F1 US Grand Prix LIVE: Sprint qualifying results and times with Max Verstappen claiming pole

The Red Bull of Max Verstappen leads us around for the first sprint quali session - 12 minutes and all the cars on medium tyres!

So it’s our first competitive action of the weekend and after a chaotic practice session, it feels like anything could happen in Austin this evening!

Sprint qualifying will follow the same Q1-Q2-Q3 format but the session times will be shorter than traditional qualifying: SQ1 (medium tyres) will be 12 minutes, SQ2 (medium tyres) will be 10 minutes and SQ3 (soft tyres) will be eight minutes.

Who will be on pole for the sprint tomorrow?!

Martin Brundle believes there is “no smoking gun” for Red Bull as their ‘bib’ device saga continues at the US Grand Prix in Austin on Friday.

Full quotes below:

Friday: Free Practice 1 (DONE); sprint qualifying (for Saturday’s sprint race)

Saturday: Sprint race (Top-eight receive points, finish order has no impact on grand prix grid); Grand Prix qualifying

Sunday: Grand Prix

How many points are on offer in the sprint race?

P1 - Eight points

P2 - Seven points

P3 - Six points

P4 - Five points

P5 - four points

P6 - three points

P7 - two points

P8 - one point

All times BST

Friday 18 October

• Sprint qualifying: 10:30pm

Saturday 19 October

• Sprint race: 7pm
• Qualifying: 11pm

Sunday 20 October

• Race: 8pm

1. Max Verstappen - 331 points

2. Lando Norris - 279 points

3. Charles Leclerc - 245 points

4. Oscar Piastri - 237 points

5. Carlos Sainz - 190 points

6. Lewis Hamilton - 174 points

7. George Russell - 155 points

8. Sergio Perez - 144 points

9. Fernando Alonso - 62 points

10. Nico Hulkenberg - 24 points

11. Lance Stroll - 24 points

12. Yuki Tsunoda - 22 points

13. Alex Albon - 12 points

14. Daniel Ricciardo - 12 points

15. Pierre Gasly - 8 points

16. Ollie Bearman - 7 points

17. Kevin Magnussen - 6 points

18. Esteban Ocon - 5 points

19. Franco Colapinto - 4 points

20. Zhou Guanyu - 0 points

21. Logan Sargeant - 0 points

22. Valtteri Bottas - 0 points

The FIA, F1’s governing body, have decided to remove the bonus point available for setting the fastest lap for the 2025 season onwards.

The extra point, given to the driver who sets the fastest lap in Sunday’s grand prix (if he finishes in the top-10), was introduced in 2019.

It often results in drivers pitting late in the race for an extra point, particularly if it doesn’t impact their position in the top-10.

Full story below:

The sprint format continues in Formula 1 this weekend as the US Grand Prix hosts the fourth sprint weekend of the 2024 season.

The sprint was first introduced in 2021 at Silverstone as a way of making more sessions over the course of the weekend competitive, with the target of driving interest in F1. In 2021 and 2022, there were three sprints a year.

2023 saw a new format. The number of sprint races were doubled to six, while Saturday was designed ‘sprint day’ - with a new “sprint shootout” qualifying session determining the grid for the sprint race. In addition, the result of the sprint race had no baring on the grand prix on Sunday.

However, the format has been tweaked again in 2024 and we will see it in action for the fourth time this weekend at the Circuit of the Americas:

Sebastian Vettel will return to racing next year at the 2025 Race of Champions in Sydney, teaming up with compatriot and friend Mick Schumacher.

Four-time F1 world champion Vettel retired in 2022 after 16 seasons in the sport, where he raced for the likes of Red Bull, Ferrari and Aston Martin.

Yet next March at the Accor Stadium in Sydney, Vettel will form a German ‘super team’ alongside Schumacher – son of seven-time F1 world champion Michael Schumacher – in the ROC Nations Cup.

More below:

1. McLaren - 516 points

2. Red Bull - 475 points

3. Ferrari - 441 points

4. Mercedes - 329 points

5. Aston Martin - 86 points

6. RB - 34 points

7. Haas - 31 points

8. Williams - 16 points

9. Alpine - 13 points

10. Sauber - 0 points