Leclerc starts first on Sunday in Austin; Sainz, fourth; ‘Checo’ ninth and Alonso, 17th

Sports editorial, Oct 20 (EFE).- The Monegasque Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) will start first on Sunday in the United States Grand Prix, the eighteenth of the Formula One World Championship, which is held – in a sprint format – at the Circuit de the Americas (COTA) from Austin (Texas), in which his teammate, the Spanish Carlos Sainz, will start fourth, his compatriot Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), seventeenth; and the Mexican Sergio Pérez (Red Bull), ninth.

Leclerc, 26, signed his twenty-first pole in the premier class – his third of the year – by dominating this Friday’s qualifying, in whose third and decisive round (Q3) he covered the 5,513 meters of the bumpy Texan track -with 20 curves of all types (high, medium and low speed)- in one minute, 34 seconds and 723 thousandths, 130 less than the Englishman Lando Norris (McLaren), who will start second.

The seven-time English world champion Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) will start third on Sunday – this Saturday the sprint will be held -, from the second row and next to Sainz, fifth in the World Championship, two places behind the eccentric and spectacular champion from Stevenage.

The other Spaniard, the Asturian double world champion Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) – who, after having been the only one always present in all the seventeen previous Q3s, was eliminated in Q1 -, will face the race from seventeenth place on the grid .

The Dutchman Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – who two Saturdays ago was proclaimed, mathematically and for the third consecutive year, world champion – and whose good lap in Q3 was annulled for exceeding the limits of the track, will start sixth: in the third row and next to the Englishman George Russell (Mercedes).

The two Alpines, those of the French Pierre Gasly -seventh in the main qualifying- and Esteban Ocon, will share the fourth row; just ahead of ‘Checo’ -second in the World Championship, 209 points behind ‘Mad Max’- and the Australian Oscar Piastri (McLaren), who will face the Sunday race, scheduled for 56 laps – to complete a route of 308.4 kilometers – from the fifth row.

– Starting line-up for Sunday’s United States Grand Prix:

.1.

Charles Leclerc

MON

Ferrari

1:34,723

.2.

Lando Norris

GBR

McLaren

1:34,853

.3.

Lewis Hamilton

GBR

Mercedes

1:34,862

.4.

Carlos Sainz

ESP

Ferrari

1:34,945

.5.

George Russell

GBR

Mercedes

1:35,079

.6.

Max Verstappen

N.E.D.

Red Bull

1:35,081

.7.

Pierre Gasly

FRA

Alpine

1:35,089

.8.

Esteban Ocon

FRA

Alpine

1:35,154

.9.

Sergio Perez

MEX

Red Bull

1:35,173

10.

Oscar Piastri

AUS

McLaren

1:35,467

eleven.

Yuki Tsunoda

JPN

AlphaTauri

1:35,697

12.

Zhou Guanyu

CHN

Alfa Romeo

1:35,698

13.

Valtteri Bottas

END

Alfa Romeo

1:35,858

14.

Kevin Magnussen

DIN

haas

1:35,880

fifteen.

Daniel Ricciardo

AUS

AlphaTauri

1:35,974

16.

Nico Hulkenberg

GER

haas

1:36,235

17.

Fernando Alonso

ESP

Aston Martin

1:36,268

18.

Alexander Albon

THA

Williams

1:36,315

19.

Lance Stroll

DOG

Aston Martin

1:36,589

twenty.

Logan Sargeant

USES

Williams

1:36,827