Ferrari's Carlos Sainz will start on pole position for the United States Grand Prix.

Season champion Max Verstappen finished third in Saturday's qualifying session that began shortly after his Red Bull team learned that founder and owner Dietrich Mateschitz had died. 

Verstappen will still start on the front row. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc qualified second, but must take a 10-place grid penalty for using new engine parts.

Red Bull's Sergio Perez finished fourth but will start from ninth after a five-place grid penalty.

Australia's Daniel Ricciardo was eliminated after the first qualifying period and will start 17th after a lap time of 1:37.046.

Every winner in the previous nine races at the Circuit of the Americas has started from the front row.

Verstappen is chasing a single-season record-tying 13th victory. He clinched his second consecutive season championship at the previous race in Japan.

Verstappen and Perez had to drive less than an hour after the team was gathered together to be told Mateschitz had died at age 78.

"What he has done for me, my career so far, my life," said Verstappen, who joined F1 as a 17-year-old with Red Bull's junior team, then named Toro Rosso.

Since their founding, Red Bull has won six driver championships and four constructors titles. The team is close to clinching a fifth team championship and could wrap it up on Sunday.