Max Verstappen's pole position at the United States Grand Prix ensured that he claimed the first title on offer in 2021.
Verstappen stormed to top spot in qualifying at the Circuit of the Americas, eclipsing title rival Lewis Hamilton by two-tenths of a second, and went on to claim victory in the race after a fascinating strategic battle between Red Bull and Mercedes.
Verstappen's pole was his ninth of the season so far, meaning he cannot be overhauled in the one-lap rankings over the remaining five Grands Prix.
As a result, the Dutchman will take home the 'Pirelli Pole Position Award' and a special edition Pirelli tyre (wind tunnel model).
Meanwhile, Hamilton has three poles to his name in 2021, followed by Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc on two apiece, with McLaren driver Lando Norris claiming the other.
F1 pole-sitters in 2021
| Grand Prix | Driver |
|---|---|
| Bahrain | Verstappen |
| Emilia Romagna | Hamilton |
| Portugal | Bottas |
| Spain | Hamilton |
| Monaco | Leclerc |
| Azerbaijan | Leclerc |
| France | Verstappen |
| Styria | Verstappen |
| Austria | Verstappen |
| Britain | Verstappen |
| Hungary | Hamilton |
| Belgium | Verstappen |
| Netherlands | Verstappen |
| Italy | Verstappen |
| Russia | Norris |
| Turkey | Bottas |
| United States | Verstappen |
Also interesting:
F1 Podcast: Were Mercedes caught out by Red Bull's aggressive strategy call in Austin?
It's time for the latest episode of the RacingNews365 podcast, with F1 journalists Dieter Rencken, Thomas Maher and Mike Seymour discussing the tense strategy battle between Mercedes and Red Bull and much, much more from the United States Grand Prix.
Most read
In this article
F1 2021 US Grand Prix RN365 News dossier
Join the conversation!