Max Verstappen claims United States Grand Prix sprint pole to pile pressure on Lando Norris

Lando Norris risks losing crushed to Max Verstappen successful his bid to beryllium crowned satellite champion aft seeing his rival instrumentality rod presumption for Saturday's sprint contention successful the United States.

Norris, who trails Verstappen by 52 points heading into the concluding six rounds of the campaign, volition enactment up 3 places down Verstappen for the 19-lap dash aft helium qualified a disappointing 4th astatine Austin's Circuit of the Americas.

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc volition enactment up from third, 1 spot up of Norris, with Lewis Hamilton seventh.

Norris knows helium tin ill-afford to let Verstappen to summation his rubric lead, but the British operator volition person his enactment chopped retired to forestall the Red Bull antheral doing conscionable that aft helium finished 0.250secs adrift.

The apical 8 are awarded points successful the sprint contention which takes spot up of a 2nd qualifying league to find the starting bid for Sunday's main event.

"The full time the car has been moving well," said Verstappen. "I'm blessed to beryllium first, it's been a while, truthful I americium blessed with today.

"We volition bash the champion we tin successful the sprint, but we besides cognize the astir points are disposable connected Sunday, truthful that's wherever we truly privation to bash well."

To onshore his archetypal title, Norris volition request to trust connected assistance from Oscar Piastri successful the different McLaren, but the Australian was a astonishment faller astatine the archetypal hurdle present and volition commencement lone 16th.

Piastri thought helium had done capable to haul his McLaren into Q2, lone to spot his champion effort chalked disconnected for exceeding way limits aft helium ran wide astatine the penultimate corner.

Hamilton has won a grounds 5 times connected Texas ungraded and astatine 1 signifier looked successful contention to instrumentality pole, but helium was frustrated by Mercedes sending him retired aboriginal successful Q3 and past making a mistake connected his sole effort. He qualified half-a-second down Russell.

"Come on, guys, that was not good," complained the seven-time satellite champion implicit the radio.

Alex Albon, successful his 100th Grand Prix, failed to advancement from the opening signifier pursuing a high-speed rotation arsenic helium was astir to implicit his speediest lap. He volition commencement 18th.