Austin - Qualifying

The race weekend at the Circuit of the Americas is the first one of the season that can result in a new Formula One champion being crowned. If Kimi Antonelli wins the Grand Prix, George Russell finishes ninth or lower, and Lewis Hamilton finishes fifth or lower, the title will officially belong to the young Italian. Because of that, the stakes were even higher than usual going into Saturday's qualifying hour. 

Charles Leclerc, the man who has topped two out of the three practice sessions, was quick to go to the very top of the Q1 standings. He was followed by the two Red Bulls and his teammate, Lewis Hamilton. Feeling confident in their positions, the top drivers did not go out on track for the second time, leaving it free for those still fighting for survival in the session. Pierre Gasly had found himself in the danger zone when his best attempt got deleted, but he managed to move on after a second timed lap. The same could not be said about Esteban Ocon, Lance Stroll, Carlos Sainz, Alex Albon, Sergio Perez, and Valtteri Bottas.

Although the Ferrari driver didn't start Q2 quite as strongly as he may have wanted, going up to P7 on his used tires, he recovered during his second attempt, returning to the top. Meanwhile, on the other side of the spectrum, Gasly, Nico Hulkenberg, Oliver Bearman, Gabriel Bortoleto, Franco Colapinto, and Fernando Alonso found themselves in the bottom five. Bearman was set to finish a few places higher than he did, but his lap time got deleted due to exceeding track limits, pushing him behind Alonso. 

Antonelli wasn't performing as well as many have come to expect from him over the course of the qualifying, but left it all on track when it mattered most. His first Q3 attempt put him on provisional pole and, although he didn't improve later on, it was enough for him to beat everyone else. On the grid, he will be followed by the two Red Bulls, with Leclerc closing out the second row.

As was the case in Singapore, there were a few drivers whose qualifying results would not be their starting positions. Arvid Lindblad received a five-place grid penalty for taking a sixth internal combustion engine of the season, while Franco Colapinto was hit with double that for a fourth control electronics unit of 2026. Still, their punishments pale in comparison to those of Gabriel Bortoleto, whose extensive exchange of his Audi's components led to a drop of 80 places. He will thus be starting from the very back of the grid. 

Order of the grid:

1. Kimi Antonelli

2. Max Verstappen

3. Isack Hadjar

4. Charles Leclerc

5. Lewis Hamilton

6. George Russell

7. Oscar Piastri

8. Lando Norris

9. Liam Lawson

10. Pierre Gasly

11. Nico Hulkenberg

12. Fernando Alonso

13. Oliver Bearman

14. Arvid Lindblad

15. Esteban Ocon

16. Lance Stroll

17. Carlos Sainz

18. Alex Albon

19. Sergio Perez

20. Valtteri Bottas

21. Franco Colapinto

22. Gabriel Bortoleto