F1 qualifying results, grid from United States as Leclerc takes pole, Verstappen makes costly Grand Prix error

Charles Leclerc beat Lando Norris to pole position and Lewis Hamilton came third by less than a tenth of a second in a tightly-contested qualifying session in the United States Grand Prix, which will begin with Max Verstappen sixth after the champion had his final run deleted for exceeding track limits.

Red Bull's Verstappen, who would have taken pole with his final run, was penalised for a transgression at T19, leaving Ferrari's Leclerc to take his 21st Formula One pole, 0.130 seconds ahead of McLaren rival Lando Norris.

Hamilton was 0.009secs behind Norris for Mercedes, while the seven-time champion's teammate, George Russell, finished fifth, with Ferrari's Carlos Sainz between the pair.

"We know in the Sprint weekends it's more important than ever to have a good FP1 – and we did," Leclerc told Sky Sports, speaking after the track temperature hit 40 degrees in Austin.

Touchdown at Austin for @Charles_Leclerc! 🤩

He will start on pole for Sunday's race 👊#USGP #F1 @ScuderiaFerrari pic.twitter.com/A5xhcqbwME

— Formula 1 (@F1) October 20, 2023

"We started with a strong base thanks to the work the guys had done to prepare for this weekend, with the car feeling good straight away. I was happy throughout qualifying, On the last lap in Q3 there were some mistakes here and there, but it wasn't easy for everyone."

Red Bull have an unusually complicated challenge if they are to prevail again in Sunday's race, Verstappen missing out on a time that was 0.005s ahead of Leclerc but scuppered by his late error. Teammate Sergio Perez, who Verstappen appeared to express his frustration with late in qualifying, took ninth.

Verstappen remains the likeliest winner of the Grand Prix but Leclerc, Norris and Hamilton, who professed his love for the Circuit of the Americas and its host nation afterwards, will be encouraged by the look of the grid.

Elsewhere, Fernando Alonso said he wished Aston Martin could have restarted the entire day following a forgettable showing. The two-time champion secured a lowly 17th, with Lance Stroll two places further back.

The Sporting News followed qualifying live and providing updates below.

WATCH: F1's United States Grand Prix live in the U.S. with Fubo (free trial)

F1 grid, qualifying times for United States Grand Prix

* Eliminated after Q2

** Eliminated after Q1

F1 qualifying results from the United States Grand Prix

End of Q3: Here's how it finishes after a pulsatingly close race. "I was feeling good – I was happy throughout qualifying," says Charles Leclerc. "I love the vibe around this track, the city and the country."

Here's the top 10...

• 1st: Leclerc (Ferrari)
• 2nd: Norris (McLaren)
• 3rd: Hamilton (Mercedes)
• 4th: Sainz (Ferrari)
• 5th: Russell (Mercedes)
• 6th: Verstappen (Red Bull)
• 7th: Gasly (Alpine)
• 8th: Ocon (Alpine)
• 9th: Perez (Red Bull)
• 10th: Piastri (McLaren)

1 min left in Q3: Every car is now on new tyres. We're in for a thrilling finish! Max Verstappen is five-thousandths up on Leclerc but is penalised for an error - there must have been about an inch in the infringement on T1 - and has his lap deleted.

That means Ferrari's Charles Leclerc takes pole!

3 mins left in Q3: Max Verstappen is not best pleased with Sergio Perez, having a grumble on the radio about his teammate.

Verstappen has fallen back from Leclerc and Hamilton and appears to be blaming dirty air from Perez.

5 mins left in Q3: It's 40 degrees on the track and 35 degrees in the air, which doesn't make for a terribly easy task for the drivers and technical teams.

George Russell has had a lap deleted.

7 mins left in Q3: A provisional pole for Charles Leclerc, who posts 1:34.829. Lewis Hamilton is less than a tenth of a second behind. Next up are Max Verstappen, Carlos Sainz and Pierre Gasly.

8 mins left in Q3: Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton have fresh soft tyres. Charles Leclerc is 0.252s clear at the top.

Start of Q3: Here's how it looked after Q2. Yuki Tsunoda, Zhou Guanyu, Valtteri Bottas, Kevin Magnussen and Daniel Ricciardo are out.

Leclerc tops Q2! ⚡️

There's not too much to split Leclerc and Verstappen 🤏#USGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/sLMdhQFjUC

— Formula 1 (@F1) October 20, 2023

Fernando Alonso speaks to Sky Sports about Aston Martin's travails. "We should go back and repeat the whole day, starting from the morning," he says.

"There were too many unknowns in terms of how to operate... the new car. We'll use this weekend as a test for next year, even if it is painful."

Q2 ends: An error by Lewis Hamilton costs him a chance of going fastest but he comes through in third to make Q3! Charles Leclerc is top, followed by Max Verstappen.

1:00 left in Q2: Everyone's on new soft tyres, with Charles Leclerc continuing to lead from Carlos Sainz Jr.

3:00 left in Q2: Now Charles Leclerc takes top spot with a time of 1:35.004. Carlos Sainz Jr is also on fine

5:00 left in Q2: Daniel Ricciardo has returned from injury this weekend but he's not produced the performance he'd have wanted so far, comfortably trailing AlphaTauri teammate Yuki Tsunoda, who's in eighth.

7:00 left in Q2: An update on the bottom five...

• 11th: Daniel Ricciardo (AlphaTauri)
• 12th: Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
• 13th: Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo)
• 14th: Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
• 15th: Lando Norris (McLaren)

10:00 left in Q2: Verstappen's time of 1:35.491 is less than a ninth of a second ahead of Oscar Piastri.

Lando Norris complains over the radio about traffic after having a lap deleted for a track limits violation.

12:00 left in Q2: The variety of the track is perhaps a factor in making this a tighter contest than many might have anticipated.

The top five now are Max Verstappen, Oscar Piastri, Estaban Ocon, Pierre Gasly and Sergio Perez.

15:00 left in Q1: Mercedes' George Russell is fastest out as part of a promising passage for his team.

START OF Q2: Mercedes make a fast start, buoyed as they might be by Lewis Hamilton's performance.

Here are the full standings from Q1...

❌ OUT IN Q1 ❌

Hulkenberg
Alonso
Albon
Stroll
Sargeant#USGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/CPw4PwwciN

— Formula 1 (@F1) October 20, 2023

END OF Q1: Lewis Hamilton flies round to go top of the pile with 1:35.091. Lando Norris is almost 0.2s behind, with Max Verstappen almost the same distance back in third.

It's a dreadful Q1 for Aston Martin, for whom Fernando Alonso takes 17th and Lance Stroll 19th. Nico Hulkenberg, who was fastest earlier, is out because of a track limits violation, and he makes his feelings known by swearing over the radio. The bottom five:

• 16th: Nico Hulkenberg, Haas
• 17th: Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin
• 18th: Alex Albon, Williams
• 19th: Lance Stroll, Aston Martin
• 20th: Logan Sargeant, Williams

Fernando Alonso is out in Q1! ❌#USGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/WOiOitfVv9

— Formula 1 (@F1) October 20, 2023

1:30 left in Q1: Max Verstappen is half a second clear of Carlos Sainz as we enter the final lap. Lewis Hamilton is back in 12th and under pressure. There's traffic in front of the Briton.

3:00 left in Q1: Here are the drivers set for the drop at the moment:

• 16th: Alex Albon (Williams)
• 17th: Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
• 18th: Daniel Ricciardo (AlphaTauri)
• 19th: Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo)
• 20th: Logan Sargeant (Williams)

5:00 left in Q1: George Russell, on fresh tyres, records 1:36.625 to go third. Carlos Sainz is first, with Logan Sargeant and Zhou Guanyu both having laps deleted.

7:00 left in Q1: Lewis Hamilton is currently fifth, on soft tyres. There's a slither of concern during his first lap in the T1 braking zone, then another at Turn 19. He drops a place to sixth.

9:00 left in Q1: Mercedes pair Lewis Hamilton and George Russell emerge. The track is looking pristine.

Then Max Verstappen eclipses everyone! The newly recrowned champion sets 1:36.470.

11:00 left in Q1: Lando Norris had set the fastest time with 1:36.640 before Charles Leclerc edged 0.018s ahead of the McLaren racer.

Oscar Piastri is third early on.

13:00 left in Q1: Home driver and Williams star Logan Sargeant ventures out on exploratory lap, then heads straight back into the pit.

15:00 left in Q1: Aston Martin's Lance Stroll has been struggling with a brake issue but he's been out on the track.

A reminder: this session is happening because it's a Sprint weekend, so the grid for Sunday's race is about to be decided.

5 mins to lights out: A fan in a sombrero and Mexican flag is visible, as are plenty of umbrellas to provide cover from the sunshine in Austin, where it's baking.

Time to put those visors down... Qualifying is next! 👊#USGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/9ZKQFnPuhI

— Formula 1 (@F1) October 20, 2023

20 mins to lights out: Charles Leclerc racks up a century of races for Ferrari this weekend, and the 26-year-old is hoping for a first win of the season here.

Leclerc and Carlos Sainz spent part of yesterday dressed up as cowboys and attempting to use lassos.

I forgot this was my 100th GP weekend with @scuderiaferrari, so this special helmet design doesn’t make sense but it’s beautiful 🥰 Look at that greeeeeeen pic.twitter.com/AcW7zraSgT

— Charles Leclerc (@Charles_Leclerc) October 19, 2023

40 mins to lights out: Max Verstappen has carried on where he left of in first practice the evening, finishing first with a 0.156-second gap on Charles Leclerc.

Lewis Hamilton was third - 0.281 seconds off - with Red Bull's Sergio Perez, Haas' Kevin Magnussen and Mercedes' George Russell next down the order.

FP1 CLASSIFICATION

Max Verstappen sets the pace in our only practice session of the weekend 👀#USGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/d4KHbFpfyY

— Formula 1 (@F1) October 20, 2023

1 hour to lights out: Hello and welcome to The Sporting News' live coverage of Friday evening at the United States Grand Prix, which will form the grid for Sunday's showpiece in Austin in the first of the five remaining races this season.

Max Verstappen secured the driver's championship last time out in Qatar, and the race for second place begins with qualifying tonight. We'll have live coverage throughout the session!

F1 2023 schedule: What time is United States Grand Prix qualifying?

F1 2023 schedule: What time is the United States Grand Prix?

What channel is F1 on this weekend?

F1 X Grand Prix 2023 TV channel

F1 X Grand Prix 2023 live stream

WATCH: F1's United States Grand Prix live in the U.S. with Fubo (free trial)