F1 United States GP live commentary and updates - qualifying
Follow along for updates from Formula 1's United States Grand Prix qualifying session at Austin
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Q1 resumes
Here we go again! Hulkenberg and Bortoleto hit the road first - let's hope for no further interruptions.
Q1 will resume in four minutes' time, as the Hadjar mess is being cleared up.
As soon as the resumption time drops, there's a flurry of cars all filtering into the pitlane. Synchronised swimming.
Hadjar just lost the rear end going through Turn 6, and it sent him straight to the scene of the accident. Straight into the Barilla-sponsored barrier - so I bet he feels a bit (fu)silli...
"Oh bother," are the presumed words he's uttered under his breath.
Red flag
Hadjar's crashed out at Turn 6, and incandescent with rage - you can see him hitting his helmet in frustration! He's out of the car, but that VCARB is going nowhere in a hurry.
Ocon is first on the track, followed by Gasly, Colapinto, and Hadjar.
There's the two McLarens in the pit lane, now fixed and ready to hit the track for qualifying.
Q1 begins!
And there's a hefty queue in the pitlane - let's hope nobody has the same issue as yesterday, where drivers couldn't get a final lap in due to late-session traffic.
The McLarens are still in the garage - will they be ready in time?
Q1 coming up
Before we get stuck into the battle for pole, it's time to find out who our unlucky five fallers in Q1 will be.
Will there be any big scalps undone by the demanding nature of the Circuit of the Americas? Let's see.
Has McLaren's sprint fiasco really made Verstappen a genuine title contender?
The elephant in the room as Max Verstappen digested his sprint race victory in Austin was that it represented a net gain of just eight points in his favour with six grands prix to go in the 2025 Formula 1 season. That was enough to excite the commentariat but not Verstappen himself.
"The overall pace throughout the race, I expected it to be a little bit better," he said. "So that's something we need to work on, especially if the McLarens are not out on lap one tomorrow. I do think that if they would have raced today, it would have been very tough to keep them behind."
Verstappen demands as much from his team as he does of himself, hence he felt he needed to make it explicit that he might not have been in that position had both McLaren drivers not been eliminated at Turn 1 on the opening lap. Max spent much of the remainder of the race effing and blinding about his car's behaviour.
Complaining is a vital part of every racing driver's skill set, but Verstappen sees everything: his capacity to execute big-picture thinking while wringing a car's neck is part of what makes him a multiple world champion...
20 minutes until quali kicks off
Expect a bit of a difference in the order versus the sprint. Since Austin's quite bumpy, a few teams might have taken a few liberties with ride heights knowing that they won't wear their planks out with a 19-lap race.
That'll be different in the grand prix. Some of the cars are more sensitive at higher ride heights - like the Sauber, for instance - and so we'd be wary of suggesting the performance will carry over.
Gabriel Bortoleto, Sauber
Photo by: Simon Galloway / LAT Images via Getty Images
Marko: McLaren drivers feeling the pressure as Verstappen gains in F1 title race
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko thinks McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are starting to feel the pressure from Max Verstappen in the 2025 Formula 1 title fight.
Verstappen has closed to 55 points of championship leader Piastri and 33 points off Norris after the McLaren pair clashed in Austin's sprint race, with both drivers retiring on the spot while Verstappen collected eight points for the win.
With Verstappen and Red Bull now competitive on every circuit, and McLaren's pair not scoring as freely as they did earlier this season and getting caught up in a spate of incidents, Marko is bullish the fight is now on.
Russell explains "last chance" overtake on Verstappen in F1 US GP sprint
George Russell reckons his risky attempted overtake on Max Verstappen during the United States Grand Prix sprint was “last chance” saloon for the Mercedes Formula 1 driver to win the contest.
Russell finished second in the Saturday race at Circuit of the Americas and crossed the line 0.395s behind Red Bull’s Verstappen, with Williams racer Carlos Sainz completing the podium.
There was little wheel-to-wheel racing between Verstappen and Russell, but the Mercedes driver did make one attempt on lap eight by lunging down the inside of Turn 12.
But Russell failed to make it stick and Verstappen was sent into avoiding action by going off at the exit, who subsequently voiced his displeasure despite keeping the lead.
"Work ongoing" to fix crocked McLarens
McLaren says "work is ongoing" to get the cars ready for qualifying - both cars sustained damage in the first-corner melee.
Norris' tyre was taken off the rim, but it's unknown if there was further damage - while Piastri's suspension was damaged in the impact. Tub damage would be factor here, if there's any.
Lando Norris, McLaren, Oscar Piastri, McLaren crash
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / LAT Images via Getty Images
Sprint race recap
Max Verstappen has taken another step towards an unlikely Formula 1 title defence after winning the United States Grand Prix sprint race, while his McLaren rivals retired after a multi-car clash at the start.
One race on from their contact in Singapore, which didn't have sporting consequences but which Lando Norris was held responsible for, McLaren's title protagonists tangled again on the opening lap of Austin's 19-lap sprint.
Behind polesitter Verstappen, Norris held off Oscar Piastri on the inside of COTA's steep Turn 1, with Piastri cutting back towards the inside.
At that very moment Sauber's surprise fourth-place qualifier Nico Hulkenberg moved up the inside of Piastri, with the pair making contact as Hulkenberg was sandwiched between the Australian and Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso.
The contact flicked Piastri into team-mate Lando Norris, who was spun around as both McLaren's suffered terminal damage. Alonso was also tagged by Hulkenberg and retired, while the Sauber man was forced to pit for a new front wing.
US GP qualifying coming up!
Hello everyone and welcome (or, indeed, welcome back) to our live updates - where we'll bring you through qualifying as it happens.
Will Max Verstappen grab pole for the second time this weekend, or will McLaren shake off a terrible sprint race to get the advantage? Let's find out.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images
