Hamilton starts US Grand Prix on pole

Current F1 champion Lewis Hamilton will start the US Grand Prix from pole position after squeezing out his rival and Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg in qualifying.

Hamilton is fighting to stay in contention for the title after a season of disappointing mechanical failures.

He trails Rosberg by 33 points and with only four races left including Sunday’s battle in Austin, Texas, the British racer’s hopes are dependent on the German slipping up.

Three-time champion Hamilton finished just two tenths of a second in front of Rosberg, punching the air as he crossed the line.

Red Bull racers Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen occupy the second row of the grid with the Ferrari racers Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel behind them in fifth and sixth places.

Nico Hulkenberg, Valtteri Bottas, Felipe Massa and Carlos Sainz make up the rest of the top 10 in qualifying.

“I feel amazing,” Hamilton told reporters after the qualifying session.

SHANGHAI, CHINA - OCTOBER 19: Lewis Hamilton (L) of Great Britain and McLaren Mercedes is seen with his father Anthony Hamilton on the grid before the start of the Chinese Formula One Grand Prix at the Shanghai International Circuit on October 19, 2008 in Shanghai, China. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

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“This is my first pole here, and it has been many years of trying. So, I am very happy today.

“I want to say a big thank you to the crowd. I could hear them cheering. It was much appreciated, and I hope tomorrow we can deliver another great race.”

Rosberg added: “Lewis was just quicker in sector one which was pretty simple. It was a good lap.”

It will be a nerve-wracking race for Hamilton’s father Anthony who recently told CNN Sport that the agonies of watching his son race haven’t changed over the last 10 years.

“It’s the same nerves, the heart palpitations when the race gets going,” he said.

Lewis Hamilton’s return to a pole position may help calm his father’s emotions after the British racing star appeared to lose focus following an engine failure.

Australia, March 20 —

Mercedes teammates Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg size each other up as the season begins in Melbourne. On race day, Rosberg starts where he left off in 2015, winning in Albert Park. A poor start relegated Hamilton from pole position to sixth but he fought back to finish second.

Bahrain, April 3 —

Another slow start and a first-lap collision with the Williams of Valtteri Bottas hampers Hamilton's charge. Rosberg ticks off another victory in the desert to stretch his lead as his rival finishes third.

China, April 17 —

In Shanghai, Hamilton starts at the back after an engine problem in qualifying. He fights back to seventh but Rosberg wins again to take a chunky 36-point lead in the championship.

Russia, May 1 —

President Vladimir Putin was on the podium to hand out the victory laurels to Rosberg once more. Another engine problem left Hamilton back in second as his teammate moved into a 43-point lead.

Spain, May 15 —

F1 arrived in Western Europe and served up an unforgettable race in Barcelona. In his first race since his shock promotion to Red Bull, Max Verstappen became the sport's youngest race-winner at 18 ...

Spain, May 15 —

But the Dutch teen only wins after the Mercedes rivals took each other out on the opening lap at the Circuit de Catalunya.

Monaco, May 29 —

The wait is over as Hamilton wins his first grand prix of 2016 in his adopted hometown of Monaco. Seventh-placed Rosberg's championship lead is cut to 24 points.

Canada, June 12 —

"Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee," says Hamilton as he dedicates his victory in Montreal to late boxing great Muhammad Ali. Rosberg slipped to ninth on the opening lap, but got off the ropes to finish fifth.

Azerbaijan, June 19 —

F1 arrives for the new street race around Baku and the historic win goes to a dominant Rosberg. Hamilton is frustrated by an engine mode setting during the European Grand Prix and crosses the line in fifth.

Austria, July 3 —

A thrilling duel between the Mercedes stars ends when the two cars make contact on the last lap. Hamilton survives to take the win while Rosberg limps home in fourth, seeing his lead cut to 11 points.

Britain, July 10 —

Time for a spot of crowd-surfing after a perfect drive for Hamilton at his home track, Silverstone. Rosberg was relegated to third after being told how to solve a gearbox problem over the team radio, breaking rules governing in-race communications -- which were subsequently lifted.

Hungary, July 24 —

Hamilton earns a hug from Hungarian model Barbara Palvin as he takes the lead in the world championship for the first time in 2016 thanks to a win in Budapest. The British driver moved into a six-point lead over Rosberg, who finished second.

Germany, July 31 —

At the final race before F1's summer break, Hamilton rockets past pole-sitter Rosberg off the line and motors to a dominant win and a 19-point advantage in the title race.

Belgium, August 28 —

A month later, Hamilton had to start at the back of the grid after Mercedes chose to make a raft of engine changes in Spa. Hamilton worked his way up to third, but Rosberg romped to the checkered flag for his first win at the legendary circuit.

Italy, September 4 —

Rosberg is on a roll once more as he storms to his first win at Monza and cuts Hamilton's championship lead to just two points. The defending champion had delivered an electrifying lap to start on pole but a poor getaway cost him and he eventually finished second.

Singapore, September 18 —

F1's night race shines the light on Rosberg once more as the German reclaims the championship lead with a crucial victory. Rosberg holds off a thrilling late charge from Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo as an out-of-sorts Hamilton is third.

Malaysia, October 2 —

Hamilton arrived in Kuala Lumpur determined to reignite the title battle, and everything was going smoothly until lap 43 of the race when his engine caught fire. "Oh no, no," moaned Hamilton as he was forced to retire. Rosberg finished third behind Red Bull duo Ricciardo and Verstappen to extend his lead to 23 points.

Japan, October 9 —

Ill-judged social media posts put Hamilton on the back foot. Rosberg narrowly took pole at Suzuka but pulled away for the win as Hamilton could only finish third. Rosberg moved into a seemingly uncatchable 33-point lead in the championship standings.

Japan, October 9 —

Time to pull on the victory t-shirts! Mercedes wraps up its third straight constructors' championship in Suzuka.

United States, October 23 —

Hamilton keeps his title hopes on track in Austin with a win at the Circuit of The Americas. But Rosberg limits the damage with a second-place finish.

Mexico, October 30 —

Hamilton once again takes the spoils, winning his first Mexico Grand Prix. Rosberg follows him home in second and, as F1 heads to Brazil for the penultimate race of the 2016 season, just 19 points separate the Mercedes drivers.

Brazil, November 13 —

The Mercedes rivals share the podium at Interlagos as Hamilton dominates a rain-hit thriller to claim his first Brazilian Grand Prix victory ahead of Rosberg. The result sends the title race down to the wire in Abu Dhabi.

The moment of triumph: Nico Rosberg finishes second behind Lewis Hamilton in Abu Dhabi to secure a first world title -- 34 years after his dad, Keke, won his.

The story of the 2016 F1 season

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At the last race in Japan he amused himself on social media during an official conference, leading to criticism that he showed a lack of respect.

“Lewis is still the same person he always was but he lives in the bubble of motorsport,” said his father.

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“The human side of Lewis is what you saw recently. ‘I know you guys have a job to do but I’m not really enjoying it. Why don’t we try this for a change?’ I think Lewis had a good point.”