For the first time since the Formula 1 race weekend in Imola, Max Verstappen is back at the front of the starting grid in the Red Bull: The World Cup leader achieved the best time in sprint qualifying at the 2024 USA Grand Prix in Austin with 1:32.833 minutes ahead of George Russell in the Mercedes and Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari. Verstappen’s closest World Championship rival Lando Norris in the McLaren took P4.
Oscar Piastri in the McLaren was the most prominent driver who had to give up after SQ1 because he only finished 16th. The reason: a track limit violation in turn 19, the penultimate corner in Austin.
Therefore, Piastri fell back to his second best lap, namely 1:34.881 minutes. If he had gotten through his track limits lap, he would have easily continued in seventh place with a time of 1:34.285 minutes.
Alexander Albon in the Williams also made a serious mistake in the final phase of SQ1: He spun out of turn 19 and missed the chance to improve his time. Albon meekly on the radio: “Sorry!” His new teammate Franco Colapinto progressed.
Sergio Perez in the Red Bull caught another driver from the top team in terms of track limits, but in the first attempt at turn 9. Perez rehabilitated himself in the second attempt with P8.
On the other hand, the Sauber drivers Valtteri Bottas and Guanyu Zhou had no chance, finishing behind in 19th and 20th place despite a few Austin updates.
The best time in SQ1 went to Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc with mandatory medium tires.
What was wrong with Sergio Perez in SQ2?
Red Bull driver Sergio Perez simply lacked the pace in SQ2: at 1:34.244 minutes he was almost a second slower than his teammate Max Verstappen, and that meant eleventh place – just behind Yuki Tsunoda in the Racing Bulls, who was considered a potential Perez -Successor is traded. Nico Hülkenberg in the Haas also qualified in the top 10 ahead of Perez.
Perhaps the biggest surprise in the second session was Franco Colapinto in the Williams in P8.
The stewards assessed a possible hold-up between Franco Colapinto in the Williams and Pierre Gasly in the Alpine as a normal incident and did not initiate an investigation, even though Colapinto had complained on the radio: “We almost collided!”
Carlos Sainz secured the best time in SQ2 on mandatory medium tires in a Ferrari.
What investigations are underway after sprint qualifying?
14 out of 20 drivers have to answer to the FIA stewards after sprint qualifying. You are accused of exceeding the maximum time limit for slow laps.
The drivers affected are (in the order listed by the sports commissioners): Verstappen, Zhou, Perez, Gasly, Lawson, Albon, Hülkenberg, Magnussen, Bottas, Stroll, Leclerc, Ocon, Hamilton, Russell.
Source: www.sport.de
