WATCH: 25G crash for George Russell ends qualifying, hands Norris McLaren's first US pole since 2007

The qualifying session at the 2024 United States Grand Prix took an unexpected turn when Mercedes driver George Russell suffered a heavy crash that shook the grid. This incident proved pivotal in securing Lando Norris his latest pole position for McLaren.

In an intense qualifying session at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Norris delivered an exceptional first run, edging out three-time world champion Max Verstappen by just 0.031 seconds. Verstappen had dominated the earlier sessions, going two-tenths faster than Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in Q1 and a quarter of a second ahead of Carlos Sainz in Q2. Despite his dominant form, Verstappen found himself under pressure as Norris' performance in Q3 temporarily pushed him off the top spot.

While Verstappen seemed poised to respond, purpling the first sector in a bid to reclaim the pole, his efforts were cut short by an untimely incident. George Russell, driving his Mercedes, lost control and slammed into the barriers with a force registering 25. The high-speed crash brought out double-waved yellow flags, abruptly ending the session and halting Verstappen’s charge. The Dutchman was forced to settle for second on the grid.

Here is the video:

George Russell passando igual um raio pic.twitter.com/oya8JgQ6yu

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Sergio Perez fails to put up a lap!

The crash also impacted several other drivers' qualifying attempts. Notably, Sergio Perez, who had his first lap in Q3 deleted for track limits, was denied the chance to improve his time due to Russell’s accident. Perez ultimately finished 10th.

For McLaren, this marks their first pole position on US soil since Lewis Hamilton’s in 2007. However, the pole sitter at COTA has only gone on to win five of the previous 11 races, meaning Norris still faces a significant challenge on race day.

Alongside Norris, Carlos Sainz secured third place, followed by Leclerc and McLaren's Oscar Piastri in fifth. Russell, despite the crash, managed to qualify sixth before the incident ended his session. His Mercedes team will now face a challenge to repair his car in time for the main event.