Norris lays down an early marker as gusts and traffic bite in COTA Sprint Qualifying opener
One practice down, and the gloves finally came off in Austin. In a breezy Sprint Qualifying 1, Lando Norris topped the times for McLaren with a 1:33.244, just 0.139s clear of Max Verstappen, while Oscar Piastri shadowed the pair in third. It wasn’t spectacular, but it was efficient — and with the title picture very much alive, that’s exactly what McLaren needed.
McLaren played it cool at the start, leaving the pack to kick up the dust before sending their cars. In conditions that swung from gusty to downright awkward, that patience paid off. Norris had the confidence to find the limit, Verstappen had the bite to keep him honest, and Piastri quietly parked his car well inside the safety zone.
Behind them, there were a few eyebrow-raisers. Lewis Hamilton slotted the Ferrari into P4 as the Scuderia split its hand — Charles Leclerc only managed P13 after a scruffy run in traffic. Nico Hülkenberg hustled the Sauber to a tidy P5, Carlos Sainz kept the Williams story humming along in P6, and rookie pair Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) and Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) both looked composed in P7 and P8. Williams’ Alex Albon and Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson rounded out the initial top 10.
The flip side of a busy, short session at COTA? Traffic roulette. As the field stacked up for last-gasp attempts, several quick laps were chewed up in the concertina. The biggest casualty list featured Oliver Bearman (Haas), Franco Colapinto (Alpine), Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull), Esteban Ocon (Haas) and Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber), all knocked out in SQ1.
Tsunoda’s radio made the headlines before the times did; he told Red Bull he wasn’t confident of scraping through, then couldn’t. Bortoleto, meanwhile, got caught out by the wind and then the white lines — a lap scrubbed for track limits ended his bid before it got going. For Haas, both cars exiting at the first time of asking on home soil stings, and Alpine won’t love seeing split fortunes as Pierre Gasly scraped through while rookie teammate Colapinto didn’t.
If you’re keeping an eye on the wider fight, the storylines are brewing nicely. Norris vs. Verstappen remains box office; Piastri is the quiet constant; Hamilton looks comfortable; and Leclerc has work to do if Ferrari want both cars in the sprint points. Mercedes had a clean, unflashy start with George Russell in P11 and Antonelli looking unfussed under pressure. And Williams keep punching above their weight on Fridays — Sainz in particular looks like he’s enjoying the FW47 around Austin’s long-radius corners.
SQ1, top movers and shakers:
– P1 Lando Norris (McLaren) 1:33.244
– P2 Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +0.139
– P3 Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +0.665
– P4 Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) +1.002
– P5 Nico HĂĽlkenberg (Sauber) +1.012
Also through: Sainz, Hadjar, Antonelli, Albon, Lawson, Russell, Alonso, Leclerc, Stroll, Gasly.
Eliminated in SQ1:
– Oliver Bearman (Haas)
– Franco Colapinto (Alpine)
– Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull)
– Esteban Ocon (Haas)
– Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber)
The wind is set to hang around, and if SQ1 proved anything it’s that track position — and a clean lap window — is king. Expect more gamesmanship on out-laps, more impatience in that final sector queue, and a couple of big names gambling on one-lap wonders as the grip builds.
McLaren blinked last today and still came out on top. Verstappen’s within a tenth. That gap won’t last long.
