Austin (Etats-Unis) (AFP) – Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) will start in pole position for the United States Formula 1 Grand Prix on Sunday after setting the fastest time in qualifying on the Circuit of the Americas in Austin (5.513 km).
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The Monegasque driver finished ahead of the British drivers Lando Norris (McLaren) and Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), while the three-time world champion Max Verstappen (Red Bull) will start from the sixth position.
In the Texan heat (35°C in the air, over 40 on the track), Leclerc secured the 21st pole position of his career, the third this season after Azerbaijan in April and Belgium in July.
“I love this track, I love the atmosphere around this track, in this city, in this country. It’s great to be here,” commented the Monegasque driver.
It is Scuderia’s fifth pole position in 2023, adding Carlos Sainz’s in Italy and Singapore in September. The Spaniard set the 4th fastest time on Friday.
Verstappen believed he had done enough to snatch pole position by improving Leclerc’s time by five-thousandths of a second, but his time was removed because the Dutchman exceeded track limits in the last corner.
Crowned world champion for the third consecutive time two weeks ago in Qatar, the Red Bull driver had actually set the fastest time in the only free practice session on Friday noon. But, as it turns out, he did not confirm in qualifying, not setting the fastest time in Q1, Q2, or Q3.
He will therefore start on the third row alongside the second Mercedes, driven by British driver George Russell.
The two French drivers Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon will occupy the fourth row behind the wheel of the two Alpine cars, while the Top 10 is completed by Mexican Sergio Pérez (Red Bull) and Australian Oscar Piastri (McLaren).
The main surprise of the qualifying came from Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), who finished only 17th. The Spanish veteran had until then always reached Q3 in the first 17 races of the season.
The United States Grand Prix, the 18th of the 22 races this season, is scheduled for Sunday at 9:00 PM. It will be preceded on Saturday by a sprint race, with prior qualifications.
© 2023 AFP
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