Ferrari's Raikkonen could leapfrog Lewis Hamilton at the start in Texas

US Grand Prix
Channel 4 & Sky Sports F1, 7.10pm Sunday

Top tip
Kimi Raikkonen leader after lap one 11-4
Kimi Raikkonen has yet to gain a place on the first lap of a grand prix this season but the Ferrari driver could make up for that by leading at the end of the first circuit.

Lewis Hamilton claimed his ninth pole position of the season, but the Ferraris were closer than expected in qualifying. Sebastian Vettel missed out on the fastest time by just 0.061 seconds, with Raikkonen a mere 0.009 seconds further back.

Vettel's three-place grid penalty, picked up for a rules infringement during practice, promotes Raikkonen to the front row and he'll be under orders to attack.

Hamilton will win his fifth championship if he outscores Vettel by eight points in Austin.

Raikkonen's chances of leapfrogging the Mercedes man are helped by his tyre strategy. The Iceman starts on the ultrasoft tyres, which should give him better traction off the line than Hamilton's supersofts.

And Raikkonen's tyres should also give him an advantage negotiating the first corner - a hairpin with a very wide entry which has historically been one of the best opening corners for overtaking on the calendar.

Vettel got the jump on Hamilton into turn one at Austin last year, while in 2015 Hamilton barged his way past his then teammate Nico Rosberg to claim the first-lap lead.

Other markets
Pierre Gasly points finish 7-2
It's late in the season but Toro Rosso and their engine partner Honda are still aggressively developing and it shows.

The latest round of Honda upgrades mean Pierre Gasly and Brendon Hartley will start the race from the back having exceeded their allocation of engines yet again, but they have shown enough speed recently to suggest they can make a decent recovery.

Both cars qualified in the top seven in Japan last time while Gasly's lap in Q1 on Saturday was bettered only by the Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bulls.

Gasly, who has been promoted to Red Bull for next season, has managed four points-finishes this season and looks a bit of value to climb into the top ten.

Recommendations
K Raikkonen leader after one lap
1pt 11-4 Hills
P Gasly points finish
1pt 7-2 general

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