Andrew Benson
BBC Sport’s chief F1 writer in Austin

Image source, Getty Images

Carlos Sainz took pole position for the United States Grand Prix, beating Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc and Red Bull's Max Verstappen.

Sainz beat Leclerc by 0.065 seconds and Verstappen by 0.092secs, but the new world champion is second because Leclerc has a 10-place grid penalty.

Red Bull's Sergio Perez, who has a five-place grid penalty, was fourth ahead of Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton.

The penalties mean Hamilton will start third behind Sainz and Verstappen.

Read the full report here

A night of celebration for Carlos Sainz's side of the Ferrari garage but can the Spanish driver convert his pole position into a race victory in Austin tomorrow?

Red Bull could become constructors' champions, while the fight to finish second in the drivers' standings is wide open.

Come back and join us at 18:30 BST for all the build-up to the United States Grand Prix. Lights go out at 20:00 BST, with full commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live and the BBC Sounds app.

Goodnight all.

This is how the penalty gang should line up tomorrow:

Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - P2 to P12

Sergio Perez (Red Bull) - P4 to P9

Fernando Alonso (Alpine) - P9 to P14

Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo) P14 to P19

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen who qualifies in third said afterwards following the sad news about Dietrich Mateschitz: “I mean it’s been hard news I think for everyone, I think what he meant to Red Bull and the sport and especially for me and what he’s done for my career. It’s a very tough day, we tried to give it everything we could in qualifying, unfortunately, we missed out by a little bit but there’s still a race ahead of course and we are going to make him proud tomorrow.

“Well I think our car normally in the race is usually a bit stronger in the race than qualifying, I think already today in qualifying it was very fine margins. I think if you could switch your tyres on a bit better I think that would of made a difference but nonetheless we are there and I’m expecting a good race tomorrow.”

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, who qualified in P2 but takes a 10-place grid penalty: "It is really difficult, especially with the wind. The car changes direction a lot from lap to lap but overall, I did my best.

"The last lap wasn't the best, Carlos did a better job today and deserves to be on pole. I'm starting a bit further back because of the penalty but the goal is to try and come back to the front as quick as possible.

"I will give my best as always. I think we are starting 12th or 11th with the penalty, so I will give my best - no crazy risks but if there is an opportunity I will be there to take it."

Carlos Sainz, who starts the race in pole position tomorrow in the Ferrari, said: “It was fun, it was very tricky out there with these winds. Every corner is a bit of an adventure with these cars, you don’t know how much rear you are going to get or how much grip to expect but I managed to put together a good lap without mistakes. Pole position was a long time coming after a few quails getting very close to it.

“For tomorrow Red Bull are the favourites, they have better race pace, they normally get us in the race because Max does a great job and Red Bull has a very good car, but we are going to do everything we can to stay ahead tomorrow and to win the race is an amazing way to start these last four races.”

Time to hear from the top three drivers...

But no need for any tears, Mercedes, as with the grid drops for Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez, Lewis Hamilton (P5) and George Russell (P6) will now move up to start on the second row. And Lance Stroll starts in fifth for Aston Martin.

11. Alex Albon (Williams)

12. Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin)

13. Pierre Gasly (Alpha Tauri)

14. Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo, five-place grid penalty)

15. Yuki Tsunoda (Alpha Tauri)

16. Kevin Magnussen (Haas)

17. Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren)

18. Esteban Ocon (Alpine)

19. Mick Schumacher (Haas)

20. Nicholas Latifi (Williams)

1. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)

2. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari, 10-place grid penalty)

3. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)

4. Sergio Perez (Red Bull, five-place grid penalty)

5. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

6. George Russell (Mercedes)

7. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)

8. Lando Norris (McLaren)

9. Fernando Alonso (Alpine, five-place grid penalty)

10. Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo)

Engineer: "P1 baby."

Sainz: "I knew it was coming boys. I knew it."

Charles Leclerc used some fruity language to describe his disappointment at missing out on pole position. "“That last corner was ****" the Monegasque driver tells his pit wall.

So before any penalties are applied...

Charles Leclerc finishes behind his Ferrari team-mate in second, Max Verstappen puts his Red Bull onto the second row in third, Sergio Perez was fourth and Lewis Hamilton ended the session in fifth place.

Jack Nicholls
BBC Radio 5 Live F1 commentator

He's a man (Carlos Sainz) that has got so much better as the season has gone on!

Sergio Perez moves up into second place in the Red Bull but Charles Leclerc goes onto provisional pole.

But here comes Carlos Sainz...

The two Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz are P1 and P2 as the Q3 comes to a close...

No doubt seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton is a fan favourite here in the US. The Mercedes man needs to pull three tenths out of the bag to put his Silver Arrow at the head of the field for Sunday's race.