Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz takes pole position at the United States Grand Prix with Max Verstappen bumped up to second after Charles Leclerc’s 10-place grid penalty… while Mercedes duo Lewis Hamilton and George Russell will start third and fourth
- Carlos Sainz took pole position ahead of Sunday’s United States Grand Prix
- Charles Leclerc went second fastest but will endure a 10-place grid penalty
- Max Verstappen finished third fastest ahead of Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez
- Red Bull could wrap up the constructors’ championship in Austin this weekend
- Their co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz passed away aged 78 before qualifying
Max Verstappen could not celebrate his title triumph in Japan a fortnight ago with pole at the US Grand Prix – qualifying only third fastest as Carlos Sainz set the pace for Ferrari.
It was a difficult day for Red Bull as they not only faced punishment for a ‘minor’ breach of the budget cap, but also lost their 78-year-old founder Dietrich Mateschitz, who died after a long illness.
News of the Austrian billionaire’s death broke within an hour of qualifying.
Carlos Sainz earned pole position as he went fastest in Q3 ahead of team-mate Charles Leclerc
Ferrari hope to delay Red Bull’s constructors’ championship celebrations in Austin on Sunday
Team principal Christian Horner said: ‘It is with great sadness that we learned of Dietrich’s death. He was an incredible, inspirational man and he loved Formula One.
‘We owe him a great deal as a team, and what he would want more than anything is to see his two cars go out in qualifying today. My thoughts are with his family.’
Verstappen said: ‘I owe him a lot. It is a sad day. Learning of his death meant it was a tough entry into qualifying. After what happened today you don’t care too much. All he has achieved in Formula One and built up, for me and others, is incredible. I wouldn’t be here without him.
Team-mate Charles Leclerc finished second fastest but must endure a 10-place grid penalty
‘I saw him a few weeks ago and we spent some time together. It is a tough day.’
Verstappen will move up a place to start second because Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc falls down 10 places owing to an engine change.
Lewis Hamilton will start third despite qualifying fifth once fourth-best Sergio Perez, of Red Bull, takes his own five-place demotion.
Hamilton had hoped upgrades to his Mercedes would bring an improved performance but he was nearly sixth-tenths adrift.
Newly-crowned world champion Max Verstappen went third fastest ahead of Sergio Perez
He is running out of time – four races including Sunday’s in Austin – to maintain his record of winning in every season of his career, which began in 2007.
Red Bull are expected to win their first constructors’ championship since 2013, something they will achieve if they are not outscored by Ferrari by 19 points or more here in Texas.
That triumph would be a tribute to Mateschitz, who founded Red Bull as an energy drinks company in 1984 before they joined Formula One in 2005.
Red Bull co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz passed away aged 78 ahead of qualifying on Saturday
Follow our live blog below for all the latest updates throughout qualifying at the United Grand Prix, written by Sportsmail’s Ben Willcocks.
