F1 US Grand Prix LIVE: Qualifying schedule and times as Lando Norris looks to bounce back after sprint

All times BST

Saturday 19 October

• Qualifying: 11pm

Sunday 20 October

• Race: 8pm

1. Max Verstappen (8 points)

2. Carlos Sainz (7 points)

3. Lando Norris (6 points)

4. Charles Leclerc (5 points)

5. George Russell (4 points)

6. Lewis Hamilton (3 points)

7. Kevin Magnussen (2 points)

8. Nico Hulkenberg (1 point)

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.

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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.

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Asked by Sky F1 why the FIA still wanted to add seals to the bib adjuster, Horner replied: “I think there’s been a bit of moaning from one of our rivals.

“And it’s the FIA’s job to look into these things. It’s on a list of the open-source components, so it’s been publicly available for the last three years. The FIA are happy with it, I think, just to satisfy perhaps some paranoia elsewhere in the paddock.”

“I feel that it’s sometimes to distract from perhaps what’s going on in your own house, then sometimes you try to light a fire somewhere else?”

1. McLaren - 522 points

2. Red Bull - 483 points

3. Ferrari - 453 points

4. Mercedes - 336 points

5. Aston Martin - 86 points

6. RB - 34 points

7. Haas - 34 points

8. Williams - 16 points

9. Alpine - 13 points

10. Sauber - 0 points

Formula One wants to return. Lewis Hamilton insists F1 cannot continue to ignore it. But after 31 years away, the sport still can’t thrash out a route back into the only viable continent (sorry Antarctica) it fails to race in: Africa.

It was 1993 the last time the “Mother Continent” hosted an F1 grand prix. That was at Kyalami, 20 miles north of Johannesburg, as Williams driver Alain Prost won the 27th version of the South African Grand Prix.

Rather obviously, it is difficult to claim the full veracity of the competition “Formula 1 World Championship” while a record 24-race calendar does not actually include the entire world and its continents.

But F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has made no secret of his desire to add an African race to the schedule, amid an opening set of talks with Rwandan officials last month.

However, is Rwanda the only option? South Africa has come close in recent years, too. And what are the major obstacles? The Independent takes a look at all the potential locations F1 could venture to in Africa.

The gap between the top two is now 54 points...

1. Max Verstappen - 339 points

2. Lando Norris - 285 points

3. Charles Leclerc - 250 points

4. Oscar Piastri - 237 points

5. Carlos Sainz - 197 points

6. Lewis Hamilton - 177 points

7. George Russell - 159 points

8. Sergio Perez - 144 points

9. Fernando Alonso - 62 points

10. Nico Hulkenberg - 25 points

11. Lance Stroll - 24 points

12. Yuki Tsunoda - 22 points

13. Alex Albon - 12 points

14. Daniel Ricciardo - 12 points

15. Kevin Magnussen - 8 points

16. Pierre Gasly - 8 points

17. Ollie Bearman - 7 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

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.

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Max Verstappen ended his winless run to convert his pole position into victory at Saturday’s sprint race in the United States and extend his championship lead over Lando Norris by two points.

Verstappen led from start to finish to take the chequered flag 3.8 seconds clear of Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, who moved past Norris on the final lap.

Norris hung on to third, one place ahead of Charles Leclerc. George Russell started second but finished only fifth. Lewis Hamilton was sixth in the other Mercedes.

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