Max Verstappen beat Mercedes driver George Russell to sprint pole at the United States GP by just 0.012 seconds, with GPS tracking data showing his approach to just one critical corner made the difference.

The result meant Verstappen claimed his first pole – although sprints do not count towards official pole stats – since topping GP qualifying in Austria, having lost his GP pole at Spa due to his grid penalty when changing the engine .

It came on a day when Red Bull Racing came under heavy fire from 2024 title rival McLaren over Red Bull’s controversial front ride height adjustment.

Verstappen responded in impressive fashion – in the RB20 with a reworked floor edge. Russell was also on the rise with the much heavier update to the Mercedes, while McLaren’s many design tweaks left Lando Norris feeling that they had made little or no difference to the MCL38’s performance level.

With Oscar Piastri eliminated from Q1 due to a track limits violation and Norris not taking part in the sprint pole battle as the sun set in Austin on Friday evening, SQ3 was about two drivers racing at very different times.

Russell led the drivers out of the pits early for the only runs on the soft tires and shot straight into the pit faster than Verstappen would if he were running with the main pack at the end of the short run – according to the GPS tracking data recorded on the cars are registered.

However, an oversteer snap exiting the first corner would prove costly.

It was a spot that the W15s had been struggling with all day, and according to Pirelli it is the part with the least grip of the renovated parts of the circuit. The moment wasn’t as dramatic as his Turn 1 spin in FP1, but it certainly had an impact.

If the tires are not cooked at the start of the lap, the drivers will be in trouble here too; the slides therefore send temperature peaks through the rubber that can later become critical.

Approaching the fast left at the start of the Esses, Russell had sent almost 0.2 seconds to Verstappen, which had dropped to 0.17 seconds by the end of the sequence.

George Russel, Mercedes F1 W15

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

But from then on, Russell’s speed on the straights plus better crossing of Turn 11 meant he had erased his earlier losses at the end of the straight. he had a narrow lead of 0.046 seconds.

Next up was Turn 19, and the scene of the earlier controversy over track limits that would make the crucial difference for Verstappen.

He threw his RB20 into the falling crest and overshot Russell on a tighter line 3mph faster to emerge with a fractional advantage.

When Russell’s slightly faster run through the final corner made virtually no difference to their lead on much the same lines, Verstappen’s narrow victory was sealed.

“From the first lap I think the car was in a decent window,” Verstappen said late on Friday about what made the crucial difference. “I felt quite comfortable. I was able to attack the fast corners. I think we are quite fast there.”

Mercedes insiders remain confident it is in contention this weekend, especially as there is so little data on long-term pace thanks to the sprint format, which makes Red Bull wary at this stage.

The Silver Arrows team is also pleased to have made it through the Monza/street circuit run that followed at Zandvoort, as the “90° turns” do not suit “underlying characteristics of our car that hurt us” when racing on such circuits . do not fit the W15 – according to Mercedes technical director Andrew Shovlin.