Lewis Hamilton has secured pole position for the US Grand Prix, where the Mercedes driver could clinch a fifth career Formula One world championship.
The Briton will seal the title in Texas on Sunday if he takes the chequered flag and Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel fails to finish second.
On pole: Lewis Hamilton is at the front of the grid in America.Credit:AP
Vettel was second-quickest in qualifying but he'll start fifth because of a three-spot grid penalty for driving too fast under a red flag during a Friday practice.
Kimi Raikkonen will subsequently join Hamilton on the front row with Valtteri Bottas third and Australian Daniel Ricciardo to start from fourth in his Red Bull.
Hamilton, who set a track record of 1 minutes 32.237 seconds on the Circuit of Americas in qualifying, leads Vettel by 67 points in the championship with four races to go.
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"That was very important, that was close," he said.
"Once we went into that last run, I knew it was quite edgy between us. It was going to require solid laps. The first one was decent but not good enough. The second one was just that little bit better.
"The Ferraris are obviously really quick."
Esteban Ocon (Force India), Nico Hulkenberg (Renault), Romain Grosjean (Haas), Charles Leclerc (Sauber) and Sergio Perez (Force India) completed the top 10.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen damaged his car running over a kerb in the first session and could not set a further time, leaving him 15th.
The pole was a record-extending 81st for Hamilton and his ninth of the season.
A fifth career title would tie him with Argentina's Juan Manuel Fangio for the second-most championships in F1 history – behind only the seven of German Michael Schumacher.
Hamilton has won the US Grand Prix five of the past six years and the past four in a row.
AP
