Max Verstappen wins the US Grand Prix shootout. The world champion achieved the fastest lap in qualifying for the sprint race and will be able to start from first place in the short race over a distance of more than 100 kilometers later on Saturday.
Verstappen recorded a lap of 1:34.538 at Austin in his Red Bull. He was only 55 thousandths of a second faster than Charles Leclerc in his Ferrari. Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes 69 gave a thousandth to the Dutchman, who had already clinched his third Formula 1 world title two weeks ago in a sprint race at the Qatar Grand Prix.
Verstappen was on the brink in the shootout. He even spun his car during the second session after the slide, but relentlessly set the winning time in the third and final session. He got a little revenge in Friday’s qualifying race. He was also fastest at the time, but his best time was canceled out because he went off the track on four wheels in one of the corners. The Limburger team will therefore start from sixth position in Sunday’s US Grand Prix.
“The last lap wasn’t great,” Verstappen said of his fastest lap in the shootout. “But I’m on pole in the sprint, so the car is working well. It can be exciting with so many teams close together. Normally things should go well in a race, but this track requires a lot of pressure on the tires.” “
