F1 US Grand Prix LIVE: Sprint race schedule and time as Max Verstappen starts on pole
F1 live updates from the Circuit of the Americas as Lando Norris looks to close the gap to Max Verstappen
Lando Norris risks losing ground to Max Verstappen in his bid to be crowned world champion after seeing his rival take pole position for Saturday’s sprint race in the United States.
Norris, who trails Verstappen by 52 points heading into the concluding six rounds of the campaign, will line up three places behind Verstappen for the 19-lap dash after he qualified a disappointing fourth at Austin’s Circuit of the Americas.
Verstappen has not won since the Spanish Grand Prix, nearly four months ago, but he pulled out an impressive lap in the closing seconds to beat Mercedes’ George Russell to top spot by just 0.012 seconds.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc will line up from third, one place ahead of Norris, with Lewis Hamilton seventh.
Follow live updates from the United States Grand Prix with The Independent
Constructors’ Championship ahead of the US Grand Prix
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
RACE PREVIEW: How Donald Trump and Kamala Harris revealed F1’s true value as US presidential race nears finish line
For a sport which struggled for the best part of 70 years to find a home across the Atlantic, Formula One’s presence in the United States has reached unprecedented heights this year. And that’s not just a nod to the three US races, in Miami, Austin and Las Vegas, nor to the boom in popularity stateside – a result of Liberty Media’s 2017 takeover and Netflix’s Drive to Survive fever.
Rather it has been, ahead of the highly charged US presidential election on 5 November, the surprising arena for the two nominees to appear, promote and present themselves in a unique and increasingly attractive way to the electorate.
Full piece below:
How Trump and Harris revealed F1’s true value amid US presidential race
As F1 returns this weekend at the United States Grand Prix in Austin, both presidential nominees have used the sport to promote themselves ahead of election day – but what does it actually mean? Kieran Jackson takes a look
What’s the state of play in the drivers’ championship?
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
F1 US Grand Prix LIVE: What are the timings this weekend in Austin?
All times BST
Friday 18 October
- Free practice 1: 6:30pm
- Sprint qualifying: 10:30pm
Saturday 19 October
- Sprint race: 7pm
- Qualifying: 11pm
Sunday 20 October
- Race: 8pm
F1 US Grand Prix LIVE: Welcome back!
Good afternoon and welcome to live coverage of the US Grand Prix as F1 returns this weekend in Austin!
Lando Norris won last time out in Singapore to cut Max Verstappen’s lead in the drivers’ championship to 52 points with six rounds to go.
Oscar Piastri, Norris’ teammate at McLaren, finished third in the city-state while the Mercedes duo of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell will be looking to finish their time together on a high before Hamilton heads to Ferrari next year.
It’s a sprint weekend this time around, meaning we will have just one practice session - at 6:30pm BST - today before sprint qualifying at 10:30pm BST!
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments