Ferrari would have locked in the front row, but multiple penalties readjusted the grid for Sunday’s race.
AUSTIN, Texas—Carlos Sainz’s last-minute effort paid off Saturday afternoon at the Circuit of the Americas in preparation for Sunday’s United States Grand Prix. The Spaniard grabbed his second pole position of the season with a 1:34:356 fastest time, edging out his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc and current world champion Max Verstappen, who took third.
Carlos Sainz: It was a lot of fun. Very tricky with the winds we have today, very gusty, and every corner is an adventure. You don’t know how much grip you are going to get at each corner.”
Sainz and Leclerc split the opening two qualifying sessions as the Haas F1 Team disappointed home fans. Mick Schumacher and Kevin Magnussen were eliminated from the beginning round, as were Williams Nicholas Latifi, McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo, and Alpine’s Esteban Ocon. The second round had Alpha Tauri’s Yuki Tsunoda and Pierre Gasly out, the same fate experienced by Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel and Williams’s Alex Albon. Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Gunagu, who took ninth temporarily, had his time deleted for exceeding track limits.
While Sainz’s earned the pole, other top finishers were awarded penalties for engine-related adjustments, which dropped them down the grid.
–Leclerc will face a ten-grid penalty, and that award elevated Verstappen to the front row in the #2 slot.
–Lewis Hamilton, who finished in fifth, will move up to the second row in the third position alongside teammate George Russell, who will start #4.
–Russell replaces Red Bull’s Sergio Perez, who took fourth but suffered a five-grid penalty.
–Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll, who finished seventh, will begin Sunday’s in fifth, together with McLaren’s Lando Norris, who finished eighth but will now start sixth.
–Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas took tenth but will start in the eighth slot.
–Alpine’s Fernando Alonso ended up ninth but won’t start there due to a five-grid penalty.
Sainz was pleased with his pole-setting performance, but he also realizes that Sunday is what matters. “Red Bull is still the favourite,” he said. “They have a better race pace. They usually get us in races, but we will do everything possible to stay ahead and win the race.”
ABC-TV will televise the race live starting at 3p. Eastern time.
