F1 LIVE | Second safety car at COTA, two McLarens out on Lap 1

Max Verstappen delivered when it mattered most in Austin, snatching pole position for the Sprint right at the end of qualifying.

The four-time world champion crossed the line last to edge out Lando Norris by just 0.071 seconds, underlining Red Bull’s resurgence on a weekend where McLaren were expected to have the upper hand.

Now, however, the Dutchman faces an even tougher challenge than his qualifying heroics — keeping both McLarens behind for the entire Sprint. Unlike Singapore, overtaking at COTA is very much possible, and tyre degradation is expected to play a key role — an area that has consistently been one of the MCL39’s greatest strengths this season.

Lando Norris will start alongside Verstappen on the front row, with Oscar Piastri taking third ahead of an impressive Nico Hülkenberg. George Russell, fresh off his victory in Singapore, lines up fifth, joined on the third row by Fernando Alonso, who once again made the most of his Aston Martin’s potential.

Carlos Sainz leads the charge for Williams in seventh, while Charles Leclerc could only manage eighth after another difficult session for Ferrari, which once again struggled for pace despite making a strong early impression with Hamilton in the first session.

Completing the top ten are Alex Albon in the second Williams and Lewis Hamilton in the other Ferrari. Here’s how the grid shapes up for today’s Sprint at COTA.