Nico Rosberg earned a chance to tighten his Formula One championship duel with Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton by winning the pole position on Saturday for the US Grand Prix, while the race faced an early threat of a boycott by several teams that are struggling financially.
Rosberg edged Hamilton by .376 seconds at the Circuit of the Americas. Valtteri Bottas of Williams is to start third.
Hamilton leads Rosberg by 17 points in the drivers’ championship with three races left.
Photo: AFP
Saturday’s qualifying was clouded by the roiling tensions between Formula One’s wealthiest teams and those struggling to survive. Two teams, Marussia and Caterham, had already dropped out of yesterday’s race because of financial problems, reducing the grid to at most 18 cars, the smallest in nine years.
For several hours, it looked like it could get quite a bit smaller.
Sahara Force India deputy principal Bob Fernley said his team, Sauber and Lotus, were discussing a potential boycott or pulling out after one lap, but would not commit to either action.
“It’s something that has to be discussed with the team owners. That’s quite a serious decision and they’re the only ones who can make it,” Fernley said. “It’s not off the table, that’s for sure.”
The threat seemed to fade by late afternoon.
Lotus officials dismissed the chance of sitting out the race, and Sauber team principal Monisha Kaltenborn said her team wanted to “maximize” driver Adrian Sutil’s first top 10 qualifying position this season.
Then Formula One commercial boss Bernie Ecclestone and Circuit of the Americas Chairman Bobby Epstein said the teams will race.
“Forget all that,” Ecclestone said. “They will be racing, I give you a guarantee, but I worry if they will be racing next year.”
The mere threat of action conjured images of the disastrous US Grand Prix of 2005, when a boycott over tire safety left only six cars racing. Winner Michael Schumacher was booed on the podium, the traditional champagne celebration was canceled and the public address announcer implored fans not throw things.
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