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Max Verstappen dominantly takes pole in Austin: 'A very strong result for us'

Published on 19 October 2025 by Misha van der Kroon

Max Verstappen claimed pole position for the United States Grand Prix in dominant way. At the Circuit of the Americas, near Austin, the Oracle Red Bull Racing driver was untouchable throughout qualifying, topping every segment. Although Max was too late to start a second flying lap in Q3, his first lap was more than enough to secure pole position. Lando Norris finished nearly three tenths behind in his McLaren to take P2, while Charles Leclerc qualified third for Ferrari.

“It was good,” Max says after qualifying. “The car was very strong in every segment. It can be quite tricky to put a lap together here. It was hot, there were very strong winds, and having tailwind in the first sector is challenging. The first run in Q3 was good, I managed to improve a bit compared to Q2. Unfortunately, I couldn’t do my final run, it was a bit messy on the outlap, but luckily we didn’t need it. So it’s a very strong result for us.”

Conditions at the Circuit of the Americas were far from easy, Max explains: “It was tricky with the wind. The wind picked up compared to yesterday, and then it turned a bit as well. We had a tailwind through the esses, which made the car move around a lot more, so that made it a bit harder. In some corners, you gain a bit of lap time, but you can’t commit as much as you normally can in sector one.”

Despite the successful qualifying session, Max remains cautious with his predictions for the race: “We’ll see tomorrow. In general, the most difficult for us is to get everything together during the race. The wind is also going to change again tomorrow, so hopefully it will all work out well for us.”

Qualifying for the United States Grand Prix starts under sunny skies and with an air temperature of 34°C. While Max is still in the garage, Isack Hadjar crashes heavily into the barriers in the esses during his first flying lap. The Frenchman is unscathed, but his Racing Bulls car suffers heavy damage, bringing out the red flag. After a short delay, the session resumes. Max, like the rest of the field, heads out on soft tyres and sets a 1:33.590 on his first flying lap, briefly going fastest. Charles Leclerc and the Mercedes drivers George Russell and Kimi Antonelli then better his time before Max goes for a second run. He improves to a 1:33.207, ending Q1 on top. The drivers eliminated in Q1 are Gabriel Bortoleto (P16), Esteban Ocon (P17), Lance Stroll (P18), Alexander Albon (P19), who loses his fastest time due to track limits, and Isack Hadjar (P20), who will start last after his crash.

In Q2, Max immediately sets the pace with a 1:32.701, placing himself comfortably at the top of the timesheets ahead of Leclerc and Norris. Confident in his lap, Max decides not to go out again. No one is able to beat his time, leaving Verstappen fastest once more, followed by Leclerc and Norris. Eliminated after Q2 are Nico Hülkenberg (P11), Liam Lawson (P12), Yuki Tsunoda (P13), Pierre Gasly (P14), and Franco Colapinto (P15).

In the decisive Q3 session, Max wastes no time, delivering a 1:32.510 on his first flying lap, nearly four tenths quicker than Norris in second. All drivers go out for a second run, but Max is just too late to start his second flying lap as the chequered flag is waved. Once again, none of the other drivers come close to Verstappen’s time, allowing the Dutchman to claim pole position with just one flying lap in Q3. Lando Norris ends the session 0.291 seconds behind Max in P2, with Charles Leclerc in P3. George Russell takes fourth place, followed by Lewis Hamilton in fifth. Oscar Piastri ends up only sixth, with Kimi Antonelli in seventh. Oliver Bearman, Carlos Sainz, and Fernando Alonso complete the top ten.

The United States Grand Prix gets underway on Sunday at 21:00 (Dutch time).

Contest GP Austin: win a by Max Verstappen signed Red Bull Racing cap!

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Results qualifying United States:

posdriverteamq1q2q3
1Max VerstappenVERRed Bull Racing1:33.2071:32.7011:32.510
2Lando NorrisNORMcLaren1:33.8431:32.8761:32.801
3Charles LeclercLECFerrari1:33.5251:32.8691:32.807
4George RussellRUSMercedes1:33.3111:33.0581:32.826
5Lewis HamiltonHAMFerrari1:33.6851:32.9141:32.912
6Oscar PiastriPIAMcLaren1:33.7461:33.2281:33.084
7Kimi AntonelliANTMercedes1:33.5011:33.0441:33.114
8Oliver BearmanBEAHaas F1 Team1:33.9211:33.2381:33.139
9Carlos SainzSAIWilliams1:33.7391:33.1241:33.150
10Fernando AlonsoALOAston Martin1:33.7411:33.2371:33.160
11Nico HulkenbergHULKick Sauber1:33.5511:33.334
12Liam LawsonLAWRacing Bulls1:33.5491:33.360
13Yuki TsunodaTSURed Bull Racing1:33.9351:33.466
14Pierre GaslyGASAlpine1:33.5991:33.651
15Franco ColapintoCOLAlpine1:34.0391:34.044
16Gabriel BortoletoBORKick Sauber1:34.125
17Esteban OconOCOHaas F1 Team1:34.136
18Lance StrollSTRAston Martin1:34.540
19Alexander AlbonALBWilliams1:34.690
0Isack HadjarHADRacing BullsDNF