AUSTIN, Texas – Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz soared to pole position for the United States Grand Prix during Saturday’s qualifying session at Circuit of The Americas.
Formula 1’s visit to American soil has been particularly successful for Ferrari, as Charles Leclerc topped Friday’s practice sessions and teammate Sainz outperformed the field in qualifying.
Sainz ran a fast lap of 1:34.356, while Leclerc recorded a 1:34.421 lap time.
Red Bull Racing teammates Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez filed into third and fourth, while Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton completed the top five.
However, there are several grid penalties at play in Texas that will affect the starting grid in Sunday’s race. Leclerc has been dealt a 10-place grid penalty for making engine changes, while Perez and Alpine’s Fernando Alonso have both been demoted five positions.
Thus, newly crowned champion Verstappen will start on the front row alongside Sainz. Hamilton will begin the race on the second row.
George Russell, Lance Stroll, Lando Norris, Alonso and Valtteri Bottas rounded out the top 10.