Formula 1 championship leader Max Verstappen claimed pole position as he looks to extend his six-point season advantage over motorsport great Lewis Hamilton at the US Grand Prix in Austin.
Verstappen and Hamilton will each start on the front row after a heated and at times chaotic qualifying.
Verstappen had called Hamilton a “stupid idiot” early in the practice rounds when the latter pushed up on the inside of the former’s car.
But it was the Red Bull driver who did best through qualifying to seal his ninth pole of the season, and 11th of his career.
Hamilton – the seven-time world champion – sits six points behind Verstappen with six events remaining on the calendar.
The winner at Austin has come from the front row every year since 2012, when the grand prix debuted at Circuit of the Americas.
Hamilton has won at Austin fives times.
Aussie Daniel Ricciardo will start on the third row, followed by his McLaren teammate Lando Norris.