
In a thrilling qualifying session for the 2023 United States Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc secured pole position, edging out his rivals. The session was marked by intense competition between Red Bull and their typically trailing opponents.
Throughout the one-hour knockout session, drivers grappled with track limits, particularly at Turns 19 and 20. These challenging corners made it difficult to stay within the white lines, especially as the soft tires struggled on the rough, high-energy surface with track temperatures soaring to around 40 degrees Celsius.
During the first Q3 run, Leclerc clocked an impressive 1m34.828, with Max Verstappen trailing in third place behind Lewis Hamilton. Verstappen faced a daunting task, with a 0.252s gap to close, and Mercedes hot on his heels, just 0.056s behind the Ferrari. However, on the final runs in Q3, Leclerc managed to better his time, setting a 1m34.723s, opening the door for Verstappen.
Verstappen made gains during his final lap, but a slight slide at Turn 19 caused him to stray slightly beyond the track limits, leading to his 1m34.718s lap time being invalidated. This secured Lando Norris in second place, as he impressively climbed up the order in the second Q3 run. Meanwhile, Hamilton, in a late effort, improved his Q3 personal best but couldn’t surpass his compatriot Leclerc for the front row of Sunday’s Grand Prix.
Carlos Sainz claimed fourth place, followed by George Russell. Verstappen’s initial Q3 time placed him in sixth, still ahead of his teammate, Sergio Perez, who settled for ninth. The Alpine duo of Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon secured seventh and eighth positions, with Qatar sprint race winner Oscar Piastri rounding out the top 10.
The Q2 session, led by Leclerc, saw Yuki Tsunoda, Zhou Guanyu, Valtteri Bottas, Kevin Magnussen, and Daniel Ricciardo falling short. Ricciardo’s hopes of making it to Q3 were dashed when he exceeded track limits while exiting Turn 19.
In the first segment, topped by Hamilton, Nico Hulkenberg was eliminated due to a similar violation of track limits at the penultimate turn. Astonishingly, both Aston Martin cars were also ousted from qualifying after grappling with front brake issues in FP1. Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll put in personal bests on their final Q1 laps but ended up 17th and 19th, trailing the Williams pair of Alex Albon and Logan Sargeant.
There will be post-qualifying investigations into Tsunoda, Ricciardo, and Stroll for possibly not adhering to the race director’s instructions regarding maximum lap times for out and in laps, aimed at reducing traffic congestion during qualifying. It’s worth noting that investigations into similar incidents at Monza and Qatar did not result in any further action, as the drivers were found to have slowed down to avoid hindering others.
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