AUSTIN, Texas (AP) Defending Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton earned pole position on Saturday for the U.S. Grand Prix, where he's hoping a late-season charge will help catch Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg in the title chase.
Hamilton has won at the Circuit of the Americas three times in four years but never started from pole position. His final lap of 1 minute, 34.999 seconds pushed Rosberg into the No. 2 spot.
Hamilton trails Rosberg by 33 points in the season championship with four races left. His three victories on this track came when he started No. 2.
Rosberg had been on the pole at the U.S. Grand Prix the last two years. He can hold off Hamilton for the season title with a run of second-place finishes.
A win Sunday would all but seal Rosberg's first career Formula One title.
