Charles Leclerc snatches pole position after Max Verstappen’s lap was deleted

Verstappen dropped from first to sixth with Lando Norris taking second for McLaren ahead of Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton.

Charles Leclerc took advantage of Max Verstappen’s mistake to claim pole position in Austin, Texas (Nick Didlick/AP)

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc took pole position for the United States Grand Prix after Max Verstappen’s lap was deleted for exceeding track limits.

Verstappen looked to have qualified first in his Red Bull at a sizzling Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, only to see his lap – five thousandths of a second quicker than Leclerc – chalked off by the stewards.