Round 17 of the 2014 Formula 1 season took place at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.
It was the 36th United States Grand Prix to appear on the F1 calendar and the third to take place at the popular track.
Austin’s laid-back atmosphere, culture, music scene and challenging circuit have made it one of the paddock’s favourite places to visit. Only nine teams took part in the weekend, after Marussia and Caterham both entered administration.
Of course, the thoughts of the entire motorsport community continue to be with Jules Bianchi after his serious accident at the Japanese Grand Prix.
FP1
The first practice session of the United States Grand Prix weekend got off to a busy start, with Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg being the first to take to the track.
Max Verstappen and Felipe Nasr replaced Jean-Eric Vergne and Felipe Massa for practice one. The two McLaren drivers led the way early on. There were plenty of lock-ups and off-track excursions as drivers got back up to speed at the Circuit of the Americas.
The Mercedes duo soon moved to the front, with Lewis Hamilton's 1:39.941 proving to be the quickest time of the session. Nico Rosberg finished three tenths further back, with Jenson Button, Daniil Kvyat and Kevin Magnussen completing the top five.
Fernando Alonso, Sebastian Vettel, Nasr, Hulkenberg and Verstappen rounded out the top 10. An ERS problem for Daniel Ricciardo cut short his session and he slipped to 17th, ahead of the struggling Romain Grosjean.
FP2
The second practice session of the United States Grand Prix weekend got off to a quiet start, with Bottas being the first to take to the track.
It was the Finn's first time sampling the Circuit of the Americas at the wheel of 2014 machinery, after he was replaced by Nasr in practice one. Vergne was also back driving his Toro Rosso STR9.
Bottas put in the opening lap time, before Hamilton and Rosberg then moved to the front. Drivers then switched to the soft compound tyre for qualifying runs. Massa, Grosjean and Maldonado both suffered spins.
In the final part of the session, focus moved to long runs. Hamilton remained at the top of the timesheets with a best time of 1:39.085, which was just 0.003 seconds faster than Rosberg's best effort. Alonso, Ricciardo and Massa completed the top five. Raikkonen, Kvyat, Magnussen, Button and Hulkenberg rounded out the top 10. Vettel was the slowest of the 18 runners, focusing on high-fuel running.
FP3
It was a clean sweep for Hamilton in United States Grand Prix practice, with the Brit topping the third and final session on Saturday morning.
The two Mercedes drivers did very little running in the first half of practice three, before emerging with 25 minutes remaining to complete final preparations. The soft tyres were used in the final 15 minutes.
Hamilton's 1:37.107 proved to be unbeatable, with Rosberg finishing eight tenths down after problems with a glazed brake disc. Massa, Bottas and Alonso completed the top five. Ricciardo, Hulkenberg, Sutil, Raikkonen and Button rounded out the top 10.
Drivers continued to struggle for grip, with cooler conditions at the Circuit of the Americas not helping matters. Several drivers suffered off-track excursions, with Hamilton spinning at turn 12. Vettel focused on long runs yet again and completed the results.
Q1
With Marussia and Caterham missing the race weekend, the FIA tweaked the qualifying format. The slowest four drivers were eliminated from Q1, which got off to a busy start.
Hulkenberg, Perez and Gutierrez were the first to take to the track in the 18-minute session.
Perez put in the opening benchmark on the soft Pirelli compound. He was quickly displaced by Hamilton, before Rosberg moved to the front. With just a few minutes remaining, the entire field took to the circuit on the option tyre.
Hamilton ended the session in first place with a 1:37.196. Massa and Bottas were second and third, with Rosberg not completing a timed lap on the soft compound and dropping to fourth. Vergne, Gutierrez, Vettel - predictably - and Grosjean all finished in the drop-zone.
Q2
Four drivers were also eliminated from the second segment of qualifying. Kvyat was the first driver to take to the Circuit of the Americas.
It was a quiet start, with the Russian rookie - who was handed a 10-place grid penalty for a power-unit change - setting the opening lap time.
Rosberg moved to the front with a 1:37.099, with his team-mate going two tenths down in second place. The German then bettered his best time by eight tenths of a second, with Hamilton remaining his pit garage.
The Englishman stayed in second place, with Massa, Bottas, Ricciardo, Alonso and Button next up. Magnussen, Raikkonen and Sutil completed the top 10. It was Sauber's first time in Q3 in 2014. Meanwhile Maldonado, Perez, Hulkenberg and Kvyat all failed to make it through to the top 10 shoot-out.
Q3
The final segment of qualifying decided the top 10 positions on the United States Grand Prix grid. Ricciardo was the only driver to take to the track in the opening minute.
He was then joined by eight of the remaining nine runners, with Sutil remaining in his pit garage. Ricciardo's opening benchmark was only good enough for eighth place after the first runs.
Rosberg led the way with a 1:36.282, just under two tenths clear of Hamilton. He found more time on his second timed lap and it proved to be enough for the German to take pole position for the ninth time in 2014. Hamilton retained second, with Bottas failing to improve in third.
Massa and Ricciardo completed the top five. Alonso, Button - who has a five-place grid penalty for a gearbox change - and Magnussen were next up. Raikkonen and Sutil rounded out the top 10.
Full qualifying results can be found here.
The Race
Conditions were warm and dry for the 17th round of the 2014 Formula 1 season, with the United States Grand Prix taking place at the Circuit of the Americas for the third time.
The thoughts of the entire F1 world remained with Bianchi following his accident in Japan. Rosberg secured his ninth pole of the year on Saturday, with Hamilton rounding out the front row. Could the 2008 world champion take the fight to his team-mate? Read on to find out...
The revs rose, the lights went out and the United States Grand Prix got under way in Texas. Off the line, Rosberg had a strong start and retained the lead into turn one. It was a clean first corner, with Bottas slipping to fourth behind his team-mate.
Ricciardo lost two places in the first sector, before making one position up at turn 12, while Sutil stayed in ninth. However, he was taken out of the race at turn 15 after contact with Perez. The Mexican dived up the inside, clipped Raikkonen and collided with the Sauber.
The safety car was quickly deployed, with several drivers - including Magnussen, Hulkenberg and Button - taking to the pit lane. Vettel, who started from the pits, stopped at the end of lap two.
Sutil's Sauber was quickly cleared and the race resumed on lap four, with Rosberg releasing the field at turn 17. Bottas failed to find a way past Massa, with Ricciardo successfully moving ahead of Alonso to take fifth.
Rosberg's lead was eight tenths by lap nine, with Hamilton closing slightly on his team-mate. Maldonado, Vergne and Gutierrez were all handed five-second stop/go penalties for speeding behind the safety car.
Massa and Ricciardo dived into the pits at the end of lap 14, with the two drivers re-joining on different tyre compounds. Rosberg took to the pit lane at the end of the next tour and emerged on the medium Pirelli tyre. Bottas also stopped and lost a position to Ricciardo.
Hamilton was next to pit and lost time to his team-mate. Hulkenberg became the third retirement from the race on lap 17 after a mechanical problem. Alonso and Vettel went side-by-side as they passed the slowing Hulkenberg, with the Spaniard moving ahead of the four-time champion.
The gap between the two Mercedes drivers was cut to 1.4 seconds by lap 20. Hamilton continued to close in on Rosberg, as Button and Alonso battled closely further back. After several failed attempts, the Spaniard found his way through at turn one.
Hamilton dived up the inside of his title rival at turn 12 on lap 24 to take the lead of the race. Magnussen pitted for the second time at the end of lap 27, with his struggling team-mate stopping on the following tour.
Bottas, Ricciardo and Massa pitted on the 30th, 31st and 32nd laps. They all returned to the track on the medium compound, with the latter losing third place. Mercedes covered off the drivers behind, with Hamilton and Rosberg pitting on the following two laps.
Maldonado was handed another five-second stop/go penalty, this time for speeding in the pit lane. Alonso pitted for the third time on lap 44, returning to the track behind Vettel. However, with a little help from DRS, he moved up to sixth place on lap 46 at turn 12.
Vettel pitted for the fourth time on lap 49, switching to the soft compound tyre. Vergne dived past Grosjean, who was stuck behind Button, at turn one on the next lap. The Lotus driver dropped from ninth to 11th, promoting his team-mate one position.
Button and Vettel went side-by-side into turn 12 on lap 54, with the two drivers making contact. The German moved ahead of the 2009 world champion at the following corner. As the midfield battled to the very end, Hamilton took the chequered flag to win his 10th win of the year.
Hamilton wins the 2014 United States Grand Prix
After a difficult first stint, Hamilton found some speed and closed down his team-mate, overtaking Rosberg with a great move at turn 12. It was a faultless drive, with the 2008 world champion taking his 32nd career victory and the British record.
Rosberg had the upper hand in the early stages, but he couldn't keep Hamilton behind him and eventually had to settle for second place. The German finished 4.3 seconds down on the race winner, having lost time in traffic on the final lap.
Ricciardo completed the podium after a fantastic drive from fifth on the grid. The Aussie put in some strong overtakes, finishing 1.3 seconds clear of Massa. The Brazilian had a good start and managed to stay ahead of his team-mate. Bottas completed the top five.
Alonso was sixth for Ferrari, showing good pace in the final part of the race. Vettel recovered to seventh from the pit lane after a late pit stop, with Magnussen taking the chequered flag in eighth. Vergne finished 10th on the road but moved ahead of Maldonado due to the Lotus driver's time penalty.
The Venezuelan dropped to 10th, but still scored his first point of the year. Grosjean dropped to 11th, with Button coming home a disappointing 12th. Raikkonen had an anonymous run to 13th, with Gutierrez and Kvyat rounding out the finishers. Hulkenberg, Perez and Sutil were the only retirements.
The result now means a Mercedes driver will take the world title, with Ricciardo falling out of contention. Hamilton now has a 24-point lead over Rosberg heading to Brazil.
US GP race results can be found here.
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| © Octane Photographic |
Austin’s laid-back atmosphere, culture, music scene and challenging circuit have made it one of the paddock’s favourite places to visit. Only nine teams took part in the weekend, after Marussia and Caterham both entered administration.
Of course, the thoughts of the entire motorsport community continue to be with Jules Bianchi after his serious accident at the Japanese Grand Prix.
FP1
The first practice session of the United States Grand Prix weekend got off to a busy start, with Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg being the first to take to the track.
 |
| © Octane Photographic |
Max Verstappen and Felipe Nasr replaced Jean-Eric Vergne and Felipe Massa for practice one. The two McLaren drivers led the way early on. There were plenty of lock-ups and off-track excursions as drivers got back up to speed at the Circuit of the Americas.
The Mercedes duo soon moved to the front, with Lewis Hamilton's 1:39.941 proving to be the quickest time of the session. Nico Rosberg finished three tenths further back, with Jenson Button, Daniil Kvyat and Kevin Magnussen completing the top five.
Fernando Alonso, Sebastian Vettel, Nasr, Hulkenberg and Verstappen rounded out the top 10. An ERS problem for Daniel Ricciardo cut short his session and he slipped to 17th, ahead of the struggling Romain Grosjean.
FP2
The second practice session of the United States Grand Prix weekend got off to a quiet start, with Bottas being the first to take to the track.
 |
| © Octane Photographic |
It was the Finn's first time sampling the Circuit of the Americas at the wheel of 2014 machinery, after he was replaced by Nasr in practice one. Vergne was also back driving his Toro Rosso STR9.
Bottas put in the opening lap time, before Hamilton and Rosberg then moved to the front. Drivers then switched to the soft compound tyre for qualifying runs. Massa, Grosjean and Maldonado both suffered spins.
In the final part of the session, focus moved to long runs. Hamilton remained at the top of the timesheets with a best time of 1:39.085, which was just 0.003 seconds faster than Rosberg's best effort. Alonso, Ricciardo and Massa completed the top five. Raikkonen, Kvyat, Magnussen, Button and Hulkenberg rounded out the top 10. Vettel was the slowest of the 18 runners, focusing on high-fuel running.
FP3
It was a clean sweep for Hamilton in United States Grand Prix practice, with the Brit topping the third and final session on Saturday morning.
 |
| © Octane Photographic |
The two Mercedes drivers did very little running in the first half of practice three, before emerging with 25 minutes remaining to complete final preparations. The soft tyres were used in the final 15 minutes.
Hamilton's 1:37.107 proved to be unbeatable, with Rosberg finishing eight tenths down after problems with a glazed brake disc. Massa, Bottas and Alonso completed the top five. Ricciardo, Hulkenberg, Sutil, Raikkonen and Button rounded out the top 10.
Drivers continued to struggle for grip, with cooler conditions at the Circuit of the Americas not helping matters. Several drivers suffered off-track excursions, with Hamilton spinning at turn 12. Vettel focused on long runs yet again and completed the results.
Q1
With Marussia and Caterham missing the race weekend, the FIA tweaked the qualifying format. The slowest four drivers were eliminated from Q1, which got off to a busy start.
 |
| © Octane Photographic |
Hulkenberg, Perez and Gutierrez were the first to take to the track in the 18-minute session.
Perez put in the opening benchmark on the soft Pirelli compound. He was quickly displaced by Hamilton, before Rosberg moved to the front. With just a few minutes remaining, the entire field took to the circuit on the option tyre.
Hamilton ended the session in first place with a 1:37.196. Massa and Bottas were second and third, with Rosberg not completing a timed lap on the soft compound and dropping to fourth. Vergne, Gutierrez, Vettel - predictably - and Grosjean all finished in the drop-zone.
Q2
Four drivers were also eliminated from the second segment of qualifying. Kvyat was the first driver to take to the Circuit of the Americas.
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| © Octane Photographic |
It was a quiet start, with the Russian rookie - who was handed a 10-place grid penalty for a power-unit change - setting the opening lap time.
Rosberg moved to the front with a 1:37.099, with his team-mate going two tenths down in second place. The German then bettered his best time by eight tenths of a second, with Hamilton remaining his pit garage.
The Englishman stayed in second place, with Massa, Bottas, Ricciardo, Alonso and Button next up. Magnussen, Raikkonen and Sutil completed the top 10. It was Sauber's first time in Q3 in 2014. Meanwhile Maldonado, Perez, Hulkenberg and Kvyat all failed to make it through to the top 10 shoot-out.
Q3
The final segment of qualifying decided the top 10 positions on the United States Grand Prix grid. Ricciardo was the only driver to take to the track in the opening minute.
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| © Octane Photographic |
He was then joined by eight of the remaining nine runners, with Sutil remaining in his pit garage. Ricciardo's opening benchmark was only good enough for eighth place after the first runs.
Rosberg led the way with a 1:36.282, just under two tenths clear of Hamilton. He found more time on his second timed lap and it proved to be enough for the German to take pole position for the ninth time in 2014. Hamilton retained second, with Bottas failing to improve in third.
Massa and Ricciardo completed the top five. Alonso, Button - who has a five-place grid penalty for a gearbox change - and Magnussen were next up. Raikkonen and Sutil rounded out the top 10.
Full qualifying results can be found here.
The Race
Conditions were warm and dry for the 17th round of the 2014 Formula 1 season, with the United States Grand Prix taking place at the Circuit of the Americas for the third time.
The thoughts of the entire F1 world remained with Bianchi following his accident in Japan. Rosberg secured his ninth pole of the year on Saturday, with Hamilton rounding out the front row. Could the 2008 world champion take the fight to his team-mate? Read on to find out...
 |
| © Octane Photographic |
The revs rose, the lights went out and the United States Grand Prix got under way in Texas. Off the line, Rosberg had a strong start and retained the lead into turn one. It was a clean first corner, with Bottas slipping to fourth behind his team-mate.
Ricciardo lost two places in the first sector, before making one position up at turn 12, while Sutil stayed in ninth. However, he was taken out of the race at turn 15 after contact with Perez. The Mexican dived up the inside, clipped Raikkonen and collided with the Sauber.
The safety car was quickly deployed, with several drivers - including Magnussen, Hulkenberg and Button - taking to the pit lane. Vettel, who started from the pits, stopped at the end of lap two.
Sutil's Sauber was quickly cleared and the race resumed on lap four, with Rosberg releasing the field at turn 17. Bottas failed to find a way past Massa, with Ricciardo successfully moving ahead of Alonso to take fifth.
Rosberg's lead was eight tenths by lap nine, with Hamilton closing slightly on his team-mate. Maldonado, Vergne and Gutierrez were all handed five-second stop/go penalties for speeding behind the safety car.
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| © Octane Photographic |
Massa and Ricciardo dived into the pits at the end of lap 14, with the two drivers re-joining on different tyre compounds. Rosberg took to the pit lane at the end of the next tour and emerged on the medium Pirelli tyre. Bottas also stopped and lost a position to Ricciardo.
Hamilton was next to pit and lost time to his team-mate. Hulkenberg became the third retirement from the race on lap 17 after a mechanical problem. Alonso and Vettel went side-by-side as they passed the slowing Hulkenberg, with the Spaniard moving ahead of the four-time champion.
The gap between the two Mercedes drivers was cut to 1.4 seconds by lap 20. Hamilton continued to close in on Rosberg, as Button and Alonso battled closely further back. After several failed attempts, the Spaniard found his way through at turn one.
Hamilton dived up the inside of his title rival at turn 12 on lap 24 to take the lead of the race. Magnussen pitted for the second time at the end of lap 27, with his struggling team-mate stopping on the following tour.
Bottas, Ricciardo and Massa pitted on the 30th, 31st and 32nd laps. They all returned to the track on the medium compound, with the latter losing third place. Mercedes covered off the drivers behind, with Hamilton and Rosberg pitting on the following two laps.
Maldonado was handed another five-second stop/go penalty, this time for speeding in the pit lane. Alonso pitted for the third time on lap 44, returning to the track behind Vettel. However, with a little help from DRS, he moved up to sixth place on lap 46 at turn 12.
Vettel pitted for the fourth time on lap 49, switching to the soft compound tyre. Vergne dived past Grosjean, who was stuck behind Button, at turn one on the next lap. The Lotus driver dropped from ninth to 11th, promoting his team-mate one position.
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| © Octane Photographic |
Button and Vettel went side-by-side into turn 12 on lap 54, with the two drivers making contact. The German moved ahead of the 2009 world champion at the following corner. As the midfield battled to the very end, Hamilton took the chequered flag to win his 10th win of the year.
Hamilton wins the 2014 United States Grand Prix
After a difficult first stint, Hamilton found some speed and closed down his team-mate, overtaking Rosberg with a great move at turn 12. It was a faultless drive, with the 2008 world champion taking his 32nd career victory and the British record.
Rosberg had the upper hand in the early stages, but he couldn't keep Hamilton behind him and eventually had to settle for second place. The German finished 4.3 seconds down on the race winner, having lost time in traffic on the final lap.
Ricciardo completed the podium after a fantastic drive from fifth on the grid. The Aussie put in some strong overtakes, finishing 1.3 seconds clear of Massa. The Brazilian had a good start and managed to stay ahead of his team-mate. Bottas completed the top five.
Alonso was sixth for Ferrari, showing good pace in the final part of the race. Vettel recovered to seventh from the pit lane after a late pit stop, with Magnussen taking the chequered flag in eighth. Vergne finished 10th on the road but moved ahead of Maldonado due to the Lotus driver's time penalty.
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| © Octane Photographic |
The Venezuelan dropped to 10th, but still scored his first point of the year. Grosjean dropped to 11th, with Button coming home a disappointing 12th. Raikkonen had an anonymous run to 13th, with Gutierrez and Kvyat rounding out the finishers. Hulkenberg, Perez and Sutil were the only retirements.
The result now means a Mercedes driver will take the world title, with Ricciardo falling out of contention. Hamilton now has a 24-point lead over Rosberg heading to Brazil.
US GP race results can be found here.
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