From Friday to Saturday morning, the USA Grand Prix continued with the sprint qualification, where Max Verstappen proved to be the fastest.
During the 12 minutes of SQ1, we witnessed a continuous round of laps without any stops, during which the drivers constantly swapped positions at the front. Max Verstappen, Kevin Magnussen, Lewis Hamilton, and so on took turns leading. In the end, Charles Leclerc won this stage, ahead of the previously mentioned Hamilton and Verstappen, while surprisingly among the dropouts, we noted Oscar Piastri, Esteban Ocon, Alexander Albon, and as usual, the two Alfa Romeos.
In SQ2, not much changed in the game: Ferrari finished at the front, with Carlos Sainz being the fastest this time, followed closely by Verstappen and Hamilton. Among the dropouts, two names were particularly noteworthy: Sergio Perez and Liam Lawson. While the former is struggling with a disappointing performance in a championship-winning car, the latter, after many absences, easily maintains this level in a VISA RB... By the way, the two Aston Martins and Pierre Gasly also bid farewell.
In SQ3, it seemed for a long time that George Russell could be the finisher, and only his teammate Hamilton or one of the Ferraris could pose a threat. In the end, it didn't turn out that way; Max Verstappen somehow found extra time and won the sprint qualifier ahead of George Russell and Charles Leclerc!
