On Thursday, Max Verstappen expressed his curiosity about the modifications made to his RB20 by Red Bull. After the sprint qualification, it’s clear that these changes have enhanced the potential of his car. The world champion, as usual, dazzles in Austin, narrowly outpacing George Russell and Charles Leclerc.
At precisely half-past four UTC, Max Verstappen is the first to leave the pit lane for the qualification of the fourth sprint race of 2024. The world champion has a reputation to uphold in this discipline this season: he won the previous three sprint races in China, Miami, and Austria. His initial time, with the medium band mandatory on all cars, is not very promising. Lewis Hamilton is almost a second faster after the preliminary rounds. Verstappen corrects himself in the next attempt, shooting behind Charles Leclerc and Hamilton to P3. Oscar Piastri has a disastrous start to the American GP: his second lap time, good enough for progression to the second phase, is scrapped due to track limits. The Australian is done, as are Alex Albon, Esteban Ocon, Valtteri Bottas, and Guanyu Zhou.
Second Qualification Session
Both Ferraris and Mercedes head out early for their second qualification session. Carlos Sainz, who was the fastest in the only free practice earlier in the day, clocks the best time. Max Verstappen is hot on the Spaniard’s heels, with a margin of just 0.016 sec. The difference between the first six drivers is less than three-tenths. Sergio Pérez is not among this select group. The second stop is the end of the line for the Mexican: Yuki Tsunoda (possibly his successor at Red Bull next year) pushes him out. Liam Lawson, a returnee at VISA RB, also doesn’t survive the second cut. The shoot-out is also over for Pierre Gasly, Lance Stroll, and Fernando Alonso. On the other hand, Franco Colapinto puts himself back on the map. The Argentine advances to the final as the eighth for Williams.
Final Qualification Session
Lewis Hamilton wonders over the radio why Mercedes sent him and colleague George Russell out so early. A steering error costs him a top ranking, but his teammate does clock a good time. Russell seems to be on his way to the pole for the sprint race for a long time. Leclerc, Sainz, and Norris all fail to beat his time. Not Verstappen, though. With a minimal difference (0.012), he stylishly kicks off the American GP. A significant boost after all the commotion surrounding Red Bull’s RB20. Leclerc completes the top-3. Nico Hülkenberg (6) and Kevin Magnussen (8) do well for their home crowd.
Sprint Race Starting Order: Verstappen, Russell, Leclerc, Norris, Sainz, Hülkenberg, Hamilton, Magnussen, Tsunoda, Colapinto.
