Qualifying Recap:
Max Verstappen continued his formidable qualifying form at the Circuit of The Americas, taking pole position for the United States Grand Prix after setting an unbeatable lap early in Q3.
The Dutchman clocked a 1:32.510 on his first run in the final session, which proved quick enough to secure top spot despite running out of time to complete a second lap before the chequered flag.
Verstappen had already been the benchmark through Q1 and Q2, and once again demonstrated his command of the Austin circuit as shifting winds made life tricky for the field.
“The first run in Q3 was good — it was messy at the end, but luckily we didn’t need the second one,” he reflected afterwards.
“It was a strong session, though the gusts made it tough to piece a lap together.”
Behind the three-time World Champion, Lando Norris delivered another strong showing for McLaren to take second, just 0.291s adrift. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc completed the top three, continuing his consistent form from recent rounds.
The second row featured George Russell in fourth for Mercedes, followed by Lewis Hamilton, who placed fifth for Ferrari, and Oscar Piastri in sixth in the sister McLaren.
Rookie sensation Kimi Antonelli again impressed with a composed effort for Mercedes, lining up seventh, ahead of Ollie Bearman in the Haas, Carlos Sainz for Williams, and Fernando Alonso, who completed the top ten for Aston Martin.
For New Zealand’s Liam Lawson, it was another encouraging qualifying display in what has been one of his most competitive weekends yet for Racing Bulls. The Kiwi narrowly missed out on advancing to Q3, setting a strong lap in Q2 to secure 12th on the grid.
His teammate, Isack Hadjar, however, endured a session to forget. The French rookie crashed just minutes into Q1, bringing out the red flags and damaging his car too severely to continue. Unable to record a lap time, he will start 20th and last on the grid.
Just ahead of Lawson, Nico Hülkenberg took 11th after a solid run for Haas, while Yuki Tsunoda ended up 13th for Red Bull. Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto followed in 14th and 15th for Alpine.
Both Lance Stroll and Alex Albon were victims of track limit deletions, which dropped them to 18th and 19th, with Stroll also carrying a five-place grid penalty.
Race Recap:
Tyre strategy became a major talking point ahead of the race start, with most drivers – including Verstappen, Norris, and Leclerc – opting for the medium compound.
A few exceptions, such as Gabriel Bortoleto (Kick Sauber), Leclerc, and Lance Stroll, gambled on the softs, while Ocon, Hadjar, and Albon chose the hard compound to run long in the opening stint.
When the lights went out, Verstappen launched cleanly from pole and held firm through Turn 1, fending off an aggressive challenge from the McLarens and Ferraris.
Behind him, Norris and Leclerc went side by side through the opening complex, with Leclerc managing to edge ahead on the exit to claim second.
The opening corners were chaotic behind the leading trio. Hamilton, Russell, and Piastri ran three-wide through Turn 1, with Russell losing out and dropping to sixth behind his Mercedes teammate Antonelli.
Further back, Liam Lawson found himself in a tight midfield fight. The Kiwi was forced to take evasive action after an overly ambitious move from Yuki Tsunoda, who tried to squeeze him wide at Turn 1.
Lawson lost one position as a result, but managed to avoid contact and settle into rhythm just outside the top ten.
By Lap 5, Verstappen had already stretched his advantage to 2.7 seconds, while Leclerc kept Norris at bay in a tense scrap for second. The McLaren remained within DRS range but couldn’t quite make a move stick.
A Virtual Safety Car was deployed on Lap 7 when Carlos Sainz pulled off to the side of the circuit following contact with Kimi Antonelli. Sainz’s stricken Williams was soon cleared, and racing resumed on Lap 9.
Antonelli was able to continue but dropped to 18th, just ahead of Albon, as the rest of the field moved up two places – including Lawson, who climbed to 11th behind Fernando Alonso.
As the laps ticked by, Verstappen’s lead extended past five seconds by Lap 15. Norris continued to attack Leclerc, trying to force the Ferrari into a mistake.
Despite a few bold attempts through Turns 13 to 15, the Monegasque driver held firm. The battling allowed Verstappen to stretch his margin further, now up to 6.7 seconds.
Norris finally found a way past Leclerc on Lap 21, diving to the inside at Turn 12 after several laps of pressure. Leclerc briefly fought back, but his defence only invited pressure from behind, with Hamilton closing rapidly on fresher tyres.
Ferrari soon opted to pit Leclerc, switching him to the medium compound and releasing him back into the race in ninth. Up front, Verstappen maintained his control, his lead over Norris increasing to double digits as the race entered its middle phase.
“Tyres are becoming tricky,” Verstappen reported to his race engineer on Lap 27, with Red Bull responding that track conditions were beginning to shift as temperatures rose.
Behind the front-runners, Leclerc recovered quickly through the midfield, passing Hülkenberg and Bearman to move back into seventh by Lap 30. Antonelli, who had been the fastest man on track at one point, continued to charge forward after his earlier setback, climbing to 13th.
Pit stops came thick and fast soon after. Tsunoda was the first of the leaders to stop on Lap 30 for soft tyres, followed a lap later by Piastri. Hamilton came in on Lap 32 and emerged ahead of the Australian in sixth.
Norris pitted on Lap 33 for a fresh set of softs, but a slightly slow stop dropped him back behind Russell. Verstappen pitted the following lap, comfortably rejoining the race in the lead.
Once all pit cycles had concluded, the order stood as: Verstappen, Leclerc, Norris, Hamilton, Piastri, and Russell.
Behind them, Bearman’s attempt to overtake Tsunoda at Turn 11 resulted in contact, spinning the Haas driver and briefly bringing out the yellow flags. Lawson continued to hold 11th, just outside the points and closing on Alonso for tenth.
Norris, having cleared Russell, closed once again on Leclerc, setting up a thrilling late-race duel for second place. On Lap 38, Norris got within 0.7s of the Ferrari, but reported over the radio that his tyres were starting to fade.
“Keep the pressure on – he has three strikes,” Leclerc’s engineer told him, referencing Norris’ track limits warning.
With ten laps to go, Norris regrouped and made another move into Turn 12, finally reclaiming second place. From there, Leclerc’s tyres began to fade, leaving him unable to respond.
Further back, Antonelli continued his impressive recovery drive, overtaking Ocon to climb to 13th, while Lawson fought hard in his bid for a first points finish of the season.
The Kiwi ran just behind Alonso in the closing laps but couldn’t quite find a way through, eventually crossing the line 11th, narrowly missing out on a top-ten result.
At the front, Verstappen managed his tyres to perfection in the final stint, maintaining his gap over Norris at around eight seconds. The Dutchman crossed the line to take victory – his third consecutive win at COTA – ahead of Norris and Leclerc, who completed the podium.
Hamilton survived a suspected puncture on the final lap to hold off Piastri for fourth, while Russell, Tsunoda, Hülkenberg, Bearman, and Alonso completed the points-paying positions.
Liam Lawson finished a strong 11th after a consistent drive that highlighted both pace and racecraft, while Stroll, Antonelli, and Albon followed behind.
Isack Hadjar brought his damaged Racing Bulls car home in 16th, completing a difficult weekend. Carlos Sainz was the only retirement.
Verstappen praised his team after another controlled display:
“It was an unbelievable weekend for us. I knew the race wasn’t going to be straightforward. The pace between myself and Lando was really close, but the first stint made the difference. Managing the tyres wasn’t easy, but we executed perfectly and brought it home.”
Formula 1 action returns this weekend as the championship heads to Mexico City, with lights out for the Mexican Grand Prix at 9:00 AM (NZST) on Monday, October 27.
Header Image: Mark Thompson/Getty Images via Red Bull Content Pool
