The Latest Breaking News from Red Bull Racing

Verstappen ended up third after the Ferrari pair had nipped ahead on the first Q3 runs, then could not beat them even though neither Leclerc or Sainz improved on their second efforts.

The Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz set the first somewhat representative times on the board in the opening minutes, with Leclerc's 1m19.283s heading his team-mate by 0.166s.

After Daniel Ricciardo, Norris, Verstappen and Alex Albon had enjoyed brief spells in the top spot during the opening quarter of the one-hour session, Verstappen seized it again with a 1m19.511s set on the standard 2023 Pirelli C4 mediums.

Verstappen logged a 1m19.718s on softs, having dispatched Lando Norris from top spot as the McLaren driver had been among the first of the frontrunners to switch to the red-walled tyre. Norris had gone just 0.008s faster than Verstappen's medium-tyre effort of a 1m20.245s - but the Dutchman returned to…

Verstappen logged a 1m19.718s on softs, having dispatched Lando Norris from the top spot as the McLaren driver had been among the first of the frontrunners to switch to the red-walled tyre.

The three-time world champion is bracing himself for a tough reception from the Mexican fans, with them feeling that he is local hero Perez’s main obstacle to victory. 

Hamilton finished 2.2 seconds behind Verstappen in last Sunday's main race in Austin, prior to being disqualified for an excessively worn plank.

Perez has faced his fair share of difficulties as Max Verstappen’s team-mate throughout 2023, and he has failed to win a race in the dominant RB19 since the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Another boring sprint race at the United States Grand Prix, which had triggered a surprising lack of interest from fans as ticket sales took a hit, has prompted a belief that something needs to change.