Get ready for an exhilarating race weekend! The 2025 United States Grand Prix is about to unfold, and the Sprint Qualifying session has delivered an intense battle for pole position. Max Verstappen, the Dutch sensation, has claimed the top spot, leaving his rivals in the dust!
In a thrilling display of skill and precision, Verstappen dominated the final moments of Sprint Qualifying, beating the McLaren duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. But here's where it gets controversial... the margin between them was razor-thin, with just 0.071 seconds separating the Red Bull driver from Norris.
The other McLaren, driven by Piastri, finished a close third, only three-tenths behind Verstappen. Meanwhile, Nico Hulkenberg impressed with his Kick Sauber, securing fourth place. George Russell of Mercedes followed closely in fifth, ahead of the Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso.
Williams' Carlos Sainz made a remarkable comeback, moving up to seventh after limited running in FP1. His teammate, Alex Albon, claimed ninth. Lewis Hamilton, sandwiched between them, seemed to have a challenging session with Ferrari, alongside his teammate Charles Leclerc in tenth.
And this is the part most people miss... the Sprint Qualifying results are a crucial stepping stone to the main event. With the grid now set, the drivers will battle it out in the Sprint race on Saturday. Will Verstappen maintain his dominance, or will the McLarens fight back? The stage is set for an epic showdown!
Here's a breakdown of the Sprint Qualifying results:
FORMULA 1 MSC CRUISES UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX 2025
Pos. | Driver | Time
---- | ------ | -----
1 | Max Verstappen | 1:32.143
2 | Lando Norris | 1:32.214
3 | Oscar Piastri | 1:32.523
4 | Nico Hulkenberg | 1:32.645
5 | George Russell | 1:32.888
(View all standings: https://www.formula1.com/en/results/2025/races/1271/united-states/sprint-qualifying)
As the session unfolded, Kimi Antonelli, recently confirmed as a Mercedes driver for 2026, narrowly missed out on SQ3 by just 0.006 seconds. Racing Bulls' Isack Hadjar joined him in exiting early, finishing in P12. Meanwhile, Aston Martin's Lance Stroll and Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson had their lap times deleted due to track limits.
Several drivers faced a frantic finish in SQ1, with Haas' Ollie Bearman, Red Bull's Yuki Tsunoda, Haas' Esteban Ocon, and Kick Sauber's Gabriel Bortoleto failing to reach the line in time. Alpine's Franco Colapinto also exited in the first segment, ending in P17.
SQ1 - Norris Sets the Pace as Time Runs Out for Some
After Norris dominated the sole practice session earlier on Friday, all eyes turned to Sprint Qualifying, which would determine the grid for Saturday's Sprint race. As the 12-minute SQ1 session began, the conditions were warm, with air temperatures reaching 33 degrees Celsius. Hadjar was the first to hit the track, followed by a queue of cars.
Verstappen set the initial benchmark with a time of 1m 34.140s, while Hamilton sat close behind in P2. Leclerc, Hamilton's Ferrari teammate, found himself in danger, sitting in P16. As the final minutes ticked down, drivers returned for their decisive final runs. Tsunoda expressed concerns about not reaching the line in time, and his prediction came true, pushing him down to P16 and out of the session.
Ocon, Bearman, Bortoleto, and Lawson also failed to make it in time, with Lawson progressing to SQ2 in P10. Leclerc improved to P13, ensuring his progression to SQ2. Norris set the fastest lap in SQ1 with a time of 1m 33.224s, outpacing Verstappen by 0.139 seconds.
Knocked Out: Bearman, Colapinto, Tsunoda, Ocon, Bortoleto
SQ2 - Norris Leads Again, Antonelli Exits
The focus quickly shifted to SQ2 after the busy finish in SQ1. This 10-minute segment saw some drivers remain in the pits initially, while Verstappen took to the track early, setting the early fastest time. Norris then took the lead with a lap of 1m 33.033s, putting him ahead of Verstappen by 0.130 seconds, with Piastri close behind in third.
Ferrari seemed to struggle, with Hamilton and Leclerc in P9 and P10 respectively. In the drop zone, only Stroll had set a time, with Hulkenberg, Hadjar, Lawson, and Gasly opting for just one push lap in the closing minutes. Norris and Verstappen chose to stay in the pits, while the rest of the field attempted to improve their times.
Hadjar moved up to P10, pushing Leclerc down to P11. Lawson's time was deleted due to track limits. Hulkenberg surged to P5, dropping Leclerc further back. However, the Monegasque driver managed to progress to SQ3, finishing in P8.
The pressure was on Hamilton to escape the danger zone, and he just managed to snatch P10, pushing Antonelli down to P11. The margin between them was incredibly close, at just 0.006 seconds.
Knocked Out: Antonelli, Hadjar, Gasly, Stroll, Lawson
SQ3 - Verstappen Claims Pole, Beating Norris by 0.071s
With eight minutes remaining in the crucial top-10 shootout, Russell hit the track early, enjoying clear air before being joined by the Williams cars. His initial effort was a 1m 32.888s, with Sainz close behind. As the session drew to a close, the rest of the pack emerged for their flying laps.
Hulkenberg continued his impressive run, setting the fastest time, but Norris soon surpassed him with a lap of 1m 32.214s. Piastri placed second, with Verstappen, the last man to cross the line, going even quicker, taking pole position with a time of 1m 32.143s. This put Hulkenberg in fourth, his best grid position since his podium finish at the British Grand Prix in July.
The Williams duo of Sainz finished in P7 and P9, while the Ferrari pair of Hamilton and Leclerc took P8 and P10. Verstappen's key quote after the session: "It's been a nice Qualifying. We were close throughout all the segments. It was about putting it all together at the end, which is not easy with the soft compound and no reference. It worked out well. I still expect a tough battle tomorrow with the Sprint, but that's exactly what we want to see. I'm excited for tomorrow and happy with today."
Now, with the grid decided, the drivers will line up for the Sprint race at 1200 local time on Saturday. Will Verstappen's pole position translate into a Sprint race victory? Find out by heading to the RACE HUB (https://www.formula1.com/en/racing/2025/united-states) to catch all the action!
Who do you think will dominate the Sprint race? Share your predictions and thoughts in the comments below!
