Formula 1 has finished its Asian sojourn for now and arrived at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. This is a relatively new track and has seen two races since its inception, with Lewis Hamilton winning the inaugural edition in 2012 and Sebastian Vettel taking victory on the way to his fourth consecutive World title in 2013.
The Mercedes powered cars will be a favourite yet again, with Williams and Red Bull Racing following behind. Tyre management has always been a crucial factor at this track and this time around it will be no different.
The Mercedes powered cars will be a favourite yet again, with Williams and Red Bull Racing following behind. Tyre management has always been a crucial factor at this track and this time around it will be no different.
The first practice session of the United States Grand Prix starts at 3pm GMT, with Sky Sports F1 and Sky Sports F1 HD providing live coverage in the UK.
Real-time internet updates are available on the Live Timing section of the sport's official website.
Live coverage of the second practice session starts at 7pm GMT.
Track Facts
Circuit Name: Circuit of the Americas
First F1 Race: 2012
Circuit Length: 5.513 km
Number of Laps: 56
Race Distance: 308.405 km
Lap Record: 1:39.347 Sebastian Vettel (2012)
Most Wins: Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton (1 each)
2013 Winner: Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)
2013 Pole: Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)
Real-time internet updates are available on the Live Timing section of the sport's official website.
Live coverage of the second practice session starts at 7pm GMT.
Track Facts
Circuit Name: Circuit of the Americas
First F1 Race: 2012
Circuit Length: 5.513 km
Number of Laps: 56
Race Distance: 308.405 km
Lap Record: 1:39.347 Sebastian Vettel (2012)
Most Wins: Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton (1 each)
2013 Winner: Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)
2013 Pole: Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)
till, at least Rosberg’s situation is significantly healthier than that of current world champion Sebastian Vettel. After four successive titles, the Red Bull driver has come back to earth with a bump this season; failing to win a single race and lying a lowly fifth in the drivers’ standings. Things will get even worse this weekend, with Vettel already knowing that he will have to start the race from the pit lane having exceeded his allocation of five engines for the season. Controversially, Red Bull appear to have decided that Vettel will sit out qualifying in order to save mileage on his new power unit.
“You can talk about obligations [to run in qualifying], but in the end we have to manage the situation with the engine,” Vettel, who won the US Grand Prix last year, said. “The rules are the same for everyone. Obviously it was our fault we had to be very greedy at the beginning of the season having a lot of issues in terms of reliability and not taking the engines to the end of their lives.”
