Red Bull took an unexpected pole position for the 2021 US Grand Prix with Max Verstappen putting his car just ahead of Formula 1 title rival Lewis Hamilton.
The Mercedes pair of Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas were imperious during practice on Friday, but the seven-time champion was just pipped by the Red Bull during Qualifying at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin on Saturday.
Ferrari locked out the third row of the grid with Charles Leclerc ahead of Carlos Sainz, while both McLarens were just behind as Daniel Ricciardo put his car in front of teammate Lando Norris.
Both Alpine cars were unable to get into Q3 with Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso finishing in 11th and 14th position, respectively, as Sebastian Vettel could only put his Aston Martin in 12th place.
Full 2021 US GP Qualifying Results
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Q3 Lap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:32.910 |
| 2 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | +0.209 |
| 3 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull | +0.224 |
| 4 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | +0.565 |
| 5 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +0.696 |
| 6 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | +0.882 |
| 7 | Daniel Ricciardo | McLaren | +0.898 |
| 8 | Lando Norris | McLaren | +0.977 |
| 9 | Pierre Gasly | AlphaTauri | +1.208 |
| 10 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri | +2.008 |
| 11 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine | Eliminated in Q2 |
| 12 | Sebastian Vettel | Aston Martin | Eliminated in Q2 |
| 13 | Antonio Giovinazzi | Alfa Romeo | Eliminated in Q2 |
| 14 | Fernando Alonso | Alpine | Eliminated in Q2 |
| 15 | George Russell | Williams | Eliminated in Q2 |
| 16 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | Eliminated in Q1 |
| 17 | Nicholas Latifi | Williams | Eliminated in Q1 |
| 18 | Kimi Raikkonen | Alfa Romeo | Eliminated in Q1 |
| 19 | Mick Schumacher | Haas | Eliminated in Q1 |
| 20 | Nikita Mazepin | Haas | Eliminated in Q1 |
