Lando Norris took a stunning pole position for the United States Grand Prix, with the McLaren driver’s solid first effort in Q3 ultimately unable to be beaten as the session was brought to an early end following a dramatic crash for George Russell.
Norris had initially taken P1 during the opening runs with his effort of 1m 32.330s, disrupting Max Verstappen’s run at the top through Q1 and Q2. And while the Briton’s second lap was slower, nobody was able to improve when the double waved yellow flags came out after Russell hit the wall at Turn 19 during the final moments, the Mercedes driver fortunately emerging unharmed from the incident.
That confirmed Norris as the pole-sitter, with Verstappen 0.031s back in second while Carlos Sainz took third for Ferrari. The Spaniard’s team mate Charles Leclerc was fourth ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri in fifth, while Russell’s time from before his crash put him in sixth.
Pierre Gasly was a strong seventh for Alpine, with Fernando Alonso eighth for Aston Martin. Kevin Magnussen took ninth for Haas in his first Q3 appearance of 2024, and Sergio Perez found himself down in 10th after the Red Bull man’s opening lap was deleted due to track limits.
/Copy%20of%20Formula%201%20header%20template.jpg?w=218&resize=218,150&ssl=1 "FACTS AND STATS: Lando Norris bags McLaren’s first US P1 start since 2007 as Austin sees its sixth different pole-sitter in six years")
