Hello and welcome to ESPN's live coverage of qualifying for the 2017 U.S. Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas. |
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Hamilton has dominated practice at the Circuit of the Americas -- topping all three sessions. Only 0.092s separated Hamilton and Vettel at the summit of the timesheets in FP3. Bottas was third fastest ahead of Raikkonen, Verstappen and Massa. |
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Despite winning the U.S. Grand Prix at COTA on four previous occasions, Hamilton has only one pole position to his name, taking pole in 2016. |
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Worrying times at Red Bull as Ricciardo's car is up on the jacks with just 15 minutes until qualifying gets underway. |
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Ten minutes until qualifying kicks off in Austin. It looks to be a close fight between Hamilton and Vettel for pole position. The battle in the midfield, as always, looks tight, with Massa, both Renaults, both Force Indias and Alonso the main drivers looking to make it into Q3. |
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A reminder that Hamilton can claim a fourth drivers' title this weekend with a fifth win at COTA. He needs Vettel to finish sixth or lower. |
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Just minutes away until qualifying gets away. It's dry, but very windy in Austin currently. |
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The green light is on and qualifying is underway here in Austin. |
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Kvyat in the Toro Rosso is the first man out on track, he's on the pink ultra-soft tyres. |
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The track is quiet at the moment. It's just Kvyat in the Toro Rosso circulating. |
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The two Saubers, Grosjean and Hartley are now on track. Q1 sees the slowest five drivers eliminated. |
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Kvyat takes top spot with a 1:37.865s. That will surely be beaten soon and is the only time on the board at the minute. |
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Wehrlein in the Sauber displaces Kvyat at the top of the timesheets. Hartley goes third ahead of Ericsson. |
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Bottas takes top spot on the super-soft tyres, 0.540s clear of Ocon. Raikkonen is third ahead of Vettel and Hamilton -- who made a mistake on his first timed lap. |
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Ricciardo goes third fastest on the ultra-soft tyres while Red Bull teammate Verstappen is complaining of traffic. |
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Verstappen storms to top spot with a 1:34.899s, 0.410s clear of Bottas who is on the super-softs. |
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Grosjean asks: ''What was that mate?'' as replays show Stroll blocking the Frenchman into the final corner. Nearly a collision for both drivers. |
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Hamilton takes top spot on the super-soft tyres, just 0.077s clear of Verstappen. |
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The stewards have announced they are investigating an incident between Magnussen and Perez. Replays show Magnussen blocking Perez in the final part of the lap. |
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Perez on Magnussen: ''What is he doing man?! He's always the same.'' |
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The incident between Stroll and Grosjean at Turn 20 is now under investigation as well. |
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The track as quiet as the majority of the drivers switch to a fresh set of ultra-soft tyres. |
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In the drop zone currently: Wehrlein, Grosjean, Ericsson, Hartley and Magnussen. |
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The chequered flag is out, but a lot of drivers are on personal bests. |
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A late flurry of improvements sees Grosjean make it into Q2. Out of Q1: Ericsson, Stroll, Hartley, Wehrlein and Magnussen. |
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We are go in Q2! |
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Q2 will determine the ten drivers who will make it into the pole position shootout. |
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Hamilton is out on a fresh set of ultra-soft tyres. He will be the first driver to set a time in Q2. |
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A 1:33.560s from Hamilton sees him take top spot, 0.233 clear of Bottas. |
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Ricciardo goes third fastest, but is 0.935s off the pace of the Mercedes. |
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Vettel is only third fastest in the Ferrari. a whopping 0.829s off Hamilton's benchmark. |
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All the cars return to the pits for a fresh set of tyres. In the drop zone currently is: Alonso, Vandoorne, Grosjean, Kvyat and Hulkenberg. |
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The track is busy again as the drivers try and make into the pole position shootout. |
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Everyone bar Hulkenberg, Verstappen and Ricciardo is out on track. |
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The chequered flag falls as drivers begin to complete their final laps of Q2. |
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Hamilton extends his advantage at the front to 0.332s over Bottas. Raikkonen is up to third, Vettel fourth ahead of Ricciardo and Verstappen. |
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Massa, Kvyat, Vandoorne, Grosjean and Hulkenberg all fail to progress into Q3. |
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Fighting it out for pole position: Hamilton, Bottas, Raikkonen, Vettel, Ricciardo, Verstappen, Perez, Sainz, Alonso and Ocon. |
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The standout driver from Q2 is Alonso, making it into Q3 in ninth. The Spaniard was 0.4s clear of Vandoorne, who qualified 13th. |
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Q3 is underway. Can anyone stop Hamilton and Mercedes? |
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Hamilton begins his quest for a second pole position at the Circuit of the Americas with a 25.0s in S1. |
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Hamilton takes provisional pole position with a 1:33.108, 0.460s clear of Bottas. |
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Vettel can only manage third place, 0.759s down on Hamilton's benchmark. Mercedes looks to be in a league of its own. |
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Raikkonen nips ahead of Vettel, but both Ferraris are 0.7s off the pace of Hamilton. |
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After the first runs, Hamilton leads Bottas, Raikkonen, Vettel, Verstappen, Ricciardo, Ocon, Alonso and Sainz. |
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Vettel puts it second, what can Bottas and Raikkonen do? |
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Hamilton takes pole position for the 2017 U.S. Grand Prix ahead of Vettel, Bottas, Ricciardo and Verstappen. |
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Ocon lines up best of the rest in seventh ahead of Sainz, Alonso and Perez. |
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A 72nd pole position for Hamilton, his second at COTA. He will start from pole with title rival Vettel in second. It's the seventh time in 2017 those two have been on the front-row of the grid together. |
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That's it for qualifying at the Circuit of the Americas. Join us tomorrow afternoon for race day. Will Hamilton claim a sixth victory on U.S. soil or can Vettel stop him? Keep checking the ESPN F1 site for all the news and reaction after qualifying. |