Kelly Piquet drops 2-word reaction to Max Verstappen securing pole position for the F1 US GP

Four-time F1 champion Max Verstappen took the pole position at the 2025 US GP after a blistering performance in the Q3 session, beating Lando Norris by nearly three tenths. The Red Bull driver’s girlfriend, Kelly Piquet, took to Instagram and reacted to her boyfriend's pole position at the Circuit of the Americas.

Max Verstappen came into the US GP as a rejuvenated driver with two wins and a podium in the last three races, challenging the two McLaren drivers for the title. The Dutchman took the pole position in the sprint qualifying, followed by a dominant win in the sprint race.

Going into the qualifying for the main race, the Dutchman was the favorite to take the pole position, and he did not disappoint, comfortably setting the fastest laps in all three qualifying sessions. In Q3, Verstappen was the last driver out on track for the first run and was able to take the provisional pole position with a lap time nearly four tenths faster than Lando Norris in P2.

For the final Q3 run, Max Verstappen left the garage with about two minutes left on the clock and was not able to make it to the timing line in time to start a lap. While Norris and Leclerc improved on the final run, they were not able to beat the Dutchman's lap time from the first run.

Verstappen's girlfriend, Kelly Piquet, took to Instagram and shared F1’s official account's post about her boyfriend's pole position at the US GP on her story. The Brazilian model added 2 word captions as she reacted to the qualifying masterclass by the Dutchman.

“On fire 🔥🔥,” was the caption of the story

Image credits: Instagram/@kellypiquet

Kelly Piquet and Max Verstappen were blessed with a baby daughter earlier this year. The Red Bull driver’s girlfriend has been to the track this year, but not as regularly as in some previous seasons, possibly because of the infant. Yet, Piquet continues to showcase her support for the four-time F1 champion by uploading stories.

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“Luckily we didn't need it”: Max Verstappen on taking the US GP pole position with his banker lap in Q3

Max Verstappen had complained about the rear of the RB21 in the sprint race, but the issues seemed to have been resolved for the qualifying session. The Dutchman's first lap was good enough for a pole position in conditions that were extremely tricky for all the drivers, with the heat and the gusts.

Speaking about the track conditions and being able to take the pole position on his banker run after missing the final Q3 run, Verstappen said,

“Yeah, it was good, in every segment the car was good, the car was very strong. It is very hot, very strong winds as well. We couldn't do our last run, a very messy out-lap but luckily we didn't need it.”

Championship leader Oscar Piastri will start tomorrow's race in P6, whereas the Dutchman starts on pole. Verstappen already cut Piastri's lead by 8 points in the sprint race at COTA, and has an opportunity to further cut it down in the main race.

Edited by Pranay Bhagi