Lando Norris saw off rival Max Verstappen to take pole position for the US Grand Prix and boost his F1 championship dream.
Verstappen claimed his first win in nearly four months when he led every lap of the sprint race at Austin’s Circuit of the Americas earlier on Saturday to extend his title advantage from 52 to 54 points.
Norris finished third – after he was passed by Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz on the final lap – but he bounced back in qualifying to take spot, beating Verstappen by just 0.031 seconds.
Norris set the early pace in the shootout for pole, and then lucked-in when George Russell crashed out in his Mercedes at the penultimate corner.
Follow live updates from the United States Grand Prix with The Independent
What time is the US Grand Prix?
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Kieran Jackson20 October 2024 00:56
Lando Norris, speaking on the grid:
Is your car racy? “We’ll find out in 10 minutes!”
Kieran Jackson20 October 2024 19:44
Haas’ Kevin Magnussen, speaking on the grid:
“The car likes this track. It’s great to be this competitive at our home race.
“Every race you do in Formula 1 is a gift, not difficult to enjoy.”
Magnussen starts P8 today.
Kieran Jackson20 October 2024 19:40
Fernando Alonso, speaking on the grid:
“A little bit of combination of things, yellow flags. All in all we start seventh, but we’re not the seventh-fastest so it will be a tough race.”
Kieran Jackson20 October 2024 19:37
F1 US Grand Prix LIVE: McLaren’s Lando Norris, ahead of today’s race…
“Strategy and tyre management is going to be a big thing today. In some ways drive quicker but in a better way for the tyres.
“We’ve prepared well, yesterday’s race was not bad but just not as good as the Ferraris. I’ve gone through my data, we’ve reviewed things. We have pit stops and things like that to use for our advantage.”
Kieran Jackson20 October 2024 19:33
Driver Standings ahead of the US Grand Prix:
The gap between the top two is now 54 points…
1. Max Verstappen – 339 points
2. Lando Norris – 285 points
3. Charles Leclerc – 250 points
4. Oscar Piastri – 237 points
5. Carlos Sainz – 197 points
6. Lewis Hamilton – 177 points
7. George Russell – 159 points
8. Sergio Perez – 144 points
9. Fernando Alonso – 62 points
10. Nico Hulkenberg – 25 points
11. Lance Stroll – 24 points
12. Yuki Tsunoda – 22 points
13. Alex Albon – 12 points
14. Daniel Ricciardo – 12 points
15. Kevin Magnussen – 8 points
16. Pierre Gasly – 8 points
17. Ollie Bearman – 7 points
18. Esteban Ocon – 5 points
19. Franco Colapinto – 4 points
20. Zhou Guanyu – 0 points
21. Logan Sargeant – 0 points
22. Valtteri Bottas – 0 points
Kieran Jackson20 October 2024 19:30
Martin Brundle on McLaren’s team orders squabble:
“Rubens Barichello and Felipe Massa got put into a No 2 position which psychologically they never recovered from, you don’t want to do that Oscar Piastri.
They’re in between a rock and a hard place, but they have left points out there on the table.”
Kieran Jackson20 October 2024 19:22
Constructors’ Championship ahead of US Grand Prix:
5. Aston Martin – 86 points
Kieran Jackson20 October 2024 19:15
US GP PREVIEW: How Donald Trump and Kamala Harris revealed F1’s true value as US presidential race nears finish line
For a sport which struggled for the best part of 70 years to find a home across the Atlantic, Formula One’s presence in the United States has reached unprecedented heights this year. And that’s not just a nod to the three US races, in Miami, Austin and Las Vegas, nor to the boom in popularity stateside – a result of Liberty Media’s 2017 takeover and Netflix’s Drive to Survive fever.
Rather it has been, ahead of the highly charged US presidential election on 5 November, the surprising arena for the two nominees to appear, promote and present themselves in a unique and increasingly attractive way to the electorate.
Kieran Jackson20 October 2024 19:08
CONFIRMED: Lewis Hamilton will NOT start from the pit-lane
His Mercedes teammate does but Hamilton will start on the grid, in 17th place.
Kieran Jackson20 October 2024 18:56