Sprint qualifying at the US Grand Prix continued from Friday evening to Saturday morning, with Max Verstappen being the fastest.
During the 12 minutes of SQ1, we saw a constant stream of overtaking, with drivers constantly changing places at the front. Max Verstappen, Kevin Magnussen, Lewis Hamilton, and so on all shared the wheel. Ultimately, Charles Leclerc won this stage, overtaking the aforementioned Hamilton and Verstappen, while among the retired drivers were, surprisingly, Oscar Piastri, Esteban Ocon, Alexander Albon, and, as usual, the two Alfa Romeos.
The picture didn't change much in Q2 either: Ferrari finished in the lead, with Carlos Sainz being the fastest this time, followed by Verstappen and Hamilton. Of those eliminated, two names in particular were worth mentioning: Sergio Perez and Liam Lawson. While the former embarrassed himself with a pathetic performance in a car capable of winning a world championship, the latter, after numerous retirements, easily achieved this level even in a VISA RB... Incidentally, the two Aston Martins and Pierre Gasly also retired.
For a long time in SQ3, it seemed as if George Russell could be the winner, and only his teammate Hamilton or a Ferrari could pose a threat. Ultimately, however, things turned out differently: Max Verstappen found extra time somewhere and won the sprint time trial ahead of George Russell and Charles Leclerc!
