2023 F1 US GP Qualifying: Top 5 conclusions

The 2023 F1 US GP qualifying saw Charles Leclerc secure what would be his 21st career pole position.

The Ferrari driver was in an intense battle all season with multiple contenders but in the end, when push came to shove, he got the lap while others could not. Leclerc will be accompanied on the front row by Lando Norris while the second row will feature Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz.

After an intense qualifying session that saw a team other than Red Bull on pole, what did we learn? Let's take a look.

2023 F1 US GP Qualifying: Key Takeaways

#1 The 2023 F1 US GP Qualifying showed what the sport could be

There were four different teams with the potential of securing a pole position for the 2023 F1 US GP. We could have had a Ferrari or a Red Bull or a Mercedes or even a McLaren on the pole. In the end we had Charles Leclerc triumphing over the rest of the field and getting it done.

This was one of the examples of what the sport could be. Right now the grid has at least half a dozen elite talents that are not separated by much. The biggest differentiating factor is the car.

At the 2023 F1 US GP, the cars converged, as a result of which, we got a beautiful battle between the best talents on the grid.

#2 Max Verstappen would not have been this laidback after qualifying if Red Bull didn't have a dominant car

Max Verstappen was as laidback as one could be after scuppering a pole position and starting the race in P6. Would he have been this laidback had all the cars in front of him been similarly paced? The answer is no. He wouldn't have.

Deep down, the Red Bull driver knows he still has a strong opportunity to win the race on Sunday and hence there seems to be a mature way of handling things.

#3 Sergio Perez and his potential replacement have a rough outing

Sergio Perez once again had a nightmare qualifying session but fortunately for him, so did Daniel Ricciardo. It's no secret that the Mexican appears to be on borrowed time at Red Bull. He's supposed to exhibit a kind of form that he hasn't shown since Baku and that's just something that seems impossible at the moment.

Luckily for him, Ricciardo didn't have a great qualifying either. He is not too far behind Yuki Tsunoda over a lap and the two appear to be close enough in terms of performance.

Ricciardo does, however, need to beat Perez in a head-to-head battle soon if he has to sway the minds of the top brass at Red Bull. There's more to come in the Perez-Ricciardo saga and we'll have to wait and watch how it all pans out.

#4 Aston Martin and Fernando Alonso need a serious conversation

The 2023 F1 US GP was a race that should prove to be an eye-opener for Fernando Alonso and Aston Martin. The Silverstone-based team has found itself in a massive hole right now and is finding it hard to dig itself out of it.

Aston Martin started the season as the second-fastest car. At the 2023 F1 US GP, it was the second slowest. The team needs to find out what's going on because the trend is concerning for sure.

#5 Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris serve a reminder

The 2023 F1 US GP served as a reminder to everyone who tends to put Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen in a different league from the rest of the drivers. Even this weekend in Austin, Hamilton claimed that he was the only driver on the grid that could compete against Verstappen.

The 2023 F1 US GP qualifying and arguably far too many other races have shown that on equal footing, drivers like Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc are not too far behind either.

The qualifying session was a timely reminder for the pundits that there are more than two elite drivers in F1.