The Circuit of The Americas has been kind to Lewis Hamilton in recent years, but it was his Mercedes team mate and the only driver who can stop him winning a sixth world crown, Valtteri Bottas, who took pole position for Sunday’s United States Grand Prix in nail-biting fashion. It was Hamilton who showed the most impressive pace over one lap in Friday practice, but the five-time world champion made a mistake on his final run in the middle sector, forcing him out of contention for pole position and leaving him a distant fifth. As it turned out, no one improved their position on the final runs, meaning Bottas's impressive opening gambit was enough to secure a first pole at COTA and the 11th of his F1 career. But he finished just 0.012s ahead of the Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel. Max Verstappen made it three different teams in the top three positions, with the Dutchman heading up the second row for Red Bull, just 0.067s off the pace as Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc – who has been on pole in five of the last six races – ended up fourth. Via formula1.com Photos via Motorsport Images