The Sprint Shootout pole position at the US Grand Prix in Circuit of The Americas turned into a nail-biting battle among the top Formula 1 drivers, with just 0.101 seconds separating the top four contenders in the final runs of SQ3.
Qatar Sprint winner Oscar Piastri clinched the fifth spot on the grid in a fiercely contested and shortened qualifying session featuring a mix of constructors in the hunt for pole position.
Following Charles Leclerc’s pole position in the standard qualifying session on Friday, the shortened version of qualifying promised to bring new challenges. Cooler track conditions and the mandatory use of medium tires in SQ1 and SQ2 added extra variables for the drivers in the Sprint Shootout.
SQ1 offered only 12 minutes to eliminate the bottom five drivers. Max Verstappen, showing incredible pace, opted for just one run, setting a blistering time of 1:35.997, putting him three tenths ahead of the competition.
The remaining 19 drivers either chose to stay out on the same set of tires to cool them down or rushed back to the pits for a second set of mediums, their last chance to secure a spot in SQ2.
In a thrilling finish to SQ1, the Williams of Alex Albon claimed the third-fastest time, while the McLarens faced challenges in getting the most out of their medium tires. Oscar Piastri managed to scrape through in 14th, and Daniel Ricciardo secured his spot in 15th, narrowly ahead of the Haas duo of Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen.
Yuki Tsunoda expressed his frustration over team radio as he couldn’t improve from 19th. He found himself in a tight squeeze with Lewis Hamilton as they jostled for position before their final laps. Unfortunately, Tsunoda didn’t make it across the finish line before the chequered flag, and Logan Sargeant and Valtteri Bottas also failed to advance.
A noteworthy incident occurred when Charles Leclerc had to take evasive action to avoid a collision with George Russell on the exit of Turn 19. Leclerc quickly anticipated a penalty for Russell, expressing his thoughts over the radio.
SQ2 proved to be a challenging round as well, with just 10 minutes for drivers to clock their best possible laps on medium tires. Some drivers faced a dilemma of one or two runs due to limited time.
Max Verstappen’s early fast lap proved crucial as he later experienced a spin on the uphill exit of Turn 9, compromising his final lap. However, he had already secured a competitive time.
In a surprising turn of events, both Aston Martins were eliminated in SQ2, with Alex Albon pushing Fernando Alonso into the drop zone with his final run. Daniel Ricciardo claimed the 11th spot, Esteban Ocon in 13th, Lance Stroll in 14th, and Zhou Guanyu in 15th.
SQ3 saw the drivers switch to soft tires for the final eight minutes to determine the grid for the Sprint later on Saturday. The top four drivers made it an exhilarating showdown, with Max Verstappen setting a benchmark time of 1:34.538. He was closely followed by Norris, Piastri, and Leclerc, with only 0.1 seconds separating them in a highly competitive Sprint Shootout at COTA.
