc initially set the bar for pole position. Verstappen managed to top his time by a slim margin, but his lap was deleted due to a track limits violation at Turn 19. As a result, Leclerc claimed the pole position, with Norris securing the second spot, just 0.13 seconds behind him.

Carlos Sainz from Ferrari secured the fourth position on the grid, while George Russell of Mercedes qualified fifth. Verstappen's disqualification pushed him to sixth position. The rest of the top 10 consisted of Pierre Gasly (Alpine), Esteban Ocon (Alpine), Sergio Perez (Red Bull), and Oscar Piastri (McLaren). These sessions set the grid for Sunday's race, with the sprint event on Saturday unaffected by the qualifying results.