2025 United States GP Sprint Qualifying: Max Verstappen grabs pole for Red Bull

Max Verstappen delivered when it mattered most under the Austin sun, stealing Sprint pole position for the 2025 United States Grand Prix with a late, blistering lap that edged out both McLarens in a dramatic Sprint Qualifying shootout at the Circuit of The Americas.

What To Know?

Verstappen took Sprint pole with a 1:32.143 lap
Norris and Piastri completed the top three for McLaren
Hülkenberg impressed in P4; Ferrari struggled for pace

The Dutchman’s final effort of 1:32.143 was enough to deny Lando Norris by just 0.071s, while Oscar Piastri slotted into third, three-tenths off the pace. It was a statement of intent from the reigning World Champion as the battle for the 2025 F1 World Championship tightens heading into Saturday’s 100-kilometre Sprint.

Formula One History Recommends

Norris had looked untouchable through the early stages, topping both SQ1 and SQ2 with characteristic precision and speed. But as the track evolved in the final minutes of SQ3, Verstappen unleashed a near-perfect lap in his Red Bull RB21, hooking up the technical middle sector to snatch pole in the dying moments. Piastri made it a double top-three for McLaren, while Nico Hülkenberg continued his impressive form by putting his Kick Sauber fourth on the grid. George Russell secured fifth for Mercedes, ahead of Fernando Alonso, who kept Aston Martin firmly in the mix with P6.

Sainz Recovers, Hamilton Struggles, Ferrari Falters

After losing valuable track time in FP1 with a gearbox issue, Carlos Sainz bounced back strongly for Williams, qualifying seventh, just ahead of Lewis Hamilton in eighth. Hamilton endured a difficult session in his Ferrari, struggling to extract grip and balance, while Alex Albon continued Williams’ solid showing in ninth. Charles Leclerc, last year’s race winner, rounded out the top ten — a disappointing result for Ferrari, whose pace faded as track temperatures rose.

The margins were razor-thin just outside the top 10. Kimi Antonelli, freshly confirmed as a Mercedes driver for 2026, missed out on advancing to SQ3 by a heartbreaking 0.006s, placing 11th. Isack Hadjar impressed again for Racing Bulls in 12th, while Pierre Gasly managed P13 for Alpine. It was a tougher session for Lance Stroll and Liam Lawson, both of whom had laps deleted for track limits violations, leaving them stranded in 14th and 15th, respectively.

A Chaotic Start to the Weekend

The closing stages of SQ1 were chaotic, with several drivers failing to cross the line in time for their final flying laps amid heavy traffic and rapidly evolving conditions. Ollie Bearman (P16), Franco Colapinto (P17), Yuki Tsunoda (P18), Esteban Ocon (P19), and Gabriel Bortoleto (P20) all missed their final opportunities, the latter seeing his only lap deleted for exceeding track limits.

As the dust settled, it was Verstappen who once again proved unstoppable over a single lap — a reminder that even as McLaren’s resurgence continues, Red Bull’s benchmark remains brutally high. With Norris and Piastri right behind and 33 championship points up for grabs this weekend, the stage is perfectly set for another explosive Sprint battle.

2025 United States GP Sprint Qualifying Results

2025 United States Grand Prix Sprint Qualifying, 17 October 2025

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	1	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	1:33.363	1:33.163	1:32.143	12
2	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	1:33.224	1:33.033	1:32.214	12
3	81	Oscar Piastri	McLaren	1:33.889	1:33.371	1:32.523	13
4	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Kick Sauber	1:34.236	1:33.577	1:32.645	12
5	63	George Russell	Mercedes	1:34.653	1:33.462	1:32.888	13
6	14	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin	1:34.737	1:33.951	1:32.910	12
7	55	Carlos Sainz	Williams	1:34.239	1:33.652	1:32.911	14
8	44	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari	1:34.226	1:34.012	1:33.035	14
9	23	Alexander Albon	Williams	1:34.472	1:33.831	1:33.099	14
10	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	1:34.913	1:33.938	1:33.104	15
11	12	Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	1:34.414	1:34.018		11
12	6	Isack Hadjar	Racing Bulls	1:34.243	1:34.241		9
13	10	Pierre Gasly	Alpine	1:35.144	1:34.258		9
14	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	1:34.988	1:34.394		10
15	30	Liam Lawson	Racing Bulls	1:34.603			8
16	87	Oliver Bearman	Haas F1 Team	1:35.159			5
17	43	Franco Colapinto	Alpine	1:35.246			6
18	22	Yuki Tsunoda	Red Bull Racing	1:35.259			5
19	31	Esteban Ocon	Haas F1 Team	1:36.003			5
RT	5	Gabriel Bortoleto	Kick Sauber				5

2025 United States GP Sprint Starting Grid

The Sprint starting grid, with or without penalties, after the 2025 United States Grand Prix Sprint Qualifying session.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time
1	1	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	1:32.143
2	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	1:32.214
3	81	Oscar Piastri	McLaren	1:32.523
4	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Kick Sauber	1:32.645
5	63	George Russell	Mercedes	1:32.888
6	14	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin	1:32.910
7	55	Carlos Sainz	Williams	1:32.911
8	44	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari	1:33.035
9	23	Alexander Albon	Williams	1:33.099
10	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	1:33.104
11	12	Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	1:34.018
12	6	Isack Hadjar	Racing Bulls	1:34.241
13	10	Pierre Gasly	Alpine	1:34.258
14	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	1:34.394
15	30	Liam Lawson	Racing Bulls	1:34.603
16	87	Oliver Bearman	Haas F1 Team	1:35.159
17	43	Franco Colapinto	Alpine	1:35.246
18	22	Yuki Tsunoda	Red Bull Racing	1:35.259
19	31	Esteban Ocon	Haas F1 Team	1:36.003
20	5	Gabriel Bortoleto	Kick Sauber	No Time

Race Guide

Season: 2025 F1 World Championship
Race weekend: 17 October 2025 – 19 October 2025
Race date: Sunday, 19 October, 2025
Race start time: 14:00 local time
Circuit: Circuit of the Americas (COTA)
Laps: 56
Circuit length: 5.513km
2024 winner: Charles Leclerc

Seen in:

Latest

Ben is a staff writer specialising in F1 from the 1990s to the modern era. Ben has been following Formula 1 since 1986 and is an avid researcher who loves understanding the technology that makes it one of the most exciting motorsport on the planet. He listens to podcasts about F1 on a daily basis, and enjoys reading books from the inspirational Adrian Newey to former F1 drivers.