Circuit of the Americas before the United States Grand Prix. JAY JANNER / AMERICAN-STATESMAN
Lewis Hamilton, plagued by poor starts this year, held his ground out of the blocks of Sunday’s United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas.
Hamilton, the three-time driving champion from England, led the Formula One race halfway through the 56 laps. Hamilton has won three of four U.S. Grand Prixs at COTA.
Nico Rosberg, who leads the season points race, started second but was passed underneath on the esses by Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo. Rosberg was running third through 27 laps.
Scuderia Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, who won the only U.S. Grand Prix that Hamilton hasn’t in Austin, was off to a solid start, running fourth.
He was followed by Ferrari teammate Kimi Raikkonen and Max Verstappen.
Rounding out the top 10 on a cloudy, mid-70s day: Felipe Massa, Carlos Sainz, Fernando Alonso and Jensen Button, who is retiring after this season.
Haas F1 Team, the first U.S.-owned team in 30 years, got off to a much better start than the way they had practiced and qualified. Romain Grosjean, the lead Haas driver, was 11th.
