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Hamilton beats Vettel to Austin pole
Lewis Hamilton continued his dominance of the U.S. Grand Prix weekend by beating championship rival Sebastian Vettel to a comfortable pole at the Circuit of the Americas.
Lewis Hamilton taking pole has been a safe bet since the weekend's action started on Friday. He will be joined on the front row by Sebastian Vettel, the only man who can beat him to this year's title, but the German's recent misfortune means the championship fight is lacking the sting of previous rounds. Hamilton and Mercedes have looked strong all weekend so (barring some more drama in the title fight) challenging the No.44 car over race distance might be a big ask for Vettel, but at least he is well placed to ensure the fight goes on for another weekend.
Another impressive effort from Fernando Alonso, dragging his car through Q3. The Spaniard gives one of his renowned bits of glowing self assessment -- "I don't think I could have done any better than that" -- as he returns to the pit lane. Alonso fans can be optimistic, at least, that next year making Q3 should be a formality for the Spaniard as McLaren makes the switch to Renault power.
Formula 1
Carpooling with Valtteri Bottas.
Laurence Edmondson joins Valtteri Bottas on his journey to the Circuit of the Americas and discusses his career, his future and his relationship with team mate Lewis Hamilton.
4:40
Top Headlines
The tricks COTA has up its sleeve for 2017
Kate Walker speaks to COTA CEO Bobby Epstein about the initiatives the circuit has introduced in a bid to ensure F1 fans get the most out of their visit to the venue.
Formula 1
Marko: Max extension shows he trusts us
After confirming the extension of Max Verstappen's contract, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko says it was imperative for the team to tie at least one of its drivers down beyond 2018
Formula 1
Formula 1
Vettel not worrying after problematic Friday
Sebastian Vettel believes his Ferrari will be quick at this weekend's U.S. Grand Prix despite a series of problems during Friday practice.
Formula 1
'Too early' to discuss extension, says Ricciardo
Daniel Ricciardo denies suggestions of a lack of parity between himself and Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen and says he is in no rush to sign a new deal beyond 2018.
U.S. Grand Prix
Friday practice
Formula 1
Hamilton remains on top in second practice
Lewis Hamilton dominated Friday practice at the U.S. Grand Prix, with the fastest times in both sessions and a 0.4s margin over his nearest rival by the end of the day.
Formula 1
Driver reaction: U.S. GP Friday
ESPN rounds up all the reaction from up and down the Austin paddock following Friday practice for the 2017 U.S. Grand Prix
Live from Austin
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A new chassis for Sebastian Vettel this morning after he complained the front end of his car felt like "jelly" during second practice. Ferrari has had a long list of problems in recent races but the Italian team will be hoping for a clean weekend from this point onwards. He desperately needs to beat Lewis Hamilton on Sunday if he is going to hold on to a realistic chance of winning the title.
Brendon Hartley's grid penalty on debut looks bad enough on the surface -- the news of it had emerged before he'd completed a lap of the COTA circuit. The limit of four power units is applied to each car, not the driver, which is why Hartley gets the penalty. Initially there was confusion about why Hartley would serve a penalty and this has exposed another very bizarre quirk in F1's regulations. Hartley replaced Pierre Gasly for this weekend, and Gasly replaced Daniil Kvyat for Malaysia and Japan. That means Hartley is technically in the car Kvyat started the season with. Kvyat, meanwhile, is back this weekend and technically in the car Carlos Sainz (now at Renault) started the year in. So, in effect, Hartley is serving a penalty for a change made to Kvyat's original car, while Kvyat doesn't have one in Sainz's old car. Make sense? Didn't think so.
Former Ferrari chief track engineer and driver academy head Luca Baldisserri will be Lance Stroll's race engineer on an interim basis, Williams has confirmed, while the Canadian's regular engineer, James Urwin, is on paternity leave. Baldisserri was head of the Ferrari junior programme when Stroll was a member between 2010 and 2015.
Formula 1
The story of the Formula One season so far.
As Lewis Hamilton closes in on a fourth drivers' title in Austin, take a look back at the F1 season so far.
2:46
McLaren
Formula 1
Alonso had doubts about continuing in F1
Fernando Alonso was considering quitting Formula One at the end of this year before he convinced himself to sign a new multi-year deal with McLaren.
Formula 1
Alonso to remain at McLaren for 2018
McLaren has confirmed Fernando Alonso will remain at the team for the 2018 Formula One season.
Formula 1
FP2: As it happened
Results and timings from the second practice session for the 2017 U.S. Grand Prix from Austin, Texas.
Formula 1
Hartley hit with engine penalty on F1 debut
Toro Rosso driver Brendon Hartley will receive a grid penalty on his Formula One debut after his team changed his car's power unit ahead of the race.
Formula 1
Kvyat: Austin a chance to rectify 2017 errors
After sitting out the previous two races in Malaysia and Japan, Daniil Kvyat believes this weekend's U.S. Grand Prix is a perfect opportunity to demonstrate that he has the talent to remain in Formula One beyond this season.
Formula 1
Ilott joins Ferrari academy
Britain's Callum Ilott has joined the Ferrari Driver Academy after impressing in the European Formula 3 championship this season.
Ferrari
Vettel: Ferrari needs long-term solutions
Sebastian Vettel thinks it would be "completely wrong" for Ferrari to panic after the setbacks which have derailed his 2017 title bid but work to ensure they do not spill over into future campaigns.
Formula 1
U.S. Grand Prix quiz
Formula One heads to Austin this weekend, but how good is your knowledge of grand prix racing in the United States?
U.S. Grand Prix
Preview
Mercedes GP
How the F1 championships can be won in Austin
Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes are both in reach of a world championship at the U.S. Grand Prix. Here's how both can be won at Austin's Circuit of the Americas.
Formula 1
Formula 1
Your alternative U.S. Grand Prix preview
Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes are on the verge of both titles -- but there are other storylines worthy of your attention at this weekend's U.S. Grand Prix.
Formula 1
Can anything stop Hamilton in Austin?
Nate Saunders and Laurence Edmondson discuss if there is anything that can stop Lewis Hamilton from picking up his fourth world title this weekend.
1:57
Live in Austin
AutoRacing
Daniil Kvyat is back in the paddock this weekend. The Russian seemed to be in good spirits and refreshed by his two-race break - even though it was a demotion. Though he didn't watch much of the two races he did miss, he joked that the coverage has at least convinced him he doesn't want to become a journalist any time soon.
AutoRacing
Here's a look at Pirelli's ultra-soft tyres for the U.S. Grand Prix weekend. The printing on the sidewall is usually purple on this compound but as part of F1's efforts to raise breast cancer awareness, they've gone pink in Austin.
Formula 1
U.S. Grand Prix: Full coverage
A round-up of all the reaction across the weekend of the United States Grand Prix, the 17th round of the 2017 Formula One championship.
Chase Carey on how F1 can crack U.S.
A second Grand Prix, a long-term approach towards partnerships with host tracks and a determination to embrace the digital age are all central to Liberty Media's attempts to strike gold for F1 in the relatively untapped American market.
U.S. Grand Prix
Video previews
Ten years on: An opportunity lost for F1 at Indianapolis
Despite being staged for eight years, the U.S. Grand Prix never felt totally at home in Indiana. Maurice Hamilton looks back on F1's time at the historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway and why it was an opportunity lost for F1.
Toro Rosso
Formula 1
Formula 1
Le Mans winner Hartley gets Toro Rosso drive in U.S
Toro Rosso has confirmed Brendon Hartley, who won this year's Le Mans 24 Hours, will make his Formula One debut in place of Pierre Gasly, who will contest the championship finale of Super Formula in Japan.
Formula 1
Formula 1
Who is Brendon Hartley?
It's an opportunity nearly a decade in the making -- a profile of F1's latest debutant, Brendon Hartley.
Formula 1
What can we expect from the US Grand Prix?
ESPN's Jennie Gow and Maurice Hamilton preview the US Grand Prix and Lewis Hamilton's chances of clinching the drivers' championship.
2:24
Formula 1
Merc goes aggressive on tyre choices for Mexico
Pirelli has revealed Formula One teams' tyre selections for the Mexican Grand Prix, with Mercedes opting for a more aggressive approach than its main rivals Ferrari and Red Bull.
Formula 1
Steiner: Levelling F1 field is achievable
Haas boss Guenther Steiner says Formula One is not as far away from closing the gap between the top three teams and the midfield as 2017's results have suggested.
Formula 1
Ecclestone: F1's new bosses don't want me at races
Former F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone claims the sport's new owners do not want him to attend races.
Mercedes GP
Formula 1
Merc hopes '18 car has 'sweeter temperament'
Mercedes technical chief James Allison believes the steps taken to master the team's erratic W08 this season will help deliver a much stronger overall package for 2018.
Formula 1
Sainz: Early Renault switch vital for 2018
Carlos Sainz says finishing the season with new team Renault is crucial to ensuring he is performing at the maximum next year.
Top Headlines
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The race for the title
- EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images
F1 championship standings
Pirelli's 2017 race tyre picks
- Pirelli
2017 grand prix tyre compound selections
A list of which compounds Pirelli is taking to each grand prix on the 2017 calendar.
