Max Verstappen will start the 2026 United States Grand Prix from the front row, but the Red Bull driver expressed confusion regarding his car’s performance during Saturday’s qualifying session at the Circuit of The Americas.
The Dutchman secured second place, 0.179 seconds behind pole-sitter Kimi Antonelli. Verstappen reported a significant loss of grip in Q3, contrasting sharply with his earlier pace.
“In Q2, it was really good,” Verstappen stated in the post-session press conference. “I mean, I did my fast lap in Q2, just on a used set.”
He added, “When I went to Q3, I had high hopes, but unfortunately, yeah, it just felt bad. Like, I just didn’t really have the grip that I wanted.”
Verstappen noted he could not lean on the rear of the car as desired in the final sector, which cost him crucial time. He acknowledged P2 is a strong result but stated he had hoped for more.
Despite consistent top-three finishes in all three practice sessions, Verstappen could not immediately pinpoint the cause of the Q3 performance drop. He mentioned increased wind but dismissed it as a sole excuse for his first Q3 run.
Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli secured pole position with a lap time of 1:34.035. The 20-year-old Italian leads the 2026 Drivers’ Championship by 102 points.
Antonelli’s pole marks his seventh of the 2026 season, and he has a mathematical chance to clinch the world title in Austin. This would require a victory, with George Russell finishing ninth or lower and Lewis Hamilton outside the top four.
The final qualifying results for the 2026 United States Grand Prix saw Antonelli on pole, followed by Verstappen and his Red Bull teammate Isack Hadjar in third.
Charles Leclerc qualified fourth for Ferrari, ahead of his teammate Lewis Hamilton in fifth. George Russell secured sixth place for Mercedes.
Oscar Piastri took seventh for McLaren, with Lando Norris in eighth after a lap time deletion. Racing Bulls drivers Arvid Lindblad and Liam Lawson completed the top ten.
Lindblad faces a five-place grid penalty for exceeding power unit component limits. Franco Colapinto also received a ten-place penalty for a new control electronics unit.
Isack Hadjar, who achieved a career-best third, also experienced difficulties. He described his Red Bull RB22 as “undriveable” during Friday’s second practice session.
“It’s just a disaster,” Hadjar stated regarding his FP2 performance. “I was losing the front end massively. So we need to have a look, because that’s not normal, why there’s so much deg on one lap.”
Red Bull Technical Director Pierre Waché confirmed the team had taken a wrong direction with Hadjar’s car setup. Verstappen, however, did not report similar issues after a power steering change in FP1.
Ferrari had shown strong form in practice, with Leclerc fastest on Friday and Hamilton topping FP3. However, their challenge for pole position ultimately faded in qualifying.
The Circuit of The Americas has historically favoured front-row starters, with 11 of the 13 previous races won by drivers from the first two grid positions.
Verstappen has previously criticised the bumpy nature of the COTA track surface.
