F1 US GP Live Commentary and Updates - Qualifying
Minute-by-minute updates for the 2024 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix Qualifying session
Formula 1 returns from its mini-break with a trip to the Circuit of the Americas, kick-starting the next triple-header.
Lando Norris dominated the Singapore Grand Prix last time out but still faces an uphill battle to overcome Max Verstappen in the race for the drivers' title, even with McLaren now ahead of Red Bull in the constructors' standings.
With off-track headlines again dominating ahead of the weekend, it was Verstappen who took victory in the Sprint as Carlos Sainz edged out Norris for second on the last lap. Will the Red Bull driver take pole again for the grand prix?
Qualifying gets under way at 11pm BST.
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Leclerc is a second off the pace in fifth on his lap, Ocon is flying meanwhile...
Lawson did return to the pits and has now parked up, scrubbing a set of tyres.
Perez goes four-tenths behind Verstappen but pretty much on par with Sainz as Gasly goes second. The Alpine driver is on good form.
Verstappen is on his first lap of the session, used tyres bolted on. The same can be said for both Ferraris.
The Red Bull, it has to be said, looks like it did at the start of the season. Easy to drive, fast, on rails. He is giving a lot of margin to the white lines and still sets the benchmark of a 1m33 dead.
In true F1 fashion, what we believe isn't quite what we get as Lawson takes to the track!
What RB doesn't need is the New Zealander taking Tsunoda's place in Q3, should the situation present itself.
Lawson was superb in progressing in third from Q1, but with his engine-change grid penalty, he likely won’t take any further part in this session. But, he’s made a considerable point there and just maybe there’s a bit of needle with Alonso to dig into after their sprint race battle.
Here we go in Q2, will we see Lawson on track?
McLaren's pace wasn't incredible - Piastri was 12th and Norris was 10th.
That needs to improve, it looks like this will be Verstappen vs Ferrari for pole.
Hamilton locked the front left, very similar to the mistake that cost him in SQ3 a day ago.
Replays show Colapinto surviving a huge moment in the high-speed Esses at the start of his lap, which explains why he failed to advance.
Hamilton made a mistake at T12, ran wide and has his time taken away from him. That's why he is down in 19th.
Magnussen was in the bottom five but gets up to seventh, Perez goes ninth which means Albon and Colapinto drop into elimination.
Bottas gets up to 18th, ahead of Hamilton and Zhou.
Alonso is next across the line to go 10th, Zhou goes 19th and ahead of team-mate Bottas.
Hulkenberg goes seventh, Piastri 10th and Albon 14th.
Tsunoda goes seventh as the flag drops to get himself out of trouble, that's now eighth as Lawson goes third.
Verstappen has gone top in the meantime, but where has that come from for Hamilton?
It was all in the middle sector.
Russell crosses the line to go third but Hamilton is only 16th fastest. That will be him out. Shocker.
Three minutes to go and the Mercedes drivers are on their way to try and cement a Q2 spot each.
Stroll has been noted for potential impeding on Hulkenberg.
The Canadian is currently faster than team-mate Alonso - the Aston Martin's 13th and 15th.
Piastri's latest effort is good only for eighth as Norris goes four-tenths faster than his McLaren team-mate for fourth.
Ferrari can now show a more representative pace - Sainz goes second, make that third as Leclerc goes fastest.
That makes Gasly's time look very special.
Mercedes will need the new set of softs - Hamilton and Russell are both in the bottom five, along with Zhou, Leclerc and Tsunoda.
The track temperature is rising but the evolution is helping the surface go towards the drivers.
Lawson goes fourth as Tsunoda loses his lap for exceeding track limits - the second time this session.
All the leading teams sending their cars out initially on used tyres. Strong start from Verstappen, but Norris was quicker in sector three, which is where he kept losing time to the Red Bull in the sprint race and it’s all about avoiding overheating rear tyres.
Colapinto is quite a sensation, isn't he? The Argentine goes faster than Albon to go fifth, with Hulkenberg now up to second.
Magnussen goes ninth, with Gasly now fastest on a 1m33.550s.
Albon goes fourth to push Sainz and Piastri down, with those yet to post a time now circulating.
Verstappen is flying straight off the bat, he is in some groove this weekend.
His first effort is 0.339s faster than Norris and Perez - the Mexican setting an identical time to the McLaren driver.
Ferrari had struggled on the softs in SQ yesterday having soared on the mediums.
Ocon and Zhou go ahead of Leclerc as he has his time taken away for abusing track limits.
Leclerc is only fifth on his first lap, make that sixth as Piastri goes third.
Alonso and Bottas fill the sandwich.
Norris isn't doing that, crossing the line with a 1m34.029s to set the initial benchmark, just beating Sainz.
Albon was on his first flying lap but aborts and pits, Colapinto does the same.
That has all the hallmarks of putting a heat cycle through the shiny Pirellis for later use.
Already some aggro between Lawson and Alonso, the two-time champion filling the RB's mirrors out of the pits and then overtaking into T1.
They had a disagreement earlier on.
Mercedes is sitting tight with both drivers, as is Red Bull and Haas as the rest of the grid files onto the track.
Fast laps are go...
Q1 is go! Plenty of activity already as drivers get a grip of whatever changes have been made after the Sprint.
Cars are in the pitlane, who will take pole?
Outside the obvious contenders, the race for a top-10 spot could be spicy.
The Haas drivers, Tsunoda and Colapinto were all impressive in reaching SQ3 yesterday, but Perez and Piastri have to be considered as well, as does Albon.
Someone who will be hoping for better fortunes compared to this time yesterday is Piastri, who failed to reach SQ2 after exceeding track limits.
That will be a big topic again, especially at Turns 9, 12 and 19.
The track temperature is higher than yesterday when the cars took to the circuit for Sprint Qualifying.
That will place a premium on traction and punish the tyres all the way through the end of the lap.
Can Norris bounce back from losing ground to Verstappen?
One that has been made is at Haas, which went sixth in the constructors' standings with a double points finish earlier.
Magnussen now has an upgrade on his car which Hulkenberg has run alone up to this point in the weekend.
By: Ewan Gale
