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US GP, Practice One: Lewis Hamilton ahead of title rival Sebastian Vettel

Hamilton 0.5s clear of Vettel after wet start; Verstappen fourth after new deal; Sainz beats Hulkenberg, Hartley impresses on debut

Lewis Hamilton made the ideal start to a potential championship-clinching weekend by topping a wet-dry Practice One at the United States GP.

Hamilton, who can claim a fourth world title in Austin if results go his way, finished the opening session with a best time of 1:36.335 on the supersoft tyre - more than half a second quicker than closest championship rival Sebastian Vettel.

Valtteri Bottas was third but 0.6seconds adrift of his Mercedes team-mate's benchmark while Max Verstappen, fresh from a surprise new contract announcement from Red Bull, finished fourth.

Drivers' Championship title permutations

Result Hamilton will be champion if...
Hamilton wins Vettel sixth or lower
Hamilton second Vettel ninth or lower and Bottas doesn't win
Hamilton third or lower Title race goes to Mexico

But a damp start to the weekend was hardly ideal preparation for teams and drivers as morning showers meant track action started on the intermediate compound, with Vettel the first man onto slicks just before the halfway point.

However, while the German improved as the track dried out, Kimi Raikkonen struggled somewhat in the conditions and was seventh - 0.7s down on his Ferrari team-mate. Daniel Ricciardo was another man who span off-track during the session, and finished back in 16th as he failed to set a representative dry-tyre time in the Red Bull.

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Red Bull advisor Dr Helmut Marko discusses Max Verstappen extending his contract until 2020.

That allowed the likes of Stoffel Vandoorne and Felipe Massa to rise up the timesheet, with the Belgian an impressive fifth - though there wasn't any joy for Fernando Alonso in the sister McLaren.

Verstappen signs new contract
When's the US GP on Sky?
Drivers pick up grid penalties in Austin

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Like Verstappen, Alonso is celebrating a new contract this weekend, but he wasn't able to set a single timed lap in FP1 due to a hydraulic leak on his McLaren.

Elsewhere, there were impressive performances from Carlos Sainz and Brendon Hartley on their respective Renault and Toro Rosso debuts.

Sainz was 10th and well clear of new team-mate Nico Hulkenberg, while Hartley - driving a single-seater for the first time in five years - was 14th and 1.1s clear of F2 starlet Sean Gelael, who was standing in for Daniil Kvyat.

"I thought Hartley did a fine job," said Sky F1's Martin Brundle.

The New Zealand-born racer will, however, face a grid penalty this weekend along with Hulkenberg, Vandoorne and Verstappen.

United States GP Practice One Timesheet

Driver Team Time
Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:36.335
Sebastian Vettel Ferrari +0.593
Valtteri Bottas Mercedes +0.644
Max Verstappen Red Bull +1.004
Stoffel Vandoorne McLaren +1.017
Felipe Massa Williams +1.235
Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari +1.263
Esteban Ocon Force India +1.473
Sergio Perez Force India +1.526
Carlos Sainz Renault +1.758
Kevin Magnussen Haas +2.073
Lance Stroll Williams +2.199
Nico Hulkenberg Renault +2.569
Brendon Hartley Toro Rosso +2.932
Romain Grosjean Haas +3.001
Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull +3.031
Sean Gelael Toro Rosso +4.071
Marcus Ericsson Sauber +4.113
Charles Leclerc Sauber +4.493
Fernando Alonso McLaren No time set

Will Lewis Hamilton clinch his fourth world championship in Austin? Watch the US GP weekend live on Sky Sports F1 - the race begins at 8pm on Sunday. Want to watch but not got Sky F1? Buy a NOW TV pass from £6.99!

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