Austin - Sprint Qualifying

Quite a while has passed since the last time Formula One fans got to watch a Saturday sprint. This week, Austin is bringing the excitement back with a 19-lap short show. And with the championship on the line, will it also bring the same heat we saw on the track in 2024?

The first big event in Austin was a terrible start to the weekend for Ferrari's Charles. His first lap put him in the elimination zone, and the second was barely good enough to help him climb out of it. It was almost 0.6 seconds slower than that of his teammate, Lewis Hamilton. In the end, he managed to make it through, beating drivers such as Oliver Bearman, Franco Colapinto, Yuki Tsunoda, Esteban Ocon, and Gabriel Bortoleto, who finished with no time on the board after his attempt was deleted due to exceeding track limits. 

Ferrari's struggle continued into SQ2, this time with both drivers fearing for their places in the final session. As the session came to an end, they found themselves fighting with Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli for the final spots in the top ten. To the joy of all Tifosi, they managed to put together laps faster than that of the Italian. Once again, not all drivers finished the session with times on the board; this time, it was Liam Lawson who saw his lap time deleted for exceeding track limits. He was one of the five drivers who made up the elimination zone. The other spots belonged to Isack Hadjar, Pierre Gasly, Lance Stroll, and the aforementioned Kimi Antonelli. 

The incredibly short SQ3 passed by in an instant, especially since a few of the drivers decided to only go out for one lap. The Ferrari struggles came to a dramatic end with the drivers finishing at a disappointing P8 and P10. While they weren't a part of the fight for pole, the other teams put their all into qualifying at the front row. The McLarens looked like early favourites but, once again, they were beaten by the rapid Max Verstappen.

Order of the grid:

1. Max Verstappen

2. Lando Norris

3. Oscar Piastri

4. Nico Hulkenberg

5. George Russell

6. Fernando Alonso

7. Carlos Sainz

8. Lewis Hamilton

9. Alex Albon

10. Charles Leclerc

11. Kimi Antonelli

12. Isack Hadjar

13. Pierre Gasly

14. Lance Stroll

15. Liam Lawson

16. Oliver Bearman

17. Franco Colapinto

18. Yuki Tsunoda

19. Esteban Ocon

20. Gabriel Bortoleto