2023-10-20 22:05:00
(Motorsport-Total.com) – Drama surrounding world champion Max Verstappen during qualifying for the US Grand Prix in Austin! The Dutchman set a 1:34.718 in Q3, the fastest time of the day. However, his lap time was canceled because he exceeded the track limits in turn 19.
Charles Leclerc will start the Grand Prix from first place on Sunday
Pole position for Sunday’s race went to Charles Leclerc (Ferrari/1:34.723 minutes) ahead of Lando Norris (McLaren/+0.130 seconds) and Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes/+0.139). Verstappen himself (+0.358) fell back to sixth position.
“We did a good job as a team,” said Leclerc with satisfaction and explained: “We know that on a sprint weekend it is more important than ever to have a clean FP1. We had that. […] I was happy throughout qualifying.”
“There were a few mistakes here and there on the last lap in Q3, but I think it wasn’t easy for everyone. I’m really happy that we’re starting from pole position on Sunday,” said the Monegasque.
Did other drivers also have problems with the track limits?
Verstappen wasn’t the only driver to have a lap time canceled on Friday. Norris, among others, also lost his first lap in Q2 and therefore had to briefly worry regarding getting into Q3. A total of eight lap times were canceled in qualifying.
In contrast to Verstappen, Norris was lucky: his second Q2 lap was enough to get him into Q3, where, according to his own statement, he might have even taken pole. “I think there was enough [im Auto]”To get the pole,” said Norris.
“I know Charles said he made a few mistakes. But I did too, so it’s a bit of a shame. We may have missed that one chance, but I’m still very happy,” says he clear.
Norris is driving his 100th Formula 1 race this weekend and following qualifying he has the best chance of finishing on the podium for the fourth time in a row. It is also an anniversary for pole sitter Leclerc: he is completing his 100th Grand Prix with Ferrari in Austin.
Does Verstappen still have a chance of winning?
Historically not! Since the Formula 1 race was first held in Austin ten years ago, the winner has always come from the front row of the grid. However, Verstappen will only start the race from row three on Sunday.
“The main problem was that the car didn’t feel the way Max would have liked,” explains Helmut Marko Sky. “The strong bumps irritated us more than they affected our opponents,” believes the Austrian.
Nevertheless, Marko is still hoping to catch up on Sunday. “Actually, the racing distance is our strength,” he reminds. In front of Verstappen there are some “difficult people to overtake. It will be difficult, but it is not impossible,” said Marko combatively.
Verstappen himself admits: “I knew in turn 19 that it would be tight. But I made a small mistake in turn 1 and really had to push for the rest of the lap. And it’s a fine line. […] I wanted to make maximum use of the curve and misjudged myself by a little bit.”
In addition to the top 3, Carlos Sainz (Ferrari/+0.222) and George Russell (Mercedes/+0.356) will also be in front of the world champion at the start on Sunday. Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez (+0.450) didn’t get past P9 and will have an even harder time on Sunday.
Oscar Piastri (McLaren/+0.744) also experienced a small setback with tenth place following his strong weekend in Qatar. The top 10 was completed by the two Alpine pilots Pierre Gasly (+0.366) and Esteban Ocon (+0.431) in seventh and eighth positions.
Did the Mercedes update work?
Hamilton’s third place suggests that the new underbody this weekend is a step in the right direction. But the record world champion himself explains: “The subfloor is not particularly different [vom alten].”
“There’s always hype when someone brings an upgrade. But the rest of the car is exactly the same. And there are lots of areas where we can improve,” clarifies Hamilton. Nevertheless, the new underbody is “an improvement” for the W14.
“It’s one of the first upgrades I’ve actually made in the last two years [beim Fahren] have felt. So that’s positive,” he reports. However, it is still “too early” to dare to predict whether he will have a realistic chance of winning on Sunday.
How did Daniel Ricciardo’s comeback go?
The Australian returned to the cockpit for the first time since Friday in Zandvoort. From this weekend, Ricciardo will take over the AlphaTauri once more from Liam Lawson, who had represented him in the Netherlands since his injury.
However, in his comeback qualifying he mightn’t get past 15th place and thus the last position in Q2. He also ended up behind his teammate Yuki Tsunoda, who missed the jump into Q3 in eleventh place by just 0.018 seconds.
On the subject:
Qualifying result
F1 live ticker: Friday in the USA
F1 live stream: Friday’s analysis
Info: Live broadcast on TV on Sky (ADVERTISING)
Perez was lucky and narrowly made the cut in tenth place. Also in Q2, the two Alfa Romeo drivers Guanyu Zhou and Valtteri Bottas and Kevin Magnussen were eliminated in positions 12 to 14. A small disappointment for Haas, which had brought both cars into the top 10 in FT1 with the update this weekend.
What was going on with Nico Hülkenberg?
For the only German driver in the field, it was already time for work in Q1. With a 1:36.235, he narrowly missed the jump into Q2 in 16th place by just 0.022 seconds. “Cheese,” Hülkenberg says angrily Sky and explains: “So much more might have happened today.”
“I’m pretty sure I would have been in Q3. I had both Red Bulls in unfavorable places in the second lap,” he reports. That took time. However, the Haas driver will be in good company at the start on Sunday.
Immediately behind him came Fernando Alonso, who finished 17th and missed out on Q3 for the first time this year. “The lap felt good, but the pace wasn’t good enough to reach Q2. It was the maximum,” admits the Spaniard.
Teammate Lance Stroll only finished 19th and missed out on qualifying for Q2 for the fifth time in a row. Aston Martin had previously had problems with an overheating left front brake on both cars in FT1.
In addition, qualifying following Q1 was over for the two Williams drivers Alexander Albon (18th) and Logan Sargeant (20th). The American ended up behind his teammate once more in his home race. In the internal Williams qualifying duel It is now 18:0 for Albon.
Where can you watch the US Grand Prix live?
For hardcore Formula 1 fans, the day doesn’t end with the end of the TV broadcast. Late at night there is the daily F1 show on the Formula1.de YouTube channel with analysis by Kevin Scheuren and Kevin Hermann. This begins on Saturday night at 2:00 a.m, on Sunday night at 2:30 a.m and on the night of Sunday to Monday at 2:00 a.m. (Become a channel member now and join in the live chat and ask questions!)
Viewers from Germany can only watch the US Grand Prix live on Sky. The F1 sprint starts on Saturday evening at midnight German time. Sky Sport F1 HD starts broadcasting at 11 p.m. Sunday’s Grand Prix starts at 9:00 p.m., with live previews starting at 7:30 p.m. (Click here for the complete TV overview for the Formula 1 weekend in Austin!)
This report will be updated with new information until this notice disappears!
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