F1: 5 Talking points from United States GP Qualifying

The Circuit of the Americas (COTA) proved to be a lucrative hunting ground for Mercedes yet again, with Lewis Hamilton picking up yet another pole at a circuit he can do no wrong on at the moment.

The British driver was impressive from start to finish, as was expected, and now has a very good chance of closing out the Formula One Championship on Sunday, owing to his title rival Sebastian Vettel's three-place grid penalty suffered during free practice.

The United States Grand Prix has often been responsible for giving us drama in some way, shape or form, and while qualifying may have seemingly gone off without a hitch, there were still plenty of memorable moments along with some truly nail-biting scenarios.

From the front of the field right till the very back of it, Austin provided us with enough entertainment to justify the unearthly hours of its telecast around the world, and with the race now excitingly set up, one can hope for more of the same today too. Qualifying may be done and dusted, but through it emerged some major talking points. Here are five of the best moments from qualifying at COTA:

#5 Verstappen suffers abrupt end

There isn't a whole lot wrong with what Max Verstappen is doing in this F1 season. The youngster has been prolific out in the front of the field and has been regularly competing at the top with Mercedes and Ferrari.

So when the Dutchman came down with suspected rear suspension damage in Q1 itself, it was a rather tame way to end what seemed like a possible opportunity to start from the front grid. He was clearly disappointed with the way he went out, and starting from fifteenth place is totally unlike the flying Red Bull driver who will have to pull off something truly magical to find his way anywhere near the podium.

#4 Ferrari opt for split strategies

It isn't often that any team in Formula One likes to use completely different strategies for their two drivers and is generally indicative of a larger plan in the long run.

Ferrari never ceases to amaze us and the Italian giants were at it again when Q2 began, with Kimi Raikkonen starting out on the purple-walled ultra soft tyres while Sebastian Vettel took the super softs instead. There was a sudden burst of pace in both red cars, but the softer rubber on the Finn's car certainly helped him get ahead of the pack while Vettel also managed to get ahead of his Mercedes counterparts with an impressive time.

Team Principal Maurizio Arrivabene would be pleased to see the vast improvement in the cars, especially considering the criticism the team has come under in recent times, and this drive was vindication in many ways. Let's hope they can emulate the good work tomorrow as well

#3 Esteban Ocon 'best of the rest'

He may be without a drive for 2019, but you wouldn't be able to tell looking at the way Esteban Ocon drove for Force India last night.

The Frenchman was on fire in Q3 and took advantage of a stalling field to get right into the battle of the front six, subsequently setting an incredibly fast time in the final stage of qualifying and finishing in the sixth position. While he may feel he missed out on something higher owing to Vettel's grid penalty, it was nonetheless a marvelous achievement to finish 'best of the rest'.

Ocon finished light years ahead of his partner Sergio Perez when you consider F1 margins, and it is proof that the young man deserves another chance next season, perhaps with Williams, who seem to be the only real takers for the driver at this particular moment.

#2 Ferrari have their racing 'mojo' back

Not since Monza have we seen some serious pace from the Ferraris, and we feared the worst as did the world after Vettel's three-place grid penalty from free practice on Friday.

But somewhat surprisingly, the Italians were on a roll in Austin, and after a splendid Q2, found themselves on the cusp of something big in Q3. Raikkonen started on the ultra softs while Vettel opted for better grip, but the strategy worked wonders and the German only barely missed out on pole. Raikkonen himself will now start on the front grid because of Vettel's penalty and seeing Ferrari's racing mojo back, we can all witness a grand-stand finish tomorrow.

Ferrari have been impressive at qualifying before, as recognized, but have fallen flat due to either strategic mistakes or mistakes from drivers, and tomorrow provides a final opportunity to right this wrong and perhaps take some pride from a job well done in Austin.

#1 Lewis Hamilton proved his class yet again

If he had any sort of nerves heading into the US Grand Prix, you wouldn't be able to tell. Lewis Hamilton is on the verge of becoming double-world champion and sealed the perfect way to get there after narrowly beating Sebastian Vettel to pole position.

The Brit has a knack of coming up with flying laps when needed the most, and he was at it again in Austin with a stunning drive that kept out the might of the Prancing Horse. Even Vettel himself would have to appreciate that this season's sure-shot championship winner has something extra every single time and it is down to Hamilton's pure class that he gets the job done more often than not. Could we be seeing him lift the ultimate crown once again? Seems like a no-brainer at this point. True champ in every sense.

Edited by Raunak J