Lando Norris Secures US GP Pole in Thrilling Qualifier, as Russell’s Crash Hinders Verstappen’s Bid

Lando Norris secures the top starting position at the US Grand Prix, edging out championship contender Max Verstappen following a crash involving George Russell.

Lando Norris responded strongly, securing the pole position over his Formula 1 championship competitor Max Verstappen at the United States Grand Prix.

Following a setback where he dropped two points to the leader in the championship during the sprint race, Norris positioned himself perfectly for a comeback in Sunday's grand prix. He delivered an impressive lap, edging out Verstappen by a mere 0.031 seconds to secure his sixth pole position of the 2024 season.

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Verstappen was on the verge of a faster last lap after achieving the fastest time in the first sector, but his opportunity for possibly securing the pole position was dashed when George Russell's Mercedes collided at Turn 19, compelling the Red Bull racer to decelerate due to the yellow flags.

"Norris expressed admiration for his performance, stating, 'The lap was outstanding. I couldn't have gone much faster than I managed. Completing a lap and feeling it might be challenging to surpass… I gave it my all, knowing it was necessary."

"We haven't been able to match the speed of the Ferraris or Red Bulls, so I needed to step up, and I managed to do so. It was an exceptionally good lap. I can say with a fair amount of confidence that it was the best lap I've ever had in my career."

Carlos Sainz from Ferrari secured the third-fastest time, just ahead of his fellow Ferrari driver, Charles Leclerc. Oscar Piastri, driving the second McLaren, finished more than six-tenths of a second slower than his teammate, placing him in fifth.

Before his crash, Russell managed to secure the sixth fastest time, while his Mercedes colleague Lewis Hamilton experienced an unexpected exit in Q1, marking his poorest qualifying result at the Circuit of the Americas and placing him 18th in the starting lineup.

Pierre Gasly secured a seventh-place finish for Alpine, surpassing Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso, Kevin Magnussen from Haas, and Sergio Perez of Red Bull, who ended up in 10th place following the removal of his quickest lap for going beyond the boundaries of the track.

Yuki Tsunoda of RB just fell short of entering the top-10 shootout, finishing in 11th place, right before Nico Hulkenberg from Haas. Esteban Ocon from Alpine secured the 13th-fastest time, followed by Lance Stroll of Aston Martin in 14th position.

Having secured the third-quickest lap in the first qualifying session, RB's comeback racer Liam Lawson decided to skip the next round, aware that his engine-related penalty would relegate him to the back of the grid for Sunday's main race.

The duo from Williams, Alex Albon and Franco Colapinto, finished in 16th and 17th places respectively, whereas Valtteri Bottas managed to qualify ahead of his ex-Mercedes colleague Hamilton. Meanwhile, Zhou Guanyu from the Sauber team ended up in the last position, ranking 20th overall.

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