Lewis Hamilton has smashed the track record to claim pole position for the US Grand Prix, a race in which the Mercedes driver could clinch a fourth Formula One world championship.
Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel -- the Briton's closest rival but 59 points behind in the standings with four races remaining -- qualified second fastest.
Hamilton's teammate Valtteri Bottas was third and will start alongside Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo on the second row of the grid.
Hamilton, chasing his fifth win in six years at the Circuit of the Americas, will be champion on Sunday if he scores 16 points more than Vettel.
The pole, in a time of 1min 33.108sec, was the 72nd of Hamilton's career, 11th of the season and set a new mark for most front-row places at 117.
"The team have done a great job, the track was very difficult with the wind picking up," Hamilton said.
"But I love this track it is such a fantastic track to drive, I love it."
While Mercedes look sure to clinch the constructors' championship for the fourth year in a row, with a 145-point advantage over Ferrari, Hamilton played down his own chances of wrapping things up in America.
"I think it's highly unlikely that's going to be the case," the 32-year-old said.
"Sebastian is right there so unless he makes a silly mistake, which is unlikely as he's a four-times world champion, then we are going to be seeing it (the battle) continue on to other races."
Vettel kept within striking distance with a 1:33.347 that put him on the front row.
"My lap was very poor in Q3 (the third phase) and I knew I had to deliver," the German said.
"I got it right when it mattered at the end. It's important to get the front row because I believe our race pace is really good."
Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen qualified fifth with Max Verstappen sixth for Red Bull, but the Dutch 20-year-old has a 15-place grid penalty. That will lift Force India's Esteban Ocon up to the third row.
Renault's Carlos Sainz will start seventh alongside compatriot Fernando Alonso in a McLaren.
New Zealander Brendon Hartley, making his Formula One debut at Toro Rosso, will be last on the grid after qualifying 18th but with a 25-place penalty for an engine change decided on before he arrived in the team.
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