,,GP“, this is the pole position you asked for,” Verstappen said with a smile over the on-board radio, after a strong qualifying session by the Dutchman. His race engineer then thanked the Dutchman, stated that his lead was even greater than expected and added: “You saved my ass.”
Max Verstappen continues in Austin and takes pole position, World Cup leader Oscar Piastri only starts from the third row
Lambiase was referring to the fact that Verstappen could no longer drive a final, fast lap in the final phase of qualifying because he crossed the start-finish line too late. “It was a bit messy, but luckily we didn’t need that lap anymore,” said Verstappen. “It was very challenging today, especially because of the wind. That made it more difficult to get a good lap together than on Friday. But we succeeded, the car felt very good and this is another strong result.”
Lando Norris
Lando Norris, number two in the World Cup standings, will start on Sunday (9 p.m. Dutch time), just like in the sprint qualifying, next to Verstappen on the front row. “On Friday I was more comfortable in the car,” said the Briton. “We (teammate Oscar Piastri drove the sixth fastest time, ed.) were struggling more. I am still happy with second place. It could have been worse and I had no chance to take pole position. I hope for a nice race with Max on Sunday.”