Max Verstappen, the dominant force in Formula 1 this season, narrowly missed out on pole position for the 2024 United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas.
Despite his impressive run of form throughout the year, Verstappen’s qualifying performance on Saturday wasn’t flawless, and he believes a few key errors may have cost him the top spot on the grid.
Verstappen, who has shown relentless speed and consistency this year, was ultimately pipped to pole by his main rival, Charles Leclerc of Ferrari, who secured his first pole of the 2024 season.
Leclerc’s blistering lap, which saw him edge out Verstappen by just 0.067 seconds, was a testament to his precision and confidence in qualifying. However, Verstappen remains confident in his ability to fight for the win on race day, even if he starts second.
Reflecting on his performance, Verstappen pinpointed a couple of mistakes that might have made the difference. One major issue was his struggle with tire temperatures during his final flying lap in Q3.
The Dutchman explained that while his initial sector times were competitive, he struggled to get the optimum grip from his tires in the crucial middle sector.
“I felt like I wasn’t fully connected with the car in that second sector,” Verstappen admitted. “The tires weren’t quite in the right window, and that compromised my overall lap.”
Verstappen also mentioned a slight misjudgment in braking into Turn 11, a notoriously tricky corner at COTA. He described running slightly wide on entry, which forced him to take a compromised line through the corner and carry less speed into the subsequent corners.
This small mistake, though seemingly minor, can have a significant impact over the course of a qualifying lap.
Despite these issues, Verstappen remains optimistic about his prospects in the race. “It’s always tight around here, and it’s a circuit where things can change quickly,” he said. “We’ll see how the car performs in the race, and I’m confident we can make up the position.”
While Verstappen didn’t secure pole, his ability to identify and learn from these small errors shows his ongoing commitment to refining his craft.
With the form he has shown throughout the season, it would be unwise to count him out from securing another victory in Austin, regardless of where he starts.