AUSTIN (Texas): Triple Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton won a qualifying battle with Mercedes team-mate and title rival Nico Rosberg on Saturday to secure pole position for the US Grand Prix.

Hamilton, 33 points behind the German with four rounds remaining, outgunned Rosberg on the last lap to grab his first pole position at the Circuit of the Americas, where he’s won three times starting from second.

The Briton’s fastest lap of one minute 34.999 seconds was 0.216 quicker than Rosberg, who starts alongside him on the front row.

Red Bull flirted with the top spots on Saturday when Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo went 1-2 in the morning practice. But neither car was able to challenge the supremacy of Mercedes once qualifying began.

Ricciardo qualified third fastest with Dutch team-mate Verstappen joining him on the second row and the Ferraris of Kimi Raikkonen and four-time champion Sebastian Vettel taking fifth and sixth.

Renault-bound Nico Hulk­enberg was seventh for Force India ahead of Valtteri Bottas and his Williams team-mate Felipe Massa and Carlos Sainz of Toro Rosso.

Published in Dawn, October 24th, 2016