FORMULA 1

LCH ON POLE FOR THE MEXICAN GP WHILST NICO STRUGGLED TO KEEP THE SECOND SPOT

Rosberg had looked set to start behind the Red Bull duo of Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo, but a last-gasp effort got him to within a quarter of a second of Hamilton’s pole time.

Verstappen will start third, ahead of Ricciardo.  Both Mercedes and Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel (who qualified seventh) will start the race on the soft tyre, after using it to progress from Q2, while both Red Bulls and Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen (sixth) will start on supersofts.

LCH: “I had a great start in Austin on the softs, just as good as the guys on the super-softs,” said Rosberg.

“It’s a long run down to Turn 1 so that should be an advantage for the guy starting second.

“I hope to get a good slipstream off Lewis and try to get first place before Turn 1. It will be possible to get a good tow.”