‘What the f*** was that?’ – Max Verstappen furious with Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez in qualifying

Max Verstappen was left fuming with Sergio Perez during qualifying for this weekend’s United States Grand Prix.

The recently crowned world champion could only muster a 6th place finish, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc taking pole in Austin, Texas.

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During his first run of Q3, Verstappen was chasing Perez at the final corner but lost grip at the Circuit of the Americas.

It appeared to be a result of the turbulent air that was caught behind his Red Bull teammate and he was far from happy.

“Well done, well f****** done there!” Verstappen angrily shouted on his team radio. “What the f*** was that in the last corner?”

Matters were made worse for the Dutchman later on in the session as pole position was snatched from him in the final lap.

Verstappen was fastest on the track during the final run but his lap was deleted as a result of him exceeding track limits on turn 19.

Speaking after qualifying, he said: “I knew in 19 it was going to be a close call. I had a little mistake in turn 1, so I had to really push for it in the rest of the lap.

“I didn’t even understeer, I just tried to maximise the corner. I misjudged it by a little bit but it is very fine margins when you are pushing to the limit.

“It is a bit unfortunate but it makes Sunday a bit more fun. It is not ideal but I have started further back [and still won]. If you have good pace, you will move forwards.”

His error allowed Leclerc to finish top of the standings with a time of 1:34.723, with Lando Norris 2nd and Lewis Hamilton 3rd.

However, given his dominance on the track and the superiority of the Red Bull car, Verstappen could still come out on top.

First on the agenda though is Saturday’s sprint before the main race on Sunday, with a 50th career win up for grabs for Red Bull’s star.