For the fifth time this season Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) starts from the pole position. In the qualifying session in Austin, the Finn set the fastest lap time of 1: 32.209 minutes. Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel was only two thousandths of a second slower than Bottas and starts on Sunday (20.10 clock, live ticker: SPIEGEL, TV: RTL / Sky) from second place. Third was Max Verstappen in the Red Bull, followed by Vettel's team-mate Charles Leclerc.
World Champion Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) only came in fifth, but he will probably win the title for the sixth time. At the US Grand Prix, Hamilton already holds an eighth place to defend his title prematurely.
Three races before the end of the season, the Briton is clearly ahead of his pursuer and team-mate Bottas (289 points) with 363 points. Ferrari's competition has already been eliminated from the title fight, with Leclerc (236 points) and Vettel (230 points) unable to overtake Hamilton and Bottas in the remaining three races.