2025 F1 US GP: Sprint Predictions

The grid for the F1 US GP Sprint is now in place, as we have Max Verstappen on pole position, followed by the McLaren pair of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. The Dutch driver sealed pole position with the last-gasp attempt and beat his championship rivals.

In P4, accompanying Oscar Piastri would be Nico Hulkenberg. The German has been on song throughout the weekend and used the performance to nail a top 4 starting position.

It does come as a surprise that Max Verstappen has, in essence, repeated his feat of last season, where he also secured pole position for the sprint. How does he fare in the sprint on Saturday? What can we expect? Let's take a look.

#5 Tire wear is going to be a factor

With elevated temperatures, it appears that tire degradation is going to be one of the factors that will play a role during the sprint. Last season as well, we saw George Russell completely roasting his tires early in the sprint and then falling like a stone. This time around, as well, we might see a few drivers opting for different strategies to make sure they have decent tire life left for the latter stages.

#4 Haas duo will make progress in the sprint

Both Haas drivers were severely compromised by how the US GP Sprint shootout went. The wrong timing meant neither of the two was able to set a time to get out of SQ1, even though the Haas seems like a strong car around COTA. For the race, keep an eye out for the duo as they make progress during the F1 US GP Sprint.

#3 The Ferraris will make up places through the field

Just like Haas, the Ferraris should be able to make up places in the F1 US GP Sprint. The cars aren't necessarily as bad over a longer run as they are in the sprint, and that becomes more and more evident when we see the trend in the season.

With tire degradation also a factor, expect both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc to make progress.

#2 The top 3 would streak away from the chasing pack

It does appear that the top 3, which includes the McLaren duo and Max Verstappen, have some margin in terms of performance over the rest of the field. This was in evidence in qualifying, and it should, in essence, be the case in the race as well.

Expect the top 3 drivers to streak away from the chasing pack as Nico Hulkenberg tries to fend off George Russell in his Mercedes.

#1 Max Verstappen wins the 2025 F1 US GP Sprint

When it comes to picking who's going to win, Max Verstappen is the favorite at the moment. The sprint result is going to come down to who nails the start and then who is able to keep the tires working in free air.

Even if McLaren has the better race pace, the Dutch driver showed last season that he can manage the race even with a slower car. If the driver nails the start, it's going to be a lot more straightforward for him.

Edited by Charanjot Singh Kohli