Once again, Max Verstappen found himself at the top. After a challenging FP1 where Red Bull struggled to find the right setup—hampered by a ride height that was too low, causing the car to bottom out over bumps and limiting its strengths—the Milton Keynes team and the Dutch driver responded decisively. In qualifying, the RB21 sent a clear signal to McLaren, reaffirming its strength on the type of track where it has performed best this season.
The clearest sign of Red Bull’s regained form after FP1 appeared in SQ1, when the four-time world champion started setting sector records in the first sector, precisely where he had struggled hours earlier. The RB21, thanks to its stability through fast corners, was expected to shine in this part of the track.
With a more complete Red Bull, Verstappen managed to snatch pole position from the McLaren team, who continue to struggle on a single lap. The MCL39 has not claimed a qualifying victory since the Dutch Grand Prix in late August, on a circuit that highlighted its strengths, and now the team hopes that high tire degradation in the race might allow them to turn the situation around. Despite being cornered in the championship standings, Red Bull refuses to give up and continues to fight point by point, trying to keep the last glimmer of hope alive as long as possible.
In the internal McLaren duel, it was Lando Norris who prevailed. The British driver finished just 71 thousandths of a second behind Verstappen and, importantly, beat his teammate by almost two-tenths. Oscar Piastri had not appeared entirely comfortable with the MCL39 in FP1, and the same pattern repeated in qualifying. Still, the Australian limited the damage, securing a valuable third place.
Behind the two MCL39s, the real surprise of the Austin weekend was Nico Hulkenberg. After a difficult period in qualifying, where his usual flashes on Saturdays (in this case Fridays) had been absent, the German driver returned to shine on a single lap, putting the Sauber on the second row with an impressive performance. The Swiss team also highlighted an interesting point: with parc fermé reopened midweekend, the engineers dared to adjust the ride height a little more for the Sprint, knowing they could revert to previous settings for the race.
Opening the third row was George Russell with the Mercedes. The British driver, who had not tried the soft tires in FP1 as the team focused on conserving hard and medium sets, could only manage fifth, but was seven-tenths off the top. On a track more varied and less unique than Singapore, which demands more setup compromises, Mercedes showed signs of difficulty once again.
Joining Russell on the third row was Fernando Alonso, once again a lion with an Aston Martin capable of surprising. The Silverstone team often shines on Fridays only to fall back when other teams increase power output, but this time the AMR25 appears to have found a convincing balance. Positive signs also came from Williams, with Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon in seventh and ninth positions respectively.
It was a tough day for Ferrari. Lewis Hamilton could only manage eighth after narrowly avoiding elimination in SQ2 by just six thousandths of a second, while Charles Leclerc finished 10th, also close to elimination at the end of the first session. On a track full of bumps and featuring a wide variety of corners that demand setup compromises, the SF-25 did not perform at the required level. Both on medium and soft tires—which were not tested in FP1—the car clearly showed its limits, ending nine-tenths off pole.
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