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
- It looked like both men would be outshone by Sergio Perez at the Austin track
- Lewis Hamilton then went fastest - before Max Verstappen did the same
- Valtteri Bottas was victorious last time out at the Turkish Grand Prix
- Latest Formula One news, including live action and results
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.
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.
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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
‘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.’
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.
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.’
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.
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.
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.
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Read below for a reminder of how the action unfolded during qualifying for the United States Grand Prix.
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Sportsmail Reporter Host commentator
That's all from me. Join us tomorrow from 7pm for the race proper, which starts at 8pm BST. Until then, goodnight!
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
Verstappen takes it! He goes 0.2secs quicker than Hamilton. Wow! The seventh time the title-chasing duo have locked out the front row.
Hamilton goes first!
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.
Sainz is fifth, Leclerc sixth, Ricciardo seventh, Norris eighth, Gasly ninth and Tsunoda 10th.
Verstappen goes fastest - and is then usurped by Perez! Unbelievable!
Bottas has overtaken Hamilton. Almost one-tenth of a second faster than his team-mate.
The top 10 shootout is on!
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.
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.
Perez is seventh. Alonso is now in the bottom five.
Verstappen is a third of a second ahead of second-placed Hamilton and is in the pits.
Of the drivers in the top 10, seven are on the medium tyres. Sainz, Tsunoda and Alonso are on softs.
The bottom five is, from 11-15: Perez, Ricciardo, Russell, Vettel, Giovinazzi.
Verstappen went almost half a second quicker than Bottas. Impressive. Norris and Leclerc are now third and fourth respectively.
Verstappen his 1:33.464, right after Hamilton had overtaken Bottas. Perez is fourth.
George Russell is on his first flying lap.
We're underway in Q2.
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.
Gasly is up to seventh. Stroll, Nicholas Latifi, Kimi Raikkonen and the Haas duo of Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin are out!
Hamilton is sixth - and Leclerc is top! Sebastian Ocon is 13th.
George Russell is 12th.
Prepare for drama...
Perez is up to second. A Red Bull one-two. Less than 0.02secs between them.
Verstappen goes fastest, 0.505secs quicker than Ricciardo.
Carlos Sainz has gone fourth and Pierre Gasly is eighth. Fernando Alonso is 16th.
Daniel Ricciardo leads - and Lando Norris is third. Yuki Tsunoda and Sebastian Vettel are ninth and 10th respectively.
Antonio Giovinazzi is sixth.
Mick Schumacher goes fifth. Valtteri Bottas has overtaken him into third and Lewis Hamilton is fourth.
Charles Leclerc is now fastest, only to be overtaken by Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, who sit first and second respectively.
Nikita Mazepin has registered the first lap, but he is quickly overtaken by Lance Stroll.
We're minutes from getting underway. The tension is palpable.
...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.
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