Red Bull turned it around to put Mercedes on the backfoot at F1's US GP

Red Bull went from being a second adrift of Mercedes on Friday to claiming what was in the end a rather comfortable pole position at Formula 1’s United States Grand Prix. 

Verstappen overcame title rival Lewis Hamilton by over two-tenths to clinch his ninth pole position of the season with his final lap of a thrilling qualifying session at the Circuit of the Americas. 

It marked a real statement from Red Bull at a circuit that is considered to be a Mercedes stronghold. Prior to this weekend, the Silver Arrows had boasted an unbeaten record in qualifying at COTA since the start of the V6 hybrid era in 2014.

But for the first time since 2013, a Red Bull will line-up at the very front of the grid in the United States, setting up the prospect of a mouth-watering grand prix with the two title contenders alongside each other for the start. 

Red Bull had begun the weekend on the backfoot but on Saturday it was Mercedes’ turn to struggle, with Hamilton conceding the team “fell back a little bit” through each practice session and into qualifying.