Max Verstappen Cruises to United States Grand Prix Pole

Max Verstappen easily outpaced Lando Norris to claim the pole for the MSC Cruises United States Grand Prix, adding to his accomplishments in Austin which already include the sprint pole and sprint race win earlier on Saturday (Oct. 18). 

MAX VERSTAPPEN TAKES POLE AT COTA!! 💪🥇

An absolutely mighty lap secures the Red Bull driver the fastest time! 👏#F1 #USGP pic.twitter.com/jzgRor0eZs

— Formula 1 (@F1) October 18, 2025

Verstappen’s first lap in Q3 was more than enough for the pole, and he didn’t even need a final lap to maintain it. That was good, because the Dutchman lollygagged around the circuit and was too late to start a final lap.

Championship leader Oscar Piastri struggled throughout qualifying and will start sixth. Verstappen’s pole further turns the screws on McLaren, who have seen Piastri’s championship lead diminish considerably since the summer break.

“It was good,” said Verstappen. “I think in every segment, the car was very strong. Just trying to put the lap together sometimes here can be very tricky. It’s very hot with very strong winds as well, and in the first sector, having that tailwind is challenging.

“The first run in Q3 was good, we managed to improve a little bit from Q2. Unfortunately, I couldn’t do my final run. It was a bit messy with the out laps, but luckily, we didn’t need it. For us, again, a very strong result.”

Q3

George Russell was out early and clocked a 1:32.959, while Piastri was much slower on a used set of tires. 

Norris narrowly topped Russell, but Verstappen nailed all three sectors and logged a 1:32.510, almost four tenths ahead of Norris, and almost a second ahead of Piastri’s first time. The four-time defending champion had drawn a line in the sand and dared McLaren not to cross it, but to simply approach it.  

Charles Leclerc lost the rear end coming out of the final turn and smoked his tires in a 360 degree turn. The error left Leclerc with no time and needing a solid lap to get out of 10th. Leclerc delivered and placed his car into second, only to be nipped by Norris by .006 seconds. 

Charles goes for a 360! 🔄

That's not what the Ferrari driver would have wanted from his initial run in this session 😬#F1 #USGP pic.twitter.com/RSFE3uz8ke

— Formula 1 (@F1) October 18, 2025

With final laps starting, Oliver Bearman sat in a surprising fifth, ahead of both Ferraris and Piastri. Bearman was knocked down to a still-impressive eighth, as Piastri could only manage sixth.

Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri Collide & DNF at Start of COTA F1 Sprint

Q2

Verstappen dropped a quick 1:32.701 early in the session, while Piastri’s first effort left him just a mere tenth from the drop zone. 

Russell needed a late lap to extract himself from the elimination zone, and delivered with a 1:33.058. 

Sainz, Alonso and Bearman joined the Q3 party, with Verstappen and the McLaren, Mercedes, and Ferrari duos.

Q1

Q1 in Austin started with all eyes on the McLarens of Piastri and Norris, whose clash in turn 1 of the sprint race necessitated frantic repairs to repair the cars for qualifying. 

But Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar triggered an abrupt pause on Q1 just 3 minutes in, when he lost control in turn 6 and slammed the barrier. The session was red flagged at the 14:51 mark as a clearly frustrated Hadjar started the walk of shame back to the pits.  

Norris abandoned his first flying lap with a concerning 6 minutes left in the session. The Brit then laid down a solid lap, with a strong sector 2 to secure a trip to Q2. 

Verstappen topped the chart with a 1:33.207. 

The F1 United States Grand Prix will begin on Sunday, Oct. 19, at 3 p.m. ET. Television coverage in the United States will be provided by ABC.

Jeffrey Boswell