Starting Grid 2025 United States Formula 1 Grand Prix

Event: United States Grand Prix
Track: Circuit of the Americas

Formation lap starts Sunday, 19 October 2025, at: 14:00 Local (CDT) | 21:00 CEST | 20:00 UK (BST) | 12:00 Los Angeles (PDT) | 04:00 Tokyo (Monday, JST)

Verstappen Leads Austin Grid as Piastri Starts Sixth

Max Verstappen will start the 2025 United States Grand Prix from pole position after another commanding qualifying performance at the Circuit of the Americas. The Red Bull driver lines up alongside Lando Norris, while championship leader Oscar Piastri faces a considerably tougher afternoon from sixth.

Verstappen secured his 47th career Formula 1 pole position with a 1:32.510, beating Norris by 0.291 seconds. Charles Leclerc qualified third for Ferrari, just 0.006 seconds behind the McLaren, with George Russell completing the second row.

Having already claimed Sprint pole and victory in Austin, Verstappen heads into Sunday's 56-lap Grand Prix with an opportunity to further reduce his championship deficit.

Verstappen Takes Control as Norris Keeps McLaren in the Fight

Verstappen's first Q3 lap was enough to secure pole. A messy preparation lap prevented the Dutchman from beginning his final attempt before the chequered flag, but none of his rivals could beat his original benchmark.

Norris will start alongside the Red Bull from second, giving McLaren a chance to respond after a disastrous Sprint in which both its drivers retired following the opening-corner incident.

For Piastri, the situation is considerably more complicated. The Australian arrived in Austin with a 22-point championship advantage over Norris, but could qualify only sixth, 0.574 seconds behind Verstappen.

He will have to negotiate his way past several quick cars if he wants to protect that lead, with Ferrari and Mercedes occupying the positions immediately ahead.

Ferrari and Mercedes Challenge McLaren

Leclerc's third place was an encouraging result for Ferrari after a difficult start to the weekend. The Monegasque will share the second row with Russell, while team-mate Lewis Hamilton starts fifth.

The two Ferraris therefore find themselves directly ahead of Piastri, potentially making his route towards the podium considerably more difficult.

Kimi Antonelli qualified seventh for Mercedes, with Oliver Bearman delivering an excellent eighth place for Haas. Carlos Sainz starts ninth for Williams, just ahead of Fernando Alonso's Aston Martin.

The margins were remarkably tight. Only 0.650 seconds separated Verstappen from Alonso in tenth, underlining how closely matched the leading cars were around COTA.

Stroll Penalty Changes the Back of the Grid

Nico Hülkenberg narrowly missed Q3 and starts 11th for Sauber, alongside Liam Lawson in the Racing Bulls.

Yuki Tsunoda lines up 13th in the second Red Bull, followed by the Alpine pair of Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto. Gabriel Bortoleto starts 16th, ahead of Esteban Ocon and Alex Albon.

Lance Stroll qualified 18th but drops to 19th after receiving a five-place grid penalty for causing a collision with Ocon during Saturday's Sprint.

Isack Hadjar starts last after crashing during Q1 without setting a lap time. The Racing Bulls driver was subsequently granted permission to race by the stewards.

Championship Pressure Builds Ahead of Turn 1

With five Grands Prix and two Sprints remaining after Austin, the championship battle is entering a decisive phase.

Verstappen has the advantage of pole position, while Norris has an opportunity to take points away from Piastri after qualifying four places ahead of his team-mate.

The opening corner could be crucial. COTA's steep uphill approach to Turn 1 offers plenty of room for drivers to attack under braking, and Leclerc will be looking to capitalise on any battle between the front-row starters.

For Piastri, the priority will be making progress without taking unnecessary risks. His championship lead remains intact, but with Verstappen and Norris starting ahead, the Australian faces a potentially expensive afternoon in Texas.

Starting Grid 2025 USA F1 GP

Starting grid notes:

• Lance Stroll, Aston Martin #18: Five-place grid penalty for causing a collision with Esteban Ocon during the Sprint. Starts P19.
• Isack Hadjar, Racing Bulls #6: Permitted to start at the stewards' discretion after failing to set a qualifying time. Starts P20.
• Lap times and pole gaps are taken from each driver's fastest qualifying session. Drivers outside the top ten set their times in Q1 or Q2.

✅ Check out our 2025 USA Formula 1 Grand Prix preview.

About the author

Leopold

Leopold Pleijsier founded F1-Fansite.com in 2001 and has followed Formula 1 since the early 1980s. He writes about daily F1 news, race weekends, drivers and the sport’s history.

Related topics