The US race continued from Friday to Saturday with sprint qualifying, where Max Verstappen proved to be the fastest.
In the 12 minutes of SQ1, we saw a non-stop hot lap session, during which the drivers constantly alternated at the front. Max Verstappen, Kevin Magnussen, Lewis Hamilton, and so on, passed the baton back and forth. Ultimately, Charles Leclerc won this stage, beating the aforementioned Hamilton and Verstappen, while among those eliminated, to some surprise, were Oscar Piastri, Esteban Ocon, Alexander Albon, and, as usual, the two Alfa Romeos.
In SQ2, the picture didn't change much: Ferrari finished in the lead, with Carlos Sainz fastest this time, followed by Verstappen and Hamilton. Of those eliminated, two names were particularly worth noting: Sergio Pérez and Liam Lawson. While the former is burning out with a pitiful performance in a car capable of winning a world championship, the latter, after many absences, manages to maintain this level even in a VISA RB... And, by the way, the two Aston Martins and Pierre Gasly also bowed out.
In SQ3, it looked for a long time like George Russell might be the winner, with only his teammate Hamilton or one of the Ferraris able to put him in danger. In the end, that wasn't to be; Max Verstappen found extra time somewhere and won the sprint qualifying ahead of George Russell and Charles Leclerc!
