US Grand Prix LIVE updates (Image: GETTY)
Lewis Hamilton can win his fifth world title tonight if he finishes eight points above Sebastian Vettel.
The Brit’s ideal scenario will be to secure the Drivers’ Championship with his 10th race win of the season – but that will need to come coupled with Vettel finishing third or below.
Hamilton will start from pole position after wrapping up the fastest lap in qualifying.
But Vettel, who was marginally slower than his Mercedes rival, will incur a three-place grid penalty for speeding during a red flag in practice, so he has been pushed down to fifth.
His Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikkonen joins Hamilton on the front row, while Valtteri Bottas and Daniel Ricciardo complete the top four.
And Hamilton was delighted to secure his spot at the front of the grid.
“That was very important. That was close,” he said after qualification.
“I didn’t know how close it was going to be once we got to qualifying but obviously when we went into that last run I knew it would be quite edgy between us and it would require quite solid laps.”
Hamilton will start the race on pole position (Image: GETTY)
US Grand Prix LIVE
Lap 22: Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen go wheel-to-wheel and the Mercedes man is forced out wide!
Thrilling racing by the pair but the worry will be how much that takes out of their tyres.
Raikkonen chooses to pit meaning Hamilton regains the lead with Valtteri Bottas second. Raikkonen comes out of the pits in fourth place, behind Sebastian Vettel.
Lap 20: Lewis Hamilton has three bites at Kimi Raikkonen but the Finn defends every manoeuvre.
Hamilton is right up the rear of Raikkonen and is giving him no breathing space as the gap closes to three tenths of a second.
This battle can only be good news for the chasing pack as they gain time on the front two, who have been in a fierce battle for almost two full laps now.
Lap 17: Lewis Hamilton is continuing to close the gap to Kimi Raikkonen – 2seconds are all that separate the pair, with the Ferrari still yet to pit.
Valtteri Bottas is comfortable in third with Max Verstappen, who started 18th, in fourth.
Sebastian Vettel remains fifth – 18seconds behind the race leader.
Hamilton lost his pole position on the first corner (Image: GETTY)
US Grand Prix LIVE
Lap 14: Surprise, surprise, Valtteri Bottas moves aside to let Lewis Hamilton up to second place.
The Brit will now look to crank the heat up on Kimi Raikkonen, who is seven seconds ahead but has still yet to pit.
It now looks like an extremely clever decision to bring Hamilton in under the Virtual Safety Car as he should return to pole when the Ferrari pit Raikkonen.
Lap 12: Lewis Hamilton pits under the Virtual Safety Car but Kimi Raikkonen stays out.
Hamilton returns to the race in third place behind team-mate Valtteri Bottas.
Sebastian Vettel overtakes Nico Hulkenberg as the VSC is recalled and only Max Verstappen now separates the German and Hamilton.
Lap 10: Daniel Ricciardo and Sebastian Vettel will not face an inquiry over their opening-lap incident.
And as soon as the news comes through Ricciardo pulls his car over on the side of the track and walks back to the paddock, this guy just has no luck!
It looks like it could be an engine power failure.
A Virtual Safety Car has been issued while Ricciardo’s Red Bull is cleared from the track.
Lap 7: Kimi Raikkonen is reassured by Ferrari engineers that there are no problems with his car as he leads the race.
The Finn is flying around this track as he extends his gap to 2.5seconds. Team-mate Sebastian Vettel is beginning to climb back up the grid – he’s up to eighth.
Meanwhile, the stewards have announced they will investigate Romain Grosjean and Charles Leclerc’s first-lap incident after the race. Leclerc is still out there in 17th place while Grosjean retired.
Lap 4: We lost Fernando Alonso and Romain Grosjean from that opening-lap fracas as they are no longer able to continue.
Kimi Raikkonen is starting to open up a decent gap at the front – he is almost two seconds ahead of Lewis Hamilton.
Lap 1: What a dream start for Kimi Raikkonen as he undertakes Lewis Hamilton at the first corner to lead the US Grand Prix!
But the Brit’s title chances have taken a huge boost as Sebastian Vettel makes another crucial error by colliding with Daniel Riccairdo and spinning his Ferrari.
The German is down to 13th and now has a mountain to climb to keep his title hopes alive.
A couple of other cars collide at the back of the grid and it looks like Fernando Alonso is coming into the pits.
Mercedes had to change the water pumps on both of their cars two hours before the race (Image: GETTY)
7.05pm: Excitement is at fever pitch now as Hamilton settles into his cockpit on the grid.
This start is set to be a belter with so much on the line for so many drivers.
Raikkonen will be looking to get the jump on Hamilton, while Bottas will be looking to do likewise to his fellow Finn.
6.55pm: Valtteri Bottas stopped for a word as he was walking to his car on the gird and revealed his plans for the race.
“We want to be one-two as a team so I’m going to be looking ahead and attacking rather than looking behind,” says the Finn.
“There’s normally good possibilities at the start so hopefully I can gain some positions.”
6.45pm: A quick reminder of how the top 10 will line up; Hamilton, Raikkonen, Bottas, Ricciardo, Vettel, Ocon, Hulkenberg, Grosjean, Leclerc, Perez
6.40pm: Mercedes are pinning their hopes on Valtteri Bottas overtaking Kimi Raikkonen early on to try and slow down the chasing pack.
Team boss Toto Wolff also says he would not be afraid of telling the Finn to give up his position if he finds himself ahead of Hamilton.
“The objective of Valtteri is to go for it at the beginning,” said Toto Wolff. “He hasn’t got a lot to lose and can show a strong race.”
“We have been discussing that and struggling so much with the decision.
“Eventually when it comes on Sunday, I probably would go for the points but in my heart I hate it. Let’s see how Sunday goes.”
The Brit needs to finish eight points above Vettel (Image: GETTY)
6.30pm: Sebastian Vettel has just spoken on his way to the grid and he is still targeting a win tonight while also hoping team-mate Kimi Raikkonen can slow the Brit down on the opening lap.
“If [Raikkonen] can get a good start then maybe he can be a challenge,” Vettel said.
“For me it is pretty clear, I know I need to win. Unfortunatly it depends a lot on what Lewis is doing.
“For me, I am still racing for the Championship so I need to win.”
6.15pm: Mercedes had a slight worry an hour ago as they raced to change the water pumps on both of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas’ cars after a leak was found.
The new pumps have been replaced by “old, proven pumps of the same spec.”
Meanwhile, Max Versappen has had a new gearbox fitted after it broke during Q1 yesterday.
The Dutchman will incur a five-place grid penalty so will start from 18th.
6pm: Good evening and welcome to the Circuit of the Americas where Lewis Hamilton can equal Juan Manuel Fangio’s record of five world titles.
The Brit can also take his tally to within two of the legendary Michael Schumacher’s record – but first he must fend off the challenge of Ferrari who looked to have turned a corner this weekend.
The Prancing Horse were quicker in FP3 and they came close to snatching pole position themselves in qualifying.
But Sebastian Vettel’s grid penalty means he must fight his way from fifth on the grid – but if he can climb to second it will postpone Hamilton’s celebrations.
Stay tuned to stay on top of all the action here in Texas.