although Mercedes pre-selected as a favorite for the US Grand Prix, it was Red Bull Racing which set the fastest time in two of the three training sessions. Valtteri Bottas was fastest in the first workout, after which Sergio Perez ended Friday in Austin at the top. In the third free practice on Saturday, the Mexican was again the fastest man, after Max Verstappen on Lewis Hamilton their fastest lap times were canceled due to track limits. Verstappen, however, had a hard time after the last training session. “It remains to be seen how strong Mercedes will be”, the Dutchman looked at Ziggo Sports ahead of qualifying. “I don’t know how much they have left with the bike.”
Q1
At 11pm Dutch time, the light at the end of the pit lane went green for the first qualifying session and the drivers took to the track one by one for their first run. The Red Bull team started qualifying energetically. Verstappen and Perez posted a 1.34.521 and a 1.34.575 respectively in their first timed lap, putting them on top after the first set of fast laps. Bottas and Hamilton took third and fourth place in the times list with a 1.34.659 and a 1.34.797.
Daniel Ricciardo put his McLaren then briefly at the top by clocking a 1.34.407, but then the Red Bull duo increased the pace a little further. Verstappen returned to P1 with a 1.34.352 and Perez returned to P2 with a 1.34.369. However, it was Charles Leclerc who was ultimately fastest in Q1. The Ferraridriver drove a 1.34.153 at the very end of the session.
Antonio Giovinazzi made a spin at the second turn on his last run, but nevertheless went through the ditch with the heels in fifteenth. The Alfa Romeo-driver was just faster than Lance Stroll on Nicholas latifi, who just came short and with the sixteenth and seventeenth time belonged to the first group of dropouts. Kimi Raikkonen, Mick Schumacher on Nikita mazepin, who feel the wrath of Sebastian Vettel by getting in the way of the German in the twisty first sector, were also done after Q1.
Q2
The medium compound seems to be the best tire to start the race with and was used extensively during the second part of qualifying. Verstappen drove a very strong 1.33.464 on the yellow marked tire early on, taking the first place in the times list. Hamilton had to give in more than three tenths to the classification leader and clocked the second time with a 1.33.797. Bottas was left behind Norris and Leclerc in P5.
Perez had no time at all after his first run, having gone out of bounds at corner nineteen, and so had to get back to work later in Q2. The Mexican drove a 1.34.178 during his second run, putting him behind Carlos Sainz Jr. came in seventh and was fast enough to advance to Q3. Pierre Gasly, Daniel Ricciardo in Yuki Tsunoda were also fast enough.
Esteban Ocon came despite a tow from teammate Fernando Alonso, who has to take a grid penalty for an engine change, three tenths short for a place in the top ten. Except for the Alpinedrivers, the qualifying was also over for Sebastian Vettel, Antonio Giovinazzi and George Russell. Vettel and Russell are also going back on the grid as they put in a new power unit for the Austin race.
Q3
Hamilton was the first to complete a fast lap in Q3 but drove a 1.33,564 that wasn’t too elevating for the soft compound. Bottas, who also has a grid penalty for taking a new bike, immediately went under the time of his teammate with a 1.33.475. However, the Red Bull drivers still had to come at that time. Verstappen went much faster than the two Mercedes drivers with a 1.33.199 and claimed the first place, but Perez turned out to be even faster with a 1.33.180.
With minutes remaining on the clock, the drivers returned to the track for their final run in qualifying. Hamilton improved to a 1.33.119, climbing to the first position in the times list. Verstappen, meanwhile, had gone purple in the first sector, while it started to rain lightly in the last sector. The Dutchman crossed the line at the end of the round in a 1.32.910 and took back the first place in the times table with two tenths difference. After that, it was still waiting for Perez, who is in excellent shape this weekend. The driver from Guadalajara recorded a 1.33.134 on his last lap, placing him third behind Verstappen and Hamilton. For example, Verstappen’s ninth pole position in 2021, his twelfth in total, was a fact. Bottas finished fourth in qualifying but is still five places down due to his engine penalty.
Behind Red Bull and Mercedes, Ferrari won the duel with McLaren for best-of-the-rest. Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr. were fifth and sixth in Q3, Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris were a fraction slower than the Ferrari duo and set the seventh and eighth fastest time. AlphaTauridrivers Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda were the slowest in Q3 with ninth and tenth times.
The American Grand Prix starts on Sunday at 9 p.m. Dutch time.
United States Grand Prix qualifying results
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