Red Bull’s Max Verstappen continued his dominant form at the Circuit of the Americas on Saturday, taking pole position for Sunday’s U.S. Grand Prix after winning the sprint race earlier in the day.

The Dutch driver’s latest masterclass came amid a tumultuous afternoon for McLaren, as championship leader Oscar Piastri and teammate Lando Norris collided in the sprint — a costly tangle that left both cars damaged and both drivers on the back foot heading into qualifying.

Verstappen, the four-time world champion, needed just one flying lap in the final phase to secure his seventh non-sprint pole of the season and the 47th of his career. Despite missing the chance for a second attempt due to out-lap congestion, he finished nearly three-tenths of a second clear of Norris, who will start alongside him on the front row.

“Unfortunately, I couldn’t do my final run — it was a bit messy with the out-laps,” Verstappen said. “But luckily, we didn’t need it.”

Norris, last year’s polesitter in Austin, was realistic about his chances. “We were pushing and I’m still happy with P2,” the Briton said. “It could have been worse, but there was no chance we could have got on pole today.”

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, the defending Austin race winner, qualified third and will start on the second row alongside Mercedes’ George Russell, who took victory at the previous round in Singapore. Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton placed fifth for Ferrari, sharing the third row with Piastri in sixth.

Further down the grid, Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli qualified a strong seventh, with Haas’s Oliver Bearman eighth. Williams’ Carlos Sainz and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso completed the top ten.

The session followed a chaotic sprint race earlier in the day, which ended in controversy for McLaren. Piastri and Norris retired after a first-lap incident that also involved Sauber’s Nico Hülkenberg, leaving both drivers’ mechanics scrambling to rebuild their cars for qualifying in the afternoon heat.

Piastri, who leads the world championship by 22 points over Norris and 55 over Verstappen, was visibly frustrated after qualifying only sixth. “I didn’t really make any mistakes, just didn’t feel like I got into a rhythm for the whole session,” the Australian said. “Obviously, when you don’t have the pace you want, it’s never the nicest feeling. But there are a lot of opportunities tomorrow — the weekend is far from over.”

Jenson Button, the 2009 world champion, weighed in on Sky Sports’ coverage, suggesting Piastri was partly at fault for the sprint collision. “From a racing driver’s point of view, it was more on Oscar. Lando’s not even in this conversation — he was just unlucky to be there,” Button said.

Earlier in qualifying, Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar brought out a red flag after crashing before anyone had completed a timed lap. Norris managed the third-fastest time in Q2 behind Leclerc and Verstappen, while Piastri languished in eighth.

Meanwhile, Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll will drop five places on the grid after stewards penalized him for causing a collision with Haas’s Esteban Ocon during the sprint.

With Verstappen back on pole and chasing his 18th win of the season, and the McLaren pair under pressure to bounce back, Sunday’s U.S. Grand Prix promises another dramatic chapter in a season that continues to test the sport’s young stars.