Leclerc reacts to United States GP pole

Charles Leclerc has conceded his pole position effort in United States Grand Prix qualifying was laced with mistakes.

The Ferrari driver set a time of a 1:34.723 to finish 0.130secs faster than McLaren's Lando Norris in a session which sets the grid for Sunday's Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen had been fastest for Red Bull but saw his lap time deleted for exceeding track limits at Turn 19, leaving Leclerc in the driving seat.

Friday's running came with the added complication of F1's Sprint format, meaning teams had to hit the ground running in free practice knowing that parc fermé conditions are imposed after just the one session and Leclerc insisted: "As a team, we did a great job.

"We know that in these Sprint weekends, it is more important than ever to have a clean FP1 and we did... we had a good FP1 and we started with a strong base thanks to the work the guys have done to prepare for the weekend with the car feeling good straight away.

"I was feeling good and the lap... I was happy throughout qualifying but on that last lap in Q3 there were some mistakes here and there, but it wasn't easy for anybody.

"Really happy to be starting on pole for Sunday."

Tricky Turn 1

Leclerc will lead the chase to what is a difficult first corner which has provided drama in the past.

The uphill braking point leads to a wide section of track that pinches towards a tight apex, with contact becoming a regularity in years gone by.

"Into Turn 1 is always tricky but it is always better to be starting at the front rather than being at the back," said Leclerc.

"I am really happy, I love this track and the vibe there is around the track, in the city and the country, so it is great to be here."