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F1 United States GP qualifying - Start time, how to watch & more

Sergio Perez topped Friday’s second practice after Valtteri Bottas set the outright fastest time in FP1 at Formula 1's United States Grand Prix. Here’s how and when to watch qualifying.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB16B

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB16B

Charles Coates / Motorsport Images

In an eventful FP2, Red Bull’s Perez claimed top spot with a 1m34.946s as Lewis Hamilton lost a faster lap time due to track limits and F1 world title rival Max Verstappen could only manage eighth place as his quick lap was disrupted by traffic. 

One of Verstappen’s quick laps was held up by Hamilton, with the pair going wheel-to-wheel along the start/finish straight, which led to the Red Bull driver calling his rival a “stupid idiot” over the radio before raising his middle finger at the Mercedes driver.

Verstappen duly played down the incident after FP2 and said he didn’t understand what happened in the flashpoint.

With the title contenders off top spot, Perez led McLaren’s Lando Norris at the head of the FP2 times – but it was Bottas who claimed the outright fastest lap of the day, having topped FP1 with a 1m34.874s.

However, the Finn will head into US GP qualifying with a five-place grid penalty after taking on another new internal combustion engine.

That led Mercedes boss Toto Wolff to concede its ongoing reliability problems were “not trivial” as Bottas and two drivers from customer teams Aston Martin and Williams are also set to take grid penalties this weekend.

Wolff also dismissed speculation from Red Bull about a trick device it is using to increase its straightline speed. 

Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes, with a special helmet design

Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes, with a special helmet design

Photo by: Steve Etherington / Motorsport Images

What time does qualifying start for the United States Grand Prix?

Qualifying for the United States GP starts at 4pm local time (10pm BST), using the regular Q1, Q2 and Q3 knockout session format.

Date: Saturday 23rd October 2021
Start time: 4pm local time - 10pm BST

How can I watch qualifying?

In the United Kingdom every F1 practice, qualifying and race is broadcast live on Sky Sports F1, with United States GP qualifying coverage starting at 9pm BST.

Channel: Sky Sports F1 
Start time: 9:00pm BST 

Autosport will be running a live text coverage of qualifying here

When can I watch the highlights of United States GP qualifying?

In the United Kingdom Channel 4 is broadcasting highlights of qualifying for the United States GP at 8:30am BST on Sunday. The full programme will run for 60 minutes, covering both qualifying and wrapping up the major talking points of the race weekend so far.

For the entire 2021 F1 season, Channel 4 will broadcast highlights of every qualifying and race of each event. The highlights will also be available on Channel 4’s on demand catch up services.

Channel: Channel 4 
Start time: 8:30am BST (Sunday 24th October) 

Pierre Gasly, AlphaTauri AT02

Pierre Gasly, AlphaTauri AT02

Photo by: Charles Coates / Motorsport Images

Will United States GP qualifying be on the radio? 

Live radio coverage of every practice, qualifying and race for the 2021 F1 season will be available on the BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC 5 Live Sports Extra or via the BBC Sport website.

Coverage of United States GP qualifying will start at 9:55pm BST on BBC 5 Live Sports Extra and the BBC Sounds app.

What's the weather forecast for qualifying at the Circuit of the Americas?

Dry and sunny weather is forecast for Saturday afternoon for the start of qualifying at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin. Temperatures are set to be 29 degrees Celsius at the start of qualifying – nine degrees warmer than qualifying for the Turkish GP.

US Grand Prix FP2 Results

Cla Driver Chassis Laps Time Gap
1 Mexico Sergio Perez Red Bull 24 1'34.946  
2 United Kingdom Lando Norris McLaren 20 1'35.203 0.257
3 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 22 1'35.310 0.364
4 Finland Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 24 1'35.360 0.414
5 Australia Daniel Ricciardo McLaren 21 1'35.457 0.511
6 Canada Lance Stroll Aston Martin 25 1'35.561 0.615
7 Monaco Charles Leclerc Ferrari 23 1'35.572 0.626
8 Netherlands Max Verstappen Red Bull 23 1'35.824 0.878
9 Spain Carlos Sainz Jr. Ferrari 24 1'35.919 0.973
10 Italy Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo 26 1'36.138 1.192
11 France Esteban Ocon Alpine 23 1'36.158 1.212
12 France Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri 25 1'36.242 1.296
13 Spain Fernando Alonso Alpine 18 1'36.376 1.430
14 Finland Kimi Raikkonen Alfa Romeo 25 1'36.558 1.612
15 Germany Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin 30 1'36.718 1.772
16 Japan Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri 24 1'36.983 2.037
17 Germany Mick Schumacher Haas 24 1'37.041 2.095
18 Canada Nicholas Latifi Williams 26 1'37.254 2.308
19 United Kingdom George Russell Williams 21 1'37.490 2.544
20 Russian Federation Nikita Mazepin Haas 23 1'38.026 3.080

US Grand Prix FP1 Results

Cla Driver Chassis Laps Time Gap
1 Finland Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 17 1'34.874  
2 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 18 1'34.919 0.045
3 Netherlands Max Verstappen Red Bull 16 1'35.806 0.932
4 Monaco Charles Leclerc Ferrari 18 1'36.334 1.460
5 Spain Carlos Sainz Jr. Ferrari 20 1'36.508 1.634
6 France Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri 18 1'36.611 1.737
7 Mexico Sergio Perez Red Bull 20 1'36.798 1.924
8 United Kingdom Lando Norris McLaren 11 1'36.855 1.981
9 Italy Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo 18 1'36.874 2.000
10 Finland Kimi Raikkonen Alfa Romeo 18 1'36.876 2.002
11 United Kingdom George Russell Williams 19 1'36.966 2.092
12 France Esteban Ocon Alpine 22 1'36.970 2.096
13 Canada Lance Stroll Aston Martin 20 1'36.972 2.098
14 Germany Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin 20 1'36.982 2.108
15 Spain Fernando Alonso Alpine 12 1'37.068 2.194
16 Australia Daniel Ricciardo McLaren 18 1'37.458 2.584
17 Canada Nicholas Latifi Williams 19 1'37.463 2.589
18 Japan Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri 22 1'37.954 3.080
19 Germany Mick Schumacher Haas 17 1'38.866 3.992
20 Russian Federation Nikita Mazepin Haas 19 1'42.239 7.365

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