formula 1
Mistake costs Verstappen first place on the grid in Austin
Max Verstappen from the Netherlands had to be content with sixth place. photo
© Eric Gay/AP/dpa
In his first appearance after winning his third world title, Max Verstappen suffered a setback. Pole position in Austin goes to Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari.
A driving error killed the Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen lost the best starting position for the US Grand Prix. Because the Red Bull driver briefly went off the track during qualifying on Friday (local time) in Austin, his best time was canceled by the race stewards. Therefore, Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc will start from pole position in Texas tomorrow (9 p.m./Sky).
Second in the hunt for starting position was Lando Norris in the McLaren ahead of record world champion Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes. Verstappen had to be content with sixth place.
For Nico Hülkenberg, the working day was over after the first part of the qualification. Despite new components on his Haas racing car, the 36-year-old couldn’t get past 16th place. On his final lap he felt slightly hindered by the Red Bull drivers. “Shit, cheese, there could have been so much more today,” said Hülkenberg on Sky about his exit, which he described as “mega-frustrating”.
Verstappen had already won his third title in a row in Qatar almost two weeks ago. Red Bull is also already world constructors’ champion. For Verstappen, the final spurt of the season is still about possible records such as the most Grand Prix victories in a season. The Dutchman has won 14 of the 17 races this year; his record from last year is 15 successes.
Before the main race at the Circuit of the Americas, Formula 1 runs a sprint on the German night of Sunday (from 12 a.m./Sky). It is the fifth of six of these races this season, which have been shortened to around 100 kilometers.