Red Bull have suffered a major blow in their quest for a third straight Formula 1 championship, with Max Verstappen qualifying just fifth for the Las Vegas Grand Prix after Sergio Perez dropped out in Q1.
The reigning champs are trailing McLaren by 48 points, but it was Ferrari – who split the pair in the championship and whose cars both qualified ahead of either Red Bull and McLaren cars – who were the real winners from the session.
However, it was Mercedes' George Russell who took pole position for the Saturday night race, stunning his rivals to take pole ahead of Carlos Sainz and shock second-row sitter Pierre Gasly.
Franco Colapinto wrecked his Williams with a huge crash at the end of Q2, clipping the inside of a wall to send his car into the outside wall and give his mechanics a long night.
The Dutchman can win the drivers' championship this weekend unless Lando Norris claims three points more than him, although the McLaren sits just one spot behind him on the grid.