Max Verstappen thrillingly pips Lewis Hamilton to pole at the US Grand Prix as the title-chasing duo lock out the front row for the seventh time this season

Lewis Hamilton will go head-head-to-head with Max Verstappen into one of the widest corners in the world after missing out on pole for the US Grand Prix.

Instead it was the Dutchman, who leads the drivers’ standings by six points with six rounds remaining, who dominated qualifying in front of a giant crowd of 120,000 exuberant fans. They greeted his successful final lap with a loud cheer.

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Verstappen finished up two-tenths of a second clear of the Briton, a past master at the Circuit of Americas on which he has triumphed five times since the event moved to Texas in 2012. 

Max Verstappen salutes the huge crowd in Austin after saving his best drive for last in Q3
The Dutchman pipped Lewis Hamilton to pole by 0.2seconds after the Briton had gone fastest

So all is not last, especially with that vast expanse of opportunity into the opening left-hander. ‘I am going into it with the mindset of winning the race,’ said the seven-time world champion

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‘I hope we make it through there and we get a good race. I don’t think it is all decided in Turn One.’

Verstappen’s take on the first lap came laced with annoyance: ‘We’ll take it like we always try, as professionals. I don’t see why we have to keep bringing this up. It is not like we are the only ones who have touched in this sport.

‘These things happen unfortunately. But we are on the front row again and everyone is just expecting a great race and as drivers that is what we expect, too.’

Lewis Hamilton will start from second on the front row alongside Lewis Hamilton

Verstappen was naturally delighted with pole, his mood transformed from the moment on Friday that indicated the pressure of the title fight might have been getting to him. 

The flashpoint occurred in practice as the big two went wheel-to-wheel along the final bend, the straight and into Turn One. Hamilton gave no quarter to his Dutch rival. Verstappen was unimpressed and called the Mercedes man a ‘stupid idiot’ before flipping the middle digit of his right hand in protest.

That was just the warm-up, whereas it will be for points today. Fasten your seatbelts.

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Of the practice incident, Hamilton said: ‘I didn’t run him wide. He decided to go round the outside and ended up going wide because we were battling into the last corner and it was a silly thing.

‘It is all fun and games and we are going to have fun tomorrow and give it everything as you would expect. It is no real difference to any other part of the season.’

Verstappen heads into Sunday six points ahead of his world champion rival with six races left

The atmosphere here is electric, with another 20,000 more fans expected to show up today. Brad Pitt and Robert De Niro head up the anticipated roster of A-listers. Serena Williams and Rory McIlroy are also due in town.

‘This place has a crazy buzz that you feel, the moment you arrive at the gates and continues right through the weekend,’ said Hamilton. ‘It is highly infectious. The city and the people are great.

Starting third is Verstappen’s Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez, who is popular here with the Mexican fans who have travelled to Austin. Yes, Red Bull were very strong all afternoon and are well-positioned for today.

Mercedes, so fast in Turkey a fortnight ago, were surprisingly short of such oomph. Vatteri Bottas qualified fourth but drops five places as a result of an engine change.

George Russell came 15th in qualifying - but an engine penalty puts him at the back of the grid

Verstappen is a brilliant driver, probably now the fastest man out there. He brings a raw edge, his elbows always out. He never yields an inch no matter the consequences. Hamilton, still super-quick at 36, is the cleaner racer with his natural instinct, honed by experience, dictating when to colonise asphalt and when to concede it.

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Twice already this season the duelling pair have been involved in massive and potentially dangerous collisions. First, at Silverstone, a 180mph smash that left Verstappen concussed. Hamilton was held accountable by the stewards.

Then at Monza a relatively slower shunt but one which ended with Verstappen’s wheel only a fraction clear of Hamilton’s head. The ‘halo’ device saved the Briton from possible death in what was perhaps the most serious – if not the fastest – accident of his 15 seasons in Formula One.

So there is context to today’s potentially exciting start, no matter that Verstappen might not relish being reminded of it.

 

Read below for a reminder of how the action unfolded during qualifying for the United States Grand Prix.

  • Sportsmail Reporter

    Host commentator

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23:27
Bye for now!

That's all from me. Join us tomorrow from 7pm for the race proper, which starts at 8pm BST. Until then, goodnight! 

23:25
What are the grid places?

A recap of who will start where on Sunday:

1 Verstappen

2 Hamilton

3 Perez

4 Leclerc

5 Sainz

6 Ricciardo

7 Norris

8 Gasly

9 Bottas (five-place grid penalty)

10 Tsunoda

11 Ocon

12 Giovinazzi

13 Stroll

14 Latifi

15 Raikkonen

16 Schumacher

17 Mazepin

18 Vettel (grid penalty)

19 Russell (grid penalty)

20 Alonso

23:02
Verstappen does it!

Verstappen takes it! He goes 0.2secs quicker than Hamilton. Wow! The seventh time the title-chasing duo have locked out the front row. 

23:01
Hamilton top!

Hamilton goes first!

22:57
Perez on the brink of history

Perez has the record of 210 F1 appearances without getting pole. There's a good chance that could change today. He would also be the first-ever Mexican driver to get pole. 

22:55
The slower drivers at the moment

Sainz is fifth, Leclerc sixth, Ricciardo seventh, Norris eighth, Gasly ninth and Tsunoda 10th. 

22:54
Perez now fastest

Verstappen goes fastest - and is then usurped by Perez! Unbelievable!

22:53
Bottas overtakes Hamilton

Bottas has overtaken Hamilton. Almost one-tenth of a second faster than his team-mate. 

22:51
Q3 has started

The top 10 shootout is on!

22:51
Vettel and Russell at the back

A reminder that Vettel and Russell will start from the back row after changing Mercedes power unit components. Valtteri Bottas has a five-placed penalty for taking a new engine. 

22:44
Ricciardo and Tsunoda survive

Ricciardo and Tsunoda are ninth and 10th respectively. The bottom five are: Ocon, Vettel, Giovinazzi, Alonso and Russell. Russell came 15th as his only lap time was deleted. 

22:39
Perez up to seventh

Perez is seventh. Alonso is now in the bottom five. 

22:37
Verstappen in pits

Verstappen is a third of a second ahead of second-placed Hamilton and is in the pits.

22:35
Most of top 10 on mediums

Of the drivers in the top 10, seven are on the medium tyres. Sainz, Tsunoda and Alonso are on softs. 

22:34
Bottom five as it stands

The bottom five is, from 11-15: Perez, Ricciardo, Russell, Vettel, Giovinazzi.

22:31
Verstappen speed

Verstappen went almost half a second quicker than Bottas. Impressive. Norris and Leclerc are now third and fourth respectively. 

22:30
Verstappen goes fastest

Verstappen his 1:33.464, right after Hamilton had overtaken Bottas. Perez is fourth. 

22:28
Russell sets off

George Russell is on his first flying lap. 

22:26
Q2 has started

We're underway in Q2.

22:25
Verstappen caution

Christian Horner says Verstappen's car might have caught a bit of debris on the track, so the team erred on the side of caution and brought the Dutchman in early.

22:21
First five eliminated

Gasly is up to seventh. Stroll, Nicholas Latifi, Kimi Raikkonen and the Haas duo of Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin are out!

22:20
Leclerc leads

Hamilton is sixth - and Leclerc is top! Sebastian Ocon is 13th. 

22:19
Russell improves

George Russell is 12th. 

22:17
Loads of drivers on an out lap

Prepare for drama...

22:13
Red Bull dominance

Perez is up to second. A Red Bull one-two. Less than 0.02secs between them. 

22:12
Verstappen now leads

Verstappen goes fastest, 0.505secs quicker than Ricciardo. 

22:11
Sainz goes fourth

Carlos Sainz has gone fourth and Pierre Gasly is eighth. Fernando Alonso is 16th. 

22:10
Ricciardo leads

Daniel Ricciardo leads - and Lando Norris is third. Yuki Tsunoda and Sebastian Vettel are ninth and 10th respectively. 

22:09
Giovinazzi registers time

Antonio Giovinazzi is sixth. 

22:08
Bottas ahead of Hamilton

Mick Schumacher goes fifth. Valtteri Bottas has overtaken him into third and Lewis Hamilton is fourth. 

22:06
Verstappen fastest

Charles Leclerc is now fastest, only to be overtaken by Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, who sit first and second respectively. 

22:05
Qualifying has started!

Nikita Mazepin has registered the first lap, but he is quickly overtaken by Lance Stroll. 

21:59
Qualifying is almost upon us

We're minutes from getting underway. The tension is palpable. 

21:28
Hello...

...and welcome to coverage of the US Open Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. 

Max Verstappen leads Lewis Hamilton by six points with six races left - and the pair even clashed in practice, with the Dutchman taking exception to the world champion's driving style and swearing at him.

Both Verstappen and Hamilton were outshone by Sergio Perez, who was fastest in second and third practice. 

Qualifying promises to be intriguing - it starts at 10.