Formula One: Lewis Hamilton on pole in Austin, Sebastian Vettel starts 5th

Lewis Hamilton took a big step towards clinching his fifth Formula One world championship after putting his Mercedes on pole position at the U.S. Grand Prix on Saturday with Ferrari rival Sebastian Vettel starting fifth.

The Briton, who will take the title if he scores eight points more than Vettel, will share the front row with the German's Finnish teammate Kimi Raikkonen.

Vettel, who qualified second on Saturday and just 0.061 slower than Hamilton, has a three-place grid drop after failing to slow sufficiently while red flags were being waved in Friday practice.