AUSTIN, TEXAS – OCTOBER 18: Pole position qualifier Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing Second placed qualifier Lando Norris of Great Britain and McLaren and Third placed qualifier Charles Leclerc of Monaco and Scuderia Ferrari look on during Qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of United States at Circuit of The Americas on October 18, 2025 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images)
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Max Verstappen once again went fastest in qualifying this weekend, taking pole position for Sunday’s race at the United States Grand Prix.
Just hours after winning the sprint from pole, the Dutchman set a lap time of 1m32.510 to pip title rival Lando Norris to the top spot by 0.291 seconds, now having a chance to turn the championship on its head if he managed to convert it into victory.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc put in a solid performance to claim third place while teammate Lewis Hamilton secured fifth, with Mercedes driver George Russell sandwiched between the two in fourth.
After a first-lap collision with his teammate saw both retire from the sprint, current championship leader Oscar Piastri suffered yet another rough outing in qualifying, managing only a sixth-place finish that gives an opportunity for Verstappen and Norris to pose a real threat to his title ambitions.
Kimi Antonelli came in seventh for Mercedes, followed by Oliver Bearman, Carlos Sainz, and Fernando Alonso who rounded out the top 10.
Sunday’s race is one not to miss, as it could shake things up in the drivers’ standings. After his sprint victory and McLaren’s double DNF, Verstappen now sits 55 points behind Piastri and 33 behind Norris.
If he could maintain his strong run of form and his rivals keep tripping up, the gap could shrink even further heading to the final stretch of the season.
2025 F1 United States Grand Prix Starting Grid
Here’s the starting order for Sunday’s race at the Circuit of the Americas:
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing): 1:32.510
- Lando Norris (McLaren): +0.291
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari): +0.297
- George Russell (Mercedes): +0.316
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari): +0.402
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren): +0.574
- Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes): +0.604
- Oliver Bearman (Haas): +0.629
- Carlos Sainz (Williams): +0.640
- Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin): +0.650
- Nico Hulkenberg (Kick Sauber)
- Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
- Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull Racing)
- Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
- Franco Colapinto (Alpine)
- Gabriel Bortoleto (Kick Sauber)
- Esteban Ocon (Haas)
- Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
- Alexander Albon (Williams)
- Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls)
The 2025 United States Grand Prix race starts at 2 p.m. local time (CDT) on Sunday, October 19.