Antonelli grabs an amazing pole after Russell’s surprising mistake: Highlights from US GP qualifying’s winners and losers
Sharp-shooter Kimi Antonelli was the first to shine in Texas, stunning everyone with an amazing pole lap on his very first Q3 run. No one else on the grid could match him.
Meanwhile, George Russell had a weak run, only managing seventh fastest (which became sixth after penalties to others). Ferrari also surprised many by being off the pace, even though they were fastest in every practice session before qualifying.
Max Verstappen has started on the front row at the US GP every year since 2018 and kept that streak alive by grabbing second place alongside Antonelli. Still, he called his car a “kangaroo” because he struggled all weekend with the bumpy track surface at Circuit of the Americas.
Antonelli kept up his great form this season, securing his seventh pole. “We’ll try to get a good start and lead into Turn 1, then set the pace, even though it’ll be tight,” he said. “Q3 was really tough with the gusty wind, but I’m happy to get pole.”
Once known as ‘Mr Saturday’ for his strong qualifying, George Russell has struggled this year. Just when he needs a strong finish to block his teammate from winning the championship, he only qualified sixth. If he finishes ninth or worse tomorrow and Antonelli wins, the championship goes to the Italian.
Red Bull finally has a driver who can consistently stay close to their team leader, Max Verstappen, without causing tension. French rising star Isack Hadjar took third on the grid and apologized for being a bit tough on his team over the weekend. “I’m really thankful for the team’s hard work and want to say sorry for being tough on them!”
Ferrari led every practice but disappeared in final qualifying. Team boss Frederic Vasseur wasn’t happy with excuses about tricky wind, saying, “We can’t blame the wind, it’s nonsense.” Charles Leclerc said they didn’t warm up their tires well due to less sunshine in Q3. “Losing a couple degrees of track temperature made a huge difference,” he explained.
Rumors were flying in Austin that the calm Finn might lose his seat next year to Cadillac’s Californian test driver, Colton Herta. Herta took part in another Free Practice session at COTA and is close to getting his Super Licence to race in F1.
Meanwhile, Bottas had a rough time in qualifying, finishing slowest in Texas, which doesn’t help his hopes to continue in F1. With teammate Arvid Lindblad penalized for engine changes and the rest of Q3 taken by Ferrari, Red Bull, McLaren, and Mercedes, Liam Lawson decided not to bother in the final session. The Kiwi saved tires and watched from the team trailer.
Alex Albon hasn’t made Q3 yet this season and looked further from it than ever in Austin. A wild slide at Turn 17 ended his hopes of a good lap, knocking him out in the first qualifying round. His teammate Carlos Sainz also had an early exit in 17th, his worst since 2016. It’s been a tough year for the Williams team.
The Williams car is faster than the fastest Ferrari on the straights by 8 kph, but it lacks downforce, so they lose too much time in the corners. Both Grove drivers had to join a tough Sky F1 segment with David Croft, where slow-cooked barbecue was used as a clumsy metaphor for their slow car. Looks like they’ll face more awkward TV moments soon.
Haas is battling fiercely with Audi for seventh place in the constructors’ championship, but both teams struggled in Austin. Haas’s Esteban Ocon was out in Q1, and Ollie Bearman lost his Q2 time for exceeding track limits. At Audi, Gabriel Bortoleto, starting at the back due to penalties, tried unsuccessfully to help teammate Nico Hulkenberg with a slipstream. Hulkenberg went out in Q2.
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