‘At least the potential was there’ – Verstappen rues ‘unfortunate’ qualifying issues in Austin after missing out on pole

Max Verstappen was left to ponder what could have been after qualifying in P2 for the United States Grand Prix, with the Dutchman missing out on pole position following a mistake on his first run while he was unable to complete his second lap due to double waved yellow flags.

It had looked to be advantage Verstappen throughout the early stages of the session, the reigning world champion having set the pace in Q1 and Q2 just hours after winning the Sprint in dominant style.

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However, Lando Norris snatched provisional pole after the first runs in Q3, Verstappen having made an error into Turn 19 which lost him time. While his second effort looked promising, it came to an early end when George Russell triggered the double waved yellow flags after crashing into the barriers during the final moments of qualifying, meaning that those on a lap were unable to improve.

Quizzed on whether that slip-up on his first attempt cost him, Verstappen explained: “Yeah, on the first lap in Q3 I lost quite a bit of time there, so that’s unfortunate, but I knew that we had another run but unfortunately I couldn’t finish the lap, otherwise I think we had a really good shot.

“That’s how it goes, we’re still on the front row. At least the potential was there to be first, so that’s very good.”

In terms of lessons learned in the Sprint that could be carried forward into Sunday’s race, the 27-year-old voiced his hope that Red Bull can continue the level of performance that they experienced in the 100km dash.

HIGHLIGHTS: Catch the qualifying action from Austin as Norris takes spectacular pole while Russell crashes out

“It seemed that we were competitive, so we made some minor changes on the car which felt nice,” said Verstappen. “I hope that that will be also positive for tomorrow.”

Sergio Perez, meanwhile, also experienced bad luck in the session. The Mexican’s first lap in Q3 was deleted after exceeding track limits, meaning that it all came down to his final effort – which he was ultimately unable to complete due to those double waved yellow flags, leaving him down in P10.

“It was a shame because I think things were looking really positive for us,” Perez reflected afterwards. “We were definitely on a run and we were improving quite a bit, we were learning a lot from the tyre.

“I think things were coming back to us on that final run. Unfortunately we didn’t get to show it in Q3. Q2 I was P5, so given everything I think things were looking strong.”

Looking ahead to Sunday’s Grand Prix, Perez acknowledged that it could be tough to make dramatic gains from where he is starting.

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“It’s going to be a tricky one tomorrow with all the traffic ahead,” the 34-year-old conceded. “I think if I’m able to get through quickly enough I think we should be in a much better window and we should be able to fight early enough [with] the people ahead, so hopefully we are able to do that tomorrow.”

And when asked if a podium – something that Perez last achieved back in April at the Chinese Grand Prix – might be too much of an ask in Austin, the six-time race winner responded: “I think that starting from P10, given all the other cars around, I think so, but you never know. I think there will be a very long race ahead of us and anything can happen.”