Max Verstappen back in championship contention at United States GP

Red Bull driver well placed to challenge title contenders Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri at Circuit of the Americas

Red Bull's Max Verstappen at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. AFP

Max Verstappen is seeking perfection as he chases a fifth successive Formula One title that may be back on after seemingly slipping out of reach.

Red Bull's four-times world champion Verstappen took pole position for the US Grand Prix sprint race with McLaren's title contenders Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri completing the top three.

Verstappen lapped the Circuit of the Americas with a best time of one minute 32.143 seconds after Norris had set the pace in the first two phases and also the weekend's sole practice session.

Norris was 0.071 slower than Verstappen, who has beaten both McLaren drivers in the last three regular grands prix but remains behind championship leader Piastri.

On Saturday, Verstappen cruised to an easy victory in a crash-filled sprint race that saw McLaren's Piastri and Norris both knocked out in the first turn when their cars collided.

The loss of both McLaren cars early that could have a huge impact on the season championship as McLaren mechanics now face the challenge of fixing both cars before qualifying for the main event.

Verstappen started Saturday’s sprint on pole with Norris second and Piastri third.

Norris’ car spun and bounced, and a rear wheel was knocked off. Piastri’s car suffered suspension damage.

The result allows Verstappen, who is making a late-season charge, to pull within 55 points of leader Piastri with six grand prix and two more sprint races on the season.

The Dutch driver earlier said he is taking it one race at a time without getting carried away.

"One retirement (for McLaren) and you're fully back into it," Verstappen told Reuters.

"There's always a chance, right? But everything needs to go perfect.

"I don't think positively about it or negatively," he added of the challenge.

"I just see it as every race weekend, we just need to maximise everything we can and then you walk up to (the final race in) Abu Dhabi and you see where you are."

Meanwhile, McLaren driver Piastri heads into the United States GP winless in three races.

If that wasn't enough to make Piastri uncomfortable, Sunday's race has been declared a “heat hazard” event because of soaring temperatures expected to approach and maybe even top 32° Celsius.

All of if means Texas could be the start of a sizzling sprint for the title over the final quarter of the season.

“It will be fun to watch,” Haas rookie driver Oliver Bearman said. “I hope it goes down to the wire for all three of them. May the best win.”

Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso knows a bit about title fights. He won the championship in 2005 and 2006.

“I would say it’s between the two (McLarens),” Alonso said. “But, yeah, Max is an incredible driver, and if there is anyone that can overcome the deficit of the car, it’s him.”

Mercedes driver George Russell comes to Texas on the heels of a dominant victory in Singapore and a new contract extension through next season.

Russell left the Singapore podium, his fifth career victory, declaring himself ready to take the next step of winning an F1 championship in the future. He's currently fourth in the driver standings.

Mercedes are widely expected to be one of the favorites in 2026, when F1 overhaul their power unit and chassis regulations. The team dominated the series for several years when F1 first introduced its hybrid engines.

“I’m loyal to Mercedes, they’ve shown their loyalty in me, and I believe going into 2026 Mercedes without a doubt is my best chance of winning a world championship," Russell said. “Maybe we’re wrong. Who knows? No one knows what will happen in 2026."