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<b>VETTEL ON POLE:</b> Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel (L) earns pole position for the 2012 US Grand Prix.
AUSTIN, Texas, Nov 17 - Red Bull's championship leader Sebastian Vettel will start the 2012 US Grand Prix from pole position. Vettel is perfectly placed to secure his third Formula 1 title in succession.
Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, 10 points behind with two races remaining and the only man who can deny Vettel the title, set only the ninth quickest time in qualifying.
Alonso will move up to eighth on the starting grid, and right behind team mate Felipe Massa in sixth, due to a five place penalty imposed on Lotus' Romain Grosjean for an unscheduled gearbox change.
'A FANTASTIC START'
Alonso, who will have no problems getting ahead of Massa, will however have to start on the 'dirty' side of the grid.
Vettel, who dominated all three practice sessions at the sport's newest venue, will have McLaren's Lewis Hamilton alongside on the front row.
Hamilton, winner of the US Grand Prix at Indianapolis in 2007, was just a tenth of a second slower.
Vettel said: "It was a bit closer than I wanted, but fantastic to start on the front and on the clean side.
Red Bull are set to clinch the constructors' title for the third year in a row on November 18 and have Mark Webber, Vettel's team mate, in third place on the grid with Kimi Raikkonen fourth for Lotus.
2012 United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas
Qualifying results
1 Sebastian Vettel (Germany) Red Bull 1min35.657
2 Lewis Hamilton (Britain) McLaren 1min35.766
3 Mark Webber (Australia) Red Bull 1min36.174
4 Romain Grosjean (France) Lotus 1min36.587
5 Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) Lotus 1min36.708
6 Michael Schumacher (Germany) Mercedes 1min36.794
7 Felipe Massa (Brazil) Ferrari 1min36.937
8 Nico Huelkenberg (Germany) Force India - Mercedes 1min37.141
9 Fernando Alonso (Spain) Ferrari 1min37.300
10 Pastor Maldonado (Venezuela) Williams 1min37.842
11 Bruno Senna (Brazil) Williams 1min37.604
12 Jenson Button (Britain) McLaren 1min37.616
13 Paul Di Resta (Britain) Force India 1min37.665
14 Jean-Eric Vergne (France) Toro Rosso i 1min37.879
15 Sergio Perez (Mexico) Sauber 1min38.206
16 Kamui Kobayashi (Japan) Sauber 1min38.437
17 Nico Rosberg (Germany) Mercedes 1min38.501
18 Daniel Ricciardo (Australia) Toro Rosso 1min39.114
19 Timo Glock (Germany) Marussia 1min40.056
20 Charles Pic (France) Marussia 1min40.664
21 Vitaly Petrov (Russia) Caterham 1min40.809
22 Heikki Kovalainen (Finland) Caterham 1min41.166
23 Pedro de la Rosa (Spain) HRT 1min42.011
24 Narain Karthikeyan (India) HRT 1min42.740
1-10min third and final qualifying session
11-17min second qualifying session
18-24min first qualifying session
Third practice
Second practice
First practice
Stay with Wheels24 for the US GP weekend.
Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, 10 points behind with two races remaining and the only man who can deny Vettel the title, set only the ninth quickest time in qualifying.
Alonso will move up to eighth on the starting grid, and right behind team mate Felipe Massa in sixth, due to a five place penalty imposed on Lotus' Romain Grosjean for an unscheduled gearbox change.
'A FANTASTIC START'
Alonso, who will have no problems getting ahead of Massa, will however have to start on the 'dirty' side of the grid.
Vettel, who dominated all three practice sessions at the sport's newest venue, will have McLaren's Lewis Hamilton alongside on the front row.
Hamilton, winner of the US Grand Prix at Indianapolis in 2007, was just a tenth of a second slower.
Vettel said: "It was a bit closer than I wanted, but fantastic to start on the front and on the clean side.
Red Bull are set to clinch the constructors' title for the third year in a row on November 18 and have Mark Webber, Vettel's team mate, in third place on the grid with Kimi Raikkonen fourth for Lotus.
2012 United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas
Qualifying results
1 Sebastian Vettel (Germany) Red Bull 1min35.657
2 Lewis Hamilton (Britain) McLaren 1min35.766
3 Mark Webber (Australia) Red Bull 1min36.174
4 Romain Grosjean (France) Lotus 1min36.587
5 Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) Lotus 1min36.708
6 Michael Schumacher (Germany) Mercedes 1min36.794
7 Felipe Massa (Brazil) Ferrari 1min36.937
8 Nico Huelkenberg (Germany) Force India - Mercedes 1min37.141
9 Fernando Alonso (Spain) Ferrari 1min37.300
10 Pastor Maldonado (Venezuela) Williams 1min37.842
11 Bruno Senna (Brazil) Williams 1min37.604
12 Jenson Button (Britain) McLaren 1min37.616
13 Paul Di Resta (Britain) Force India 1min37.665
14 Jean-Eric Vergne (France) Toro Rosso i 1min37.879
15 Sergio Perez (Mexico) Sauber 1min38.206
16 Kamui Kobayashi (Japan) Sauber 1min38.437
17 Nico Rosberg (Germany) Mercedes 1min38.501
18 Daniel Ricciardo (Australia) Toro Rosso 1min39.114
19 Timo Glock (Germany) Marussia 1min40.056
20 Charles Pic (France) Marussia 1min40.664
21 Vitaly Petrov (Russia) Caterham 1min40.809
22 Heikki Kovalainen (Finland) Caterham 1min41.166
23 Pedro de la Rosa (Spain) HRT 1min42.011
24 Narain Karthikeyan (India) HRT 1min42.740
1-10min third and final qualifying session
11-17min second qualifying session
18-24min first qualifying session
Third practice
Second practice
First practice
Stay with Wheels24 for the US GP weekend.
