Image source, Getty Images

We haven't seen Max Verstappen celebrate a pole position - or a victory - for a long time, so is the scene set in Austin for the three-time world champion to get his title charge back on track?

The prizes are small for a sprint win but the Dutchman could pull three points out of Lando Norris' challenge if the pair finish in their P1 and P4 starting places.

It's definitely bedtime now, so let's wave goodbye for tonight and come back together on Saturday. We'll fire up the live page at 18:30 BST to build-up to the 100km sprint race.

Main qualifying goes green at 23:00 BST.

See you tomorrow!

Red Bull's Sergio Perez, speaking to Sky Sports on being knocked out in SQ2: "Yeah, very frustrating, especially from SQ1, we didn't have any progression, if anything we took a step back with the tyres so that made things a lot trickier unfortunately but it is what it is. Hopefully we're able to learn quite a bit as we did today from the car and make sure in qualifying we're able to put it all together."

Mercedes' George Russell, speaking to Sky Sports on missing out on sprint pole: "To be honest, really happy because it's been a while since we've been on the front row and it was a pretty tricky session but really pulled the lap together at the end and my last sector was really really strong, I think that's what made the difference."

"It was a real shame for Lewis, he was on a really strong lap as well, and he got caught out by the yellows so I think we both should have been up there, but it's great to be back in the mix again."

On pace: "It was definitely a handful, but I think we definitely managed to get on top of it. We knew we had potential in the car because I don't think we made the most of our quick laps this morning but the car's been feeling great so far with these upgrades, it's clearly close out there but definitely surprised ourself with that P2."

McLaren's Oscar Piastri, speaking to Sky Sports after qualifying 16th for the sprint: "Most of the lap was good, I made a few mistakes in the last sectors and obviously second to last corner just tried to go a bit too fast and this is the result, so a shame, but if there's one good thing about sprint weekends, it's that we have another shot tomorrow."

On how car feels: "It feels okay and maybe not quite as strong as it has the last few races but I don't think that's because we're weak, I think the others seem a little bit stronger maybe. It's certainly not a case of 'we're miles behind' but it's maybe a little bit more difficult for us than a few of the other weeks."

McLaren's Lando Norris, speaking to Sky Sports after qualifying P4 for the sprint: "Not very good, P4, so not a great day. Been struggling the whole day with the balance and the setup so, you know we're happy with P4 because it could have been a lot worse but my lap was shocking, so yeah, not a terrible day, could have been worse, could have been better, but I'll take it."

On whether he has a sense of race pace: "Not really. I hope to go forward, that's my plan. On pace, I think we are where we deserve to be today so my plan is to go forward but I have no idea how much we can."

Lando Norris looks downcast in the post-qualifying interviews, saying "we are where we deserved to be today" after his P4 finish. He also calls his lap "shocking".

The McLaren driver trails polesitter Max Verstappen by 52 points in the drivers' championship, with eight points on offer for a race win in tomorrow's sprint. If Norris finishes in fourth, he'll pick five points to add to his title tally.

McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri, who was knocked out in SQ1 after his lap time was deleted, is next up to the microphone, commenting that "most of the lap was good" but he "made a few mistakes in the final sector".

"It's a shame, but it's one good thing about sprint weekend that we get another go tomorrow," he adds.

Marc Priestley
Former F1 mechanic on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

Verstappen had to work for it but if you look at the way that he was able to deliver that lap time, it looked smooth, it looked relatively under control, he was pushing to the limit of course, but it was under control.

If you look at George Russell, 12 one-thousandths of a second slower, he was on the ragged edge, hanging onto it all the way through.

Delivering almost identical lap times, but doing it in very different ways.

Image source, Getty Images

Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who takes pole position for tomorrow's sprint race: "We had a good day. Sprint qualifying is always very difficult, you do medium, medium and then the soft [tyres], you never know how much you can push, but I'm happy with today, I think all day the car was working quite well and of course very happy to be first, it's been a while, so yeah, very pleased with today."

"It's always very hectic and you know this track is amazing to drive. You know, with new tarmac, a little bit older tarmac, the very old tarmac, the bumpy stuff, it's not easy, at the end of the day it's the same for everyone but to deal with it over one lap is not always the easiest. It's fun."

"We'll do the best we can tomorrow in the sprint but we also know of course the most points are available on Sunday, so that's where we really want to do well."

Nico Hulkenberg has not only out-qualified the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton, although the seven-time world champion was critical of his early send out in SQ3, but the German driver was only 0.350 seconds away from pole position in the Haas.

So, tomorrow we get to see Max Verstappen's Red Bull go head-to-head off the line with the Mercedes of George Russell. Exciting stuff.

11. Sergio Perez (Red Bull)

12. Liam Lawson (RB)

13. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)

14. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)

15. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)

16. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)

17. Esteban Ocon (Alpine)

18. Alex Albon (Williams)

19. Valtteri Bottas (Sauber)

20. Zhou Guanyu (Sauber)

Marc Priestley
Former F1 mechanic on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

What a great turnaround.

Don't forget, it's the first time we see all of everyone's cars laid out on the table.

This is a genuine qualifying session, the car with low fuel loads, with the fastest soft tyres on, giving it everything they've got and the fastest time of anybody was a Red Bull in the hands of Max Verstappen.

The championship's fastest car that we've seen over the last few races, Lando Norris, only good enough for fourth.

1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)

2. George Russell (Mercedes)

3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)

4. Lando Norris (McLaren)

5. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)

6. Nico Hulkenberg (Haas)

7. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

8. Kevin Magnussen (Haas)

9. Yuki Tsunoda (RB)

10. Franco Colapinto (Williams)

Marc Priestley
Former F1 mechanic on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

What a fascinating turn of events, that was.

Max Verstappen, who'd have thought that, fastest of anybody?

Harry Benjamin
BBC F1 Commentator

What can Verstappen do? Can he get to pole for the sprint?

Yes he can!

By 12 thousandths of a second, Max Verstappen fastest in sprint qualifying with a remarkable effort right at the very end.

Marc Priestley
Former F1 mechanic on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

I think Hamilton's probably questioning [on the team radio clip] why Mercedes have gone out right at the start of the session, because generally you only get time for one lap in these final sessions in sprint qualifying and basically now Hamilton's is ruined.

Max Verstappen takes it!

The Dutchman sweeps through late on and beats George Russell's early time by 0.012 seconds.

The two Mercedes are the only cars to bank a lap in this SQ3 fight with the clock ticking down. Lando Norris goes to second on the board with Carlos Sainz in fourth place.

Charles Leclerc drops Norris down to third spot, and still George Russell holds onto that pole position.

Harry Benjamin
BBC F1 Commentator

George Russell absolutely flying through four, five and six, dancing his Mercedes through the fast speed corners, now onto the back straight, fastest out of anybody in the first sector...

George Russell is sitting on provisional pole for the sprint, but can he keep hold of it? Lewis Hamilton won't be taking it from him, as his opening lap in SQ3 is over half a second slower than his team-mate, his tyres struggling for grip in the final sector.