With the return of the Sprint format, the first day of the US Grand Prix became more critical than ever. Although Ferrari showed strength in the opening session, it was Red Bull and Mercedes who took the spotlight at the decisive moments.
FP1: Ferrari Starts Strong with a 1-2 Finish
Out of eight teams bringing car upgrades to Austin, Ferrari and Williams stood out as the only teams not to implement new updates after a three-week break. Drivers had just 60 minutes to test on the newly resurfaced track before heading into the Sprint qualifying session. Mercedes had high hopes for their COTA upgrade package, but the focus shifted to early on-track incidents involving Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, both of whom struggled with spins.
Most drivers opted for Hard tires during the majority of FP1, with the Soft tires only being tested in the final 10 minutes in preparation for qualifying. Carlos Sainz topped the timesheets with a lap of 1:33.602s, closely followed by his teammate Charles Leclerc, just 0.021s behind. Max Verstappen was third, trailing by 0.253s in his upgraded RB20, followed by title contender Lando Norris. McLaren showed promising form, with Oscar Piastri also in the top five.
Despite a shaky start, Mercedes secured 6th and 7th for Hamilton and Russell. The rest of the top 10 included Kevin Magnussen (Haas), Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), and Yuki Tsunoda (RB). However, Nico Hulkenberg—running the upgraded Haas VF-24—only managed 11th. Further down the order, Pierre Gasly in the Alpine placed 12th, while Liam Lawson in RB returned to F1 in 13th.
Sprint Qualifying: Verstappen Claims Pole
The reigning champion Max Verstappen started SQ1 on Medium tires, but his initial lap was underwhelming, placing him in 8th. Mercedes quickly took the lead, with Hamilton posting the fastest time, followed by Leclerc and Norris. However, both Red Bull cars improved on their second laps, securing spots in the top 10.
Leclerc topped SQ1 with a time of 1:33.647s, with Hamilton and Verstappen close behind. Norris and Sainz rounded out the top five. In contrast, the Kick Sauber drivers finished last, with Albon crashing out in 18th and Ocon also failing to advance. Despite this, Gasly managed to scrape through to SQ2.
In SQ2, Ferrari showed their hand again with Sainz delivering a 1:33.274s lap, followed by Verstappen, Hamilton, and Leclerc. Russell and Norris also secured their places in the top 10. However, Sergio Perez struggled, finishing 11th, missing out on SQ3. Aston Martin and Lawson also faced setbacks, with their times nullified due to track limit violations.
With only eight minutes in SQ3, each driver had just one opportunity on Soft tires. Mercedes hit the track early, with Russell setting a provisional pole time of 1:32.845s. However, Hamilton’s lap was compromised by a spin from Franco Colapinto at Turn 12, leaving him 0.53s off Russell’s time. The top contenders—Sainz, Norris, and Leclerc—couldn’t better Russell’s lap, but Verstappen delivered a stellar performance, grabbing Sprint pole by a margin of 0.012s.
Leclerc, Norris, and Sainz were tightly packed in 3rd, 4th, and 5th, respectively, while Hulkenberg impressed for Haas, securing 6th. Hamilton had to settle for 7th, followed by Magnussen, Tsunoda, and Colapinto rounding out the top 10.
Key Results of Sprint Qualifying at US GP 2024:
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – 1:32.833s
- George Russell (Mercedes) – +0.012s
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – +0.030s
- Lando Norris (McLaren) – +0.060s
- Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) – +0.090s
Verstappen’s pole for the Sprint ensures a thrilling start to the race weekend as Mercedes shows their strength, while Ferrari and McLaren remain in hot pursuit.
