Spectators and drivers enjoyed perfect racing conditions in Austin for today’s third round of practice and qualifying sessions.
With four drivers, including some of this season’s best, receiving grid penalties in tomorrow’s race for taking new engines and parts, there was ample opportunity to shake up the starting order with today’s results.
Both Charles Leclerc of Ferrari and Sergio Perez of Red Bull, who are currently vying for second in the drivers’ championship, were among the four drivers receiving grid penalties for parts.
With Leclerc taking a new internal combustion engine and turbocharger, he was assessed a ten-grid place penalty, while Perez only took a new engine and the associated five grid place penalty.
With one championship point separating the two, the penalties were significant, and both drivers would look to a stellar qualifying performance to mitigate the damage to their prospects of standing on the final podium next to 2022 drivers champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull, who clinched the title at the last race in Japan.
The first qualifying session (Q1) was an interesting display of the importance of the car and its driver, albeit separately.
When looking at Q1 through the lens of the car, two teams quickly come into focus.
Throughout the course of the year, the Haas and Williams racing teams have had by far the worst car on the grid, consistently performing poorly despite each enjoying a few bright spots.
Haas drivers Kevin Magnussen and Mick Schumacher were eliminated in Q1, along with Williams’ Nicholas Latifi. Williams’ other driver, Alex Albon, barely squeaked out of the elimination zone to become the last driver to make the cut for the second session (Q2).
Stepping back and looking at the Q1 results through the lens of the driver is also illuminating. Alpine’s Fernando Alonso set a blistering Q1 lap to finish 8th out of the field. Meanwhile, his teammate Esteban Ocon could only muster 17th in the same hardware.
Similarly, the disparity in driver results was staggering for Mclaren as Lando Norris finished Q1 fantastically in 7th while his teammate Daniel Ricciardo ended his day in the first session with an 18th place finish.
While Ocon’s seat is secure at Alpine for next season, Ricciardo’s dismal performance once again underscores why the once bright star is likely done in Formula One for the time being after this season.
Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz was the class of the first session, taking the top spot, followed by Leclerc and Verstappen. Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton finished Q1 in fourth with Perez close on his heels.
The second session (Q2) featured a classic late rally which saw drivers in danger of elimination all turning in their best laps in succession as time expired.
Drivers jumped up the order only to fall back down as those behind them completed superior lap times.
In the end, Albon could not advance further, despite pushing his Williams hard for most of the session.
Both AlphaTauri drivers, Yuki Tsunoda and Pierre Gasly were also eliminated. Gasly spent much of the second session yelling over his radio to his pit wall about ongoing performance issues with his car.
When the smoke cleared, Norris was the last man that failed to make the cut for the third session, but the British driver would receive a welcome surprise when Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu’s best lap time was deleted for exceeding track limits.
This turn of events dropped Zhou down into the elimination zone and elevated Norris into the final spot for the last session.
Ultimately, Leclerc took the top spot in Q2, besting Verstappen by only four one-thousandths of a second and setting the stage for an exciting conclusion.
The third and final session (Q3) would feature late drama as well. Leclerc and Perez were both alive and looking to finish as strong as possible before suffering their respective grid penalties, and both drivers stepped up to the task at hand.
Perez came out as time began and quickly put in a phenomenal lap time to set the pace, but he was soon surpassed by both Ferrari drivers by hundredths of a second.
While Leclerc was ahead of Perez, it would be Sainz that was on provisional pole with the best lap time thus far.
Trailing behind the others, Verstappen pushed his Red Bull hard, but his final flying lap seemed slightly off.
In the end, the Dutchman would finish behind the two Ferraris but in front of Perez, which meant Sainz had successfully secured the third pole position of his career.
After assessing grid penalties, the front row of tomorrow’s race will be Sainz and Verstappen, followed by both Mercedes drivers in the second row.
Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll will be in the third row, marking the team’s best qualifying finish thus far, alongside Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas.
Perez will begin in 9th and Leclerc in 12th, likely pitting the two in an exciting battle early.
The United States Grand Prix begins at 2 pm CST.   Â
