Charles Leclerc beat Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton to take pole; Max Verstappen sixth after losing fastest lap due to violation of track limits; get ready for Sprint Saturday: tune in live for the Sprint Shootout at 6:30 PM and then the Sprint Race itself at 11:00 PM on Sky Sports F1
Last updated: 10/20/23 11:23 PM
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Charles Leclerc takes pole position for the United States Grand Prix after a dramatic qualifying session that saw Max Verstappen finish sixth after his lap time was scrapped
Charles Leclerc takes pole position for the United States Grand Prix after a dramatic qualifying session that saw Max Verstappen finish sixth after his lap time was scrapped
Charles Leclerc beat Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton to a thrilling Grand Prix pole in the United States after an error caused world champion Max Verstappen to start from sixth.
In a wide open race, Verstappen temporarily held pole position before losing the fastest lap time of the session as he exceeded the track limits at the penultimate corner.
With Verstappen’s time scrapped, Ferrari’s Leclerc regained pole, leaving Norris and Hamilton behind by just over a tenth of a second, sealing his third pole position of the season – the highest of any other driver then Verstappen.
Hamilton will be disappointed at failing to set his best lap at the key moment, but the seven-time world champion has a great chance of ending his almost two-year winless streak, with Mercedes appearing to have benefited from one last big win . seasonal upgrade.
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Verstappen was heard on the radio after losing grip due to turbulent air behind teammate Sergio Perez during Q3 of the United States Grand Prix
Norris, on the other hand, did not look fast enough to be part of the pole battle, but set his best lap at the opportune moment to get ahead of Hamilton.
Leclerc’s Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz finished fourth, while George Russell overcame a challenging session to finish fifth for Mercedes.
Alpine duo Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon were seventh and eighth behind Verstappen, whose teammate Sergio Perez was ninth ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri.
More to follow…
Qatar GP qualifying result
1) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
2) Lando Norris, McLaren
3) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
4) Carlos Sainz, Ferrari
5) George Russell, Mercedes
6) Max Verstappen, Red Bull
7) Pierre Gasly, Alpine
8) Esteban Ocon, Alpine
9) Sergio Perez, Red Bull
10) Oscar Piastri, McLaren
Timesheet for United States GP qualifying
| Director | Team | Time |
| 1. Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:34,723 |
| 2. Oscar Piastri | McLaren | +0.130 |
| 3. Lando Norris | McLaren | +0.139 |
| 4. Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +0.222 |
| 5. Sergio Perez | Red Bull | +0.356 |
| 6. Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | +0.358 |
| 7.Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | +0.366 |
| 8. George Russell | Mercedes | +0.431 |
| 12. Pierre Gasly | Alps | +0.450 |
| 14. Esteban Ocon | Alps | +0.744 |
| Out in Q2 | ||
| 11. Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri | 1:35,697 |
| 12.Zhou Guanyu | Alfa Romeo | 1:35,698 |
| 13. Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo | 1:35,858 |
| 14. Kevin Magnussen | Hare | 1:35,880 |
| 15. Daniel Ricciardo | AlphaTauri | 1:35,974 |
| Out in Q1 | ||
| 16. Nico Hulkenberg | Hare | 1:36,235 |
| 17. Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:36,268 |
| 18. Alex Albon | Williams | 1:36,315 |
| 19. Lance walk | Aston Martin | 1:36,589 |
| 20. Logan Sargeant | Williams | 1:36,827 |
When can you watch the US GP and F1 Academy Final live only on Sky Sports F1?
Saturday October 21
- 3.30pm: F1 Academy Race One
- 6 p.m.: build-up of the American GP Sprint Shootout
- 6:30 PM: American GP Sprint Shootout
- 9.15pm: F1 Academy Race Two
- 10 p.m.: build-up of the American GP Sprint
- 11 p.m.: American GP SPRINT (also on Sky Sports Main Event)
- (Sunday) 12:30 PM: Ted’s Sprint Notebook
Sunday October 22
- 3.30pm: F1 Academy Race Three
- 6:30 PM: Grand Prix Sunday: build-up to the American GP
- 8 p.m.: THE GRAND PRIZE OF THE UNITED STATES (also on Sky Sports Main Event)
- 10 p.m.: Checkered flag: response from the American GP
- 11pm: Ted’s notebook
Watch Formula 1 return to Texas this weekend for the United States Grand Prix and another sprint weekend live on Sky Sports F1 Stream F1 on Sky Sports with NOW