Max Verstappen will start on pole position for the 2025 US Grand Prix sprint race, as he relegated the two McLarens to second and third on the starting grid after the sprint shootout.
The trio will be followed by Nico Hülkenberg, who was fourth-fastest for Sauber, having looked rapid throughout the Friday qualifying session.
Verstappen said that he expected to have to “battle” for the sprint victory on Saturday, with less than a tenth of a second between him and second-placed Lando Norris
Scroll down or click to see how the grid will look when it lines up for the fourth sprint race of the season, which starts at 6pm BST (12pm local time). Qualifying for Sunday’s Grand Prix takes place on Saturday evening, at 10pm BST, 4pm local time.
“It’s been a nice qualifying,” said Verstappen. “It worked out well. I expect it to be a battle in the sprint.”
George Russell will start fifth in a Mercedes that looked less adept than it did when it carried Russell to victory in Singapore.
The Ferrari drivers were also struggling, and only just made it to the final-ten shootout after scraping through the second SQ2 stage. Lewis Hamilton will start eighth and Charles Leclerc tenth.
Max Verstappen is looking to close the gap on title leader Oscar Piastri with pole for the US sprint
Red Bull
Yuki Tsunoda was the biggest casualty of SQ1, when he was caught at the back of a pack on his way out of the pitlane to start his final flying lap.
Waiting in the pitlane queue meant he only had 1min 45sec to make it to the startline — just 10sec more than the qualifying times being set — and the Red Bull driver unsurprisingly failed to make it, not helped by a scrap for track position with Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson.
He did better than Gabriel Bortoleto, who didn’t set a time after having his attempt deleted for exceeding track limits. Esteban Ocon, Franco Colapinto and Oliver Bearman were the other eliminees at this stage.
Ferrari narrowly escaped from SQ2, with both cars getting out of the drop zone on their last flying laps. Lewis Hamilton, who ended the session tenth, had Kimi Antonelli to thank: the Mercedes driver made an error in Turn 11, which cost him time all the way down the back straight, and left him 11th. He exited sprint qualifying along with Isack Hadjar, Pierre Gasly, Lance Stroll and Liam Lawson, who had his lap time deleted for exceeding track limits.
Below is the provisional starting grid. This could change ahead of the race if further penalties are applied or a driver needs to start from the pitlane.
2025 US Grand Prix sprint race starting grid