“Every lap that I did this weekend has not been good. In the short run or the long run it never felt in the window and that is not going to suddenly change tomorrow for the better.”
Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli qualified sixth. Piastri was eighth at the chequered flag but will move up a place because Williams’ Carlos Sainz, qualifying seventh, has a five-place grid-drop carried over from the previous round in Austin.
Piastri searches for pace
“There’s just no pace which is a bit of a mystery,” said Piastri, who needs to finish in the top four to stay ahead if Norris wins.
Oscar Piastri’s lead in the drivers’ championship is now under serious threat.Credit: Getty Images
“It’s been more or less the same gap all weekend, so we’ll have a look at where it was going wrong. Obviously, it’s a bit frustrating. It’s just this weekend and last weekend it’s felt like the pace hasn’t come.”
Norris had shown his pace in final practice when he became the third different driver to top the timesheets in the three sessions, punching out an impressive lap 0.345 faster than anyone else.
The Briton was fourth in the first phase of qualifying led by Racing Bulls’s Isack Hadjar ahead of Hamilton and Russell, while Verstappen was ninth and Piastri 10th after abandoning a fastest lap.
Norris was fastest in phase two, with Hamilton and Russell again second and third, while Verstappen and Piastri were fourth and seventh.
Piastri had flirted with a shock exit, out of the top 10 until his final effort secured his place in the final shootout.
Leclerc then put his Ferrari on provisional pole, ahead of Norris and Hamilton with Verstappen fourth and Piastri fifth ahead of their final flying laps.
“It’s a long run down to turn one … the race pace from the Ferraris is normally very strong,” Norris said.
“I’m expecting a battle, I’m not expecting it to be easy. Eyes forward and I’ll see how much I can win by.”
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Hadjar will start in eighth place, with Haas’s Oliver Bearman ninth and Verstappen’s teammate Yuki Tsunoda completing the top 10 after qualifying 11th.
Reuters
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