Norris on pole for US Grand Prix after Verstappen wins sprint race as they restart F1 title fight

AP Sports Writer

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — McLaren’s Lando Norris edged Red Bull’s Max Verstappen for the pole at the United States Grand Prix on Saturday as Formula 1 returned from its autumn break with those two resuming their fight for the drivers’ season championship.

Verstappen won the sprint race earlier in the day to stretch his lead over Norris to 54 points with six grand prix and two more sprint races left in the season. Verstappen is chasing his fourth consecutive championship, Norris his first.

Norris took the top starting spot Sunday, fighting back to beat Verstappen by 0.31 seconds on his first lap of the final session at the Circuit of the Americas.

Verstappen was in the middle of a scorching final lap that looked destined to take the front spot, but had to abandon it when Mercedes’ George Russell crashed and the session ended under a yellow caution flag.

“That happens,” Verstappen said. “Qualifying is not always in your control.”

Norris called his pole lap the best qualifying of his career.

“It came together perfectly … I didn’t expect to be here,” said Norris, who took his fourth pole position in five races. “I’m lucky and I’ll take it. Tomorrow is going to be a tough race.”

Starting from the front will be a boost for Norris and McLaren after Verstappen easily controlled the sprint race and extended his championship lead by two points when Norris finished third.

The sprint race was Verstappen’s first win of any kind in nearly four months. His last grand prix win came in Spain in June. He won the sprint race in Austria a week later and has struggled ever since.

Norris has been chipping away at Verstappen’s commanding championship lead ever since raising doubts as to whether Verstappen could hold on. Norris has two wins and three other podium finishes since Verstappen’s last grand prix victory, and McLaren has overtaken Red Bull in the team constructor’s championship.

The sprint victory should renew Red Bull’s confidence that it has improved a car that Verstappen has called “undrivable” and “a monster” in his winless streak. Red Bull brought several upgrades to the car this week.

The early returns were promising.

Verstappen was able to easily hold off Norris in the early stages of the sprint race and eventually won the 19-lap race by nearly 4 seconds. And even without taking pole, Verstappen car showed flashes of its old speed and control.

“Feels a bit like old times,” Verstappen said after the sprint race win.

After the qualifying session that left him second, Verstappen said he liked the performance rebound and would not be frustrated on missing pole.

At the previous race in Singapore, Verstappen finished second but 21 seconds behind Norris.

“We’re on the front row at least. The potential is there,” for a victory, Verstappen said.

Verstappen has not started from pole position in Austin since 2021. He still won the race in 2022 and 2023.

Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz will start third on Sunday.

Mercedes misery

Mercedes had a bad afternoon all around. Aside from Russell’s final lap crash, Lewis Hamilton’s final U.S. Grand Prix qualifying with the team — he leaves for Ferrari next year — ended when he finished 19th in the first round and did not advance.

Hamilton will start the race from 18th because of a grid penalty for excessive engine parts for RB’s Liam Lawson.

It was the worst U.S. Grand Prix qualifying for the seven-time F1 champion who has four career wins at COTA, but none since 2017.

“The car was a nightmare today,” Hamilton said.

Au revoir, Renault

Alpine’s French driver Esteban Ocon said this week he is sad that Renault is leaving Formula 1 as an engine manufacturer in 2026.

Alpine announced last month that its F1 engine factory on the outskirts of Paris would become an engineering center called Hypertech Alpine and would stop supplying F1 engines after 2025. According to reports, German manufacturer Mercedes will supply Alpine’s engines starting in 2026.

“As a driver for the team, it’s difficult to comment about this. But as a French fan of the sport and as a French driver, everything I can say is that it’s a sad situation. It’s very sad for French motorsport,” Ocon said.

Renault was once a prestigious name in F1 and used to sell engines to other teams, including the Red Bull title winners with Sebastian Vettel from 2010-13. Fernando Alonso’s two F1 titles in 2005 and 2006 were with Renault.

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