Charles Leclerc secured his third Pole Position of 2023 in Texas, triumphing in a highly competitive qualifying session.
Leclerc put his SF-23 in Pole Position for the US GP amidst stiff competition from Red Bull, Mercedes and McLaren. Not for the first time in 2023, qualifying proved an ultra-competitive session. Although a lack of practice running means there is no data on race pace, several teams are capable of fighting at the front.
Lando Norris qualified in second for McLaren, with an MCL60 machine that continues to impress. Much like Leclerc, the British driver admitted to making a few mistakes on his final run. Still, the last few races suggest he can contend for victory – or at least a podium – in COTA. Lewis Hamilton was third for Mercedes, showing strong pace in the newly upgraded W14. The 7-time Champion was pleased with the handling of his car during qualifying, as James Allison directs the team to a new development path for 2024.
Carlos Sainz and George Russell will start Sunday’s race from 4th and 5th, respectively. Both drivers were a few steps behind their teammates – but are still in contention for tomorrow. In the battle between Mercedes and Ferrari for P2 in the constructors, every point will matter from this stage onwards.
Verstappen on the back foot
Max Verstappen made a mistake on his final qualifying run, resulting in a lap deletion and his grid slot of P6. Red Bull’s supremacy seems less emphatic so far this weekend, so the Dutchman will have work to do on Sunday.
Gasly and Ocon lock out the fourth row of the grid, performing well for Alpine and putting them in a good place to score points. Sergio Perez was again off the mark, only managing P9, now at risk of losing more points to Lewis Hamilton in the standings.
Tsunoda narrowly missed out on Q3 but is within sight of the points positions on Sunday. The AT04 is showing signs of encouraging pace, with a series of additional updates being applied this weekend. After Alfa Romeo’s double points in Qatar, it will be necessary for the Faenza-based team to secure some points. Daniel Ricciardo only managed P15 on his first qualifying back, although he might need more time to hit his stride.
Disappointment for Aston Martin
The Alfa duo of Zhou Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas will start P12 and P13. Zhou was only one-thousandth behind Tsunoda in the AlphaTauri and only a tenth away from making the final qualifying session. In any case, it was a good session for the Swiss outfit – who look set to contend for points again this weekend.
Kevin Magnussen finished in a solid P14 for Haas in a vastly different VF-23 machine. Given the limited time the American team had to update their package, this starting position is satisfactory. The real test for Guenther Steiner’s team will be their race pace – and if they can look after their tyres.
One of the biggest shocks from qualifying was the elimination of both Aston Martin drivers. Limited free practice running put the team on the back foot, whilst poor strategy in qualifying compromised Alonso and Stroll’s tyre preparation.
That’s one spicy looking grid for Sunday! 😎#USGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/E0VrdVogmc
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 20, 2023
Although it is too soon to judge their updates – as proven by the false hope in Canada – few would dispute Aston Martin are on the back foot.
