AUSTIN, Texas (AP) " Defending champion Lewis Hamilton posted the fastest lap of Friday's first practice at the U.S. Grand Prix as he seeks to make a late charge at Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg in the championship chase. Hamilton's fastest lap was in 1 minute, 37.428 seconds. Hamilton trails Rosberg by 33 points in the points standings heading into the final four races. That almost puts Hamilton in a must-win situation if he wants to have a realistic chance of retaining his title. Red Bull's Max Verstappen was third at 1:39.379Rosberg started from the pole in Texas in each of the last two years only to see Hamilton win.

Source: New Zealand Herald October 21, 2016 16:52 UTC