Carlos Sainz took pole position for the United States Grand Prix as Max Verstappen qualified on the front row in ideal tribute to Red Bull team owner Dietrich Mateschitz.
It was announced shortly before qualifying began that the co-founder of the energy drinks company and keen motorsport lover had died at the age of 78 after a long illness. Team principal Christian Horner pledged they would "do our best for him" and that's exactly what they did despite clearly feeling tremendous loss for their beloved boss.
His main championship rival Charles Leclerc went fastest but had no chance of starting Sunday's race on pole, owing to the grid penalty incurred by having a new engine and turbocharger fitted. Verstappen's team-mate Sergio Perez also has a grid drop, along with Fernando Alonso and Zhou Guanyu.
