Sainz takes pole position, Verstappen 2nd following Leclerc grid penalty
Ricciardo out in first session, Albon out in Q2
Red Bull announce death of owner Dietrich Mateschitz
Team had earlier accused rivals of 'concerted campaign' over budget cap controversy
Sargeant set to race for Williams in 2023
Get involved #bbcf1
Onboard with Charles Leclerc using head cam this weekend and as the Monegasque driver completes his ninth lap, he jumps up to second place on the time sheets with a 1:36.765 on a set of softs.
Daniel Ricciardo, meanwhile, is on the radio to the McLaren pit wall to say he's having a bit of trouble with his brake pedal.
"The soft tyres are only there for one lap."
Image source, Getty ImagesMercedes Team principal Toto Wolff said on the team's website , externalthat while the final update package of the year won't drastically change their fortunes, the hope is it will bring the Silver Arrows "a step forward and closer to the front runners."
So, was Lewis Hamilton encouraged by the new parts? "Everything went to plan," he said. "I am super-grateful to everyone at the factory working so hard and bringing us an upgrade for this weekend.
"I definitely felt improvements in the car. In P1, it was feeling quite good and I doesn't feel like we're too far away from everybody."
Hamilton is down in ninth place at the moment as team-mate George Russell slots into eighth.
1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
4. Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
5. Fernando Alonso (Alpine)
Allow Twitter content?
This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.
Jennie Gow
BBC Radio 5 Live pit-lane reporter
The wind is whipping up down here again, I would suggest it's even stronger than yesterday at times. The flag which is so tall just as you go down to turn 1 is whipping around as well, it's a good gage for the drivers, they can look up and really get an idea of what's going on with the wind and what they are going to experience in the cars.
Haas has given an estimated time to Mick Schumacher as to when the German can return to the action. Only 15 minutes for Mick to wait around.
Allow Twitter content?
This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.
Mick Schumacher is struggling in his Haas and is going very slowly on the Austin circuit. The German driver eventually makes it back to the pits to a safe place but that's a worrying start to the day for the American team.
"Struggling a bit with the tailwinds."
Not that Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez held those speedy position for long, as two-time world champion Max Verstappen and Sainz's Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc leave the blocks in a timely fashion. Leclerc is the faster of the pair with a 0.065 seconds advantage over Verstappen.
Medium tyres are bolted onto the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz and the Spaniard goes top of the early board with a 1:38.591. That time is quickly bettered by the Red Bull of Sergio Perez on the soft compounds with a time of 1:37.613.
Soft tyres are the choice of the Alfa Romeo boys, Aston Martin fancy some medium running, while Pierre Gasly has come out on the hards in his Alpha Tauri.
Jennie Gow, Jack Nicholls and Jolyon Palmer are waiting for your company tonight. Third practice and qualifying are available to listen to on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, the BBC Sounds app and at the top of this very page.
Allow Twitter content?
This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.
The doors are open for third practice.
BBC weatherman Ian Fergusson has the full weather forecast for us: "Air temp is 28.8C and track 38.3C. As previously billed, the key weather component for this weekend is a brisk wind from a southerly quarter. In the past hour, gusts to ~30mph. FIA official risk of rain is 0%.
A glorious day for the thousands of spectators who have packed the grandstands in Austin. It's all sunglasses and hats rather than ponchos and rain coats this weekend.
Andrew Benson
BBC Sport’s chief F1 writer in Austin
Image source, Getty ImagesRed Bull have accused their rivals of waging a "concerted campaign for a draconian penalty" for them breaking Formula 1's budget cap.
Team principal Christian Horner said that "what is in contention is a couple of hundred thousand dollars" in the team's financial submissions for 2021.
Governing body the FIA has offered Red Bull a so-called breach agreement detailing a suggested penalty.
Horner said Red Bull were in talks over this and "wanted closure on 2021".
Jennie Gow and Andrew Benson were in the team principal press conference earlier on but unfortunately, Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto had to miss out due to feeling unwell. Williams principal Jost Capito was called off the subs bench to fill in.
Zak Brown and Christian Horner sharing the stage was the main event...
Allow Twitter content?
This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.