US GP: Race - RE-CAP & RESULTS

US GP - RACE - RE-CAP & RESULTS

    Kimi Raikkonen took his first race win since the 2013 Australian Grand Prix, after an intense race in Austin, Texas.

    Raikkonen passed Hamilton at the start of the race, wasting no time in taking the lead. He had started on softer tyres, making it a struggle for the Mercedes driver.

    Further down in the pack, Romain Grosjean made contact with Charles Leclerc, spinning him off the track. This later led to Leclerc's retirement due to the damage of his Sauber. Grosjean also retired because of the accident.

    Fernando Alonso also retired from car damage due to a collision involving Lance Stroll. Stroll managed to finish the race, in 14th.

    The only other retirement of the race was Daniel Ricciardo, who suffered a battery failure. Ricciardo was visibly upset as he got out of the car. He retired from last years' US GP due to an engine failure

    Team-mate, Verstappen, took home 2nd after a fierce battle that left his race boots looking a little tattered. 

    Carlos Sainz was handed a 5-Second-Time-Penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage during the race. Despite this, he still finished 7th, while German team-mate, Hulkenberg, came just ahead in 6th. Not a bad day at all for the French team.

    Lewis Hamilton took 3rd after multiple intense battles toward the later half of the race. Because of this, he was unable to clinch the Championship title, but will have another chance to do so in Mexico.

    2 drivers left with a sour taste in their mouths, following the race, were Esteban Ocon and Kevin Magnussen, who were both disqualified from the results. 

    Ocon was found to have exceeded his fuel-flow limit during lap 1 while Magnussen used more than 105kg of fuel during the race.

RESULTS:

1. Kimi Raikkonen / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland / + 25 Points
2. Max Verstappen / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands / + 18 Points
3. Lewis Hamilton / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain / + 15 Points
4. Sebastian Vettel / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany / + 12 Points
5. Valtteri Bottas / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland / + 10 Points
6. Nico Hulkenberg / Renault-Renault / Germany / + 8 Points
7. Carlos Sainz / Renault-Renault / Spain / + 6 Points
8. Sergio Perez / Racing Point Force India-Mercedes / Mexico / + 4 Points
9. Brendon Hartley / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / New Zealand / + 2 Points
10. Marcus Ericsson / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden / + 1 Point
11. Stoffel Vandoorne / McLaren-Ferrari / Belgium
12. Pierre Gasly / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / France
13. Sergey Sirotkin / Williams-Mercedes / Russia
14. Lance Stroll / Williams-Mercedes / Canada

RETIRED - Charles Leclerc / Sauber-Ferrari / Monaco / Collision Damage
RETIRED - Daniel Ricciardo / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Australia / Battery
RETIRED - Romain Grosjean / Haas-Ferrari / France / Collision Damage
RETIRED - Fernando Alonso / McLaren-Renault / Spain / Collision Damage

DISQUALIFIED - Esteban Ocon / Racing Point Force India-Mercedes / France*
DISQUALIFIED - Kevin Magnussen / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark**

* - (Ocon) Exceeded fuel-flow limit during Lap 1 of the race
** - (Magnussen) Used more than 105kg of fuel during the race

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Article Written By: Amy Hawk
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US GP: Driver Preview Quotes

ASTON MARTIN RED BULL RACING

Daniel Ricciardo - “Hell, I’m gonna take this opportunity to perfect my American accent for y’all (laughs). So read with your best Southern Drawl. Damn, I love the city of Austin and the country of America, I think it’s beautiful. Firstly, I think it’s one of the best circuits we go to on the calendar for racing. You can pass in four different places. There’s some tracks you struggle to pass on once, so to have four different opportunities with the shape of the corners and the apexes, everything just creates a real good atmosphere which encourages you to battle. It encourages you to fight. Fight in the spirit of America, the land of the free and the home of the brave. Boy, I love the feeling of racing at COTA.

    Beyond that, it’s also a great circuit for the spectators. If you get perched up on the hill at Turn 1, boy, you can nearly see the whole circuit. Turn 1 is a great place for the start, for overtaking and pit stops. If there’s racing out of the pits you’re in prime seat, that’s right, prime seat. Then you’ve got the COTA Tower. If you know someone, who knows someone, who might just know someone and you can get up the COTA Tower you’ll have a whole view of Austin, hell, that’s really something special.

    And then there’s the city. Boy, don’t get me started on the great city of Austin. I’m not gonna drop names on y’all now and give away all the places we go because I love em all, but the food is something special. I love my ribs, my brisket and boy, they got nachos coming out of their tachitos. What’s a tachito, I have no idea! I feel when I talk in this accent, I become this person. Oh boy, I’m gonna stop this right now as I got a bit carried away. See y’all in Austin.”

Max Verstappen - “As always I am really looking forward to getting back to the US. COTA is really fun to drive, it has long fast straights, slow tight corners and quick flowing sectors, all you want from a race track in one. The trickiest part is probably Turn 1 as you are blind to the apex coming up the hill. When we race in America it is always unique to any other round, as you saw last year with the driver presentation they always go the extra mile.

    While staying in Austin there are so many options for good food, the meat and BBQ restaurants make you venture out and get stuck in. This year I will stop off in Miami for an event on the way to Austin so I’m excited to see a bit more of the country and sample a few of their local dishes.”

RENAULT SPORT FORMULA ONE TEAM

Nico Hulkenberg - "It’s been a tough couple of races, but we remain positive and eager to bounce back for the last four weekends of the season. Japan didn’t go to plan, but we’re aiming to learn from what happened to be best prepared for Austin. I’m determined to be in the points for the last four races – as is Carlos on the other side of the garage – so it’s going to be maximum effort to extract the most from the current package and ensure we keep fourth place in the constructors’ championship."

Carlos Sainz - "After scoring a point in Japan, I’m feeling hopeful for Austin. The circuit should suit the car better than Suzuka, so we remain positive. We have to keep fighting. We know the second-half of the season has been tough for everyone involved with the team, but it shows we have a lot of spirit. Even if we don’t have all the pace we want, we’re still scoring points, so we need to hold onto that and keep fighting and pushing. We can meet our targets."

RACING POINT FORCE INDIA FORMULA ONE TEAM

Sergio Perez - “Austin was my home race before the arrival of the Mexican Grand Prix and it’s still one of the best events on the calendar. All weekend long you can see plenty of Mexican fans and you feel all their love and support. It makes it a really special weekend for me and I also have my family and friends there as well, so it really is like the perfect race.

    Austin is a small town but the vibe is great. It’s a college town so you see a lot of young people and it’s a great environment to be in. The place comes alive at night and there are so many nice things to do and places to go, so I really like it.

    The Circuit of the Americas is very enjoyable. It’s a very interesting circuit and it has some very challenging parts, especially the first sector. Turn one is really unusual and it’s the corner I enjoy the most: it’s very hard to pick your braking point and not miss the blind apex. The Esses that follow make this sector really fun to drive. Last year was the first time we got to try it with the high down force cars and I’m looking forward to having another go this weekend.

    The circuit layout has a bit of everything so a balanced set-up is the key to doing well. There are slow and fast corners, tough braking zones and you need a car you can trust. We have had this kind of great balance in the last few races, so I think we can be competitive and pick up some good points.”

Esteban Ocon - “Austin is a fantastic track and it features lots of nice bits from other circuits combined into one. You have a first sector that looks like Suzuka and a tight section that reminds me of Mexico: it’s a good track for fighting, with some quick corners and some chances to overtake. Turn one and the left hander at the end of the back straight are quite good opportunities.

    The first sector is my favourite section. It’s very quick, very technical and in the Esses you need to position the car well otherwise you end up losing time in all the following corners. It’s good fun, but so tricky to get right. Setting the car up is a big challenge. You need a car you can trust in the quick sections and a good car in the slow section – not an easy compromise.

    What makes this weekend special is also the city of Austin. It’s such a cool place, with a lot of nice venues with live music. It has a very young vibe; it’s definitely an enjoyable place and it’s nice to stay there a bit longer to experience the town before going on to Mexico. There are lot of cool things to do and last year I went to enjoy a proper, big American steak. When I was a kid, one of my dreams was to travel to the United States and I didn’t come here until my first race in Austin in 2016, so I have a lot of catching up to do!”

HAAS F1 TEAM

Kevin Magnussen - “There’s absolutely an extra will, or motivation, to do well in the US. We always try our best. We’re always on maximum attack to get the best result possible. It just carries a bit more significance to get a good result in America and at our home track. America’s obviously not my home country, but you feel like it is racing there that weekend.

    COTA is a little bit better than most other circuits in that it doesn’t just have one place to overtake. That much is correct. It has a few places to overtake, not just the one or two that most tracks have. Some tracks don’t have any. COTA has a few places where you can line it up for a move. It’s a good track for racing.”

Romain Grosjean - “We’ve made a good step this year. I think 2017 was maybe the year where we underperformed, but in 2018 we’ve come back to the route being planned out since the start of the team. The team has been growing a lot and improving in every single area. There’s still room for improvement, which is amazing to know and to see.

    It’s special. It’s like when I’m in the French Grand Prix, I get an extra feeling, something special. At COTA, it’s the same thing. You expect a lot of fans to be coming and cheering for you. You can see them there wearing the Haas colors, T-shirts, caps, scarfs, whatever. It’s just great to know that it’s not always about, say, Lewis (Hamilton) or Max (Verstappen), but that it’s about Haas F1 Team as well."

ALFA ROMEO SAUBER F1 TEAM

Marcus Ericsson - “Austin is one of the best race locations each season. The city itself has a lot to offer, and the track as well as the atmosphere around it are always great. It is a challenging circuit. The first sector reminds me a bit of Suzuka, with very high-speed parts to it. There are some good opportunities for overtaking, and the mix of the track’s characteristics make it an interesting one to drive. With the good pace we have shown over the past few weeks, we should be able to fight for good results, and I look forward to seeing what we will be able to achieve there.”

Charles Leclerc - “The United States Grand Prix will be an exciting one. I like the circuit very much, and have driven some free practice sessions there in the past. It would be interesting to discover the track in dry conditions, as I have only ever driven there in the wet. Going to Austin is always something special, and the ambience at the track it will surely make for an exciting race weekend.”

WILLIAMS MARTINI RACING

Lance Stroll - "Texas is Texas and it is awesome. I love everything about the place and especially the barbeques. I will be wearing my cowboy hat and boots again. It is a great track and I can't say anything bad about it. There is always a great turn out for the race and the fans are really enthusiastic. The track itself has a great flow to it. There is the first sector with the esses and the elevation going up into Turn One is quite impressive. Driving a lap there is a lot of fun. Last year there were a lot of tyre problems and I had to stop twice as I had a lot of degradation, which was a lot more than expected and not ideal."

Sergey Sirotkin - "I think Austin is one of the greatest modern tracks currently in Formula One. For a modern circuit, sector one is exciting with its high-speed change of direction. In general, Austin is quite like other newly built tracks. Sector two provides a good opportunity for overtaking, due to a slow corner, big DRS zone followed by another slow corner and heavy braking, before long corners throughout sector three."

McLAREN F1 TEAM

Fernando Alonso - “I’m very happy to go back to the US. I obviously raced there in January at Daytona, and then I went to Barber in Alabama a few weeks ago for the Indycar test. Now, I’m going to another circuit – one of my favourite ones, Austin – for the last time in Formula 1 in the US.

    I’m ready to enjoy the magic atmosphere there. For me, it’s always very nice to race in front of the American fans. Hopefully we can get back into the points that we need for the constructors’ championship, to help the team and to give us a boost in motivation.

    We had a good race in Singapore a few weeks ago, but we weren’t in the points in the last two races, so in Austin we want to change that. It’s going to be a fun weekend and I’m also looking forward to seeing a lot of friends there.”

Stoffel Vandoorne - “I’m really looking forward to heading back to the US. I’m a big fan and have been spending more and more time there recently. Austin is a really cool city and every year I spend time with the team exploring and trying out cool restaurants. You can’t go to Austin and not have Texan barbecue!

    I also really like the COTA track. It has a great mix of corners and is fun to drive. The fans too are really enthusiastic and we seem to have bigger and noisier crowds every year we go there.

    It’s tricky to make predictions, but this track will hopefully be a bit more favourable to our car. The last couple of races have been difficult for us but we hope that in Austin we’ll be able to show a bit more performance.”

RED BULL TORO ROSSO HONDA

Pierre Gasly - “The first time I went to the USA was a long time ago for a karting race at Las Vegas, where I finished third. More recently, I have come to Austin as a third driver for Red Bull Racing but I’ve never driven the track there, so this will be my first time. It looks like a really technical track and most drivers reckon it’s one of the best of the year. I’m looking forward to my first race weekend there. Last year, I would have been racing in Austin, but it clashed with the final round of the Super Formula Championship at Suzuka in Japan. I had a chance of winning that, but the race was cancelled because of the bad weather: so it wasn’t the best weekend for me… We saw in qualifying in Japan that our car has made a good step forward and our pace was good in the race, so we have made real progress and I hope that continues in the United States and Mexico.”

Brendon Hartley - “It's one year on since I made my Formula 1 debut in the United States GP. I’m very excited to be going back to Austin because it’s a city I love and a track I enjoy. We go there off the back of a really positive qualifying performance in Japan, which showed we have clearly made some steps forward and I think we will be aiming for another good qualifying performance, this time with some points on Sunday. The anniversary of one year in Formula 1 is a small milestone and it marks the first time this season that we come to a track that I have already driven in a Formula 1 car.

    As for the circuit itself, for a new track it has a lot of character, with plenty of undulation, a very quick first section which has some similarities with the “snake” in Japan. I’ll never forget driving a Formula 1 car for the first time, going through that section and having my neck almost ripped off from left to right! It’s one of the most impressive sectors on the F1 calendar. The whole track has a very bumpy surface and it’s very technical.”

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Article Posted By: Amy Hawk

No copyright infringement intended - Quotes belong to Drivers

Follow us on Twitter @F1Insider78 & @bethonieboost

US GP: Circuit Preview

US GRAND PRIX 2018 - CIRCUIT PREVIEW

Name: Circuit of the Americas (COTA)
Location: Austin, Texas, USA
Opened: October 21st, 2012
Length: 3.427 Miles
Capacity: 120,000
Runs: Anti-Clockwise
Turns: 20
Race Laps: 56

2017 STATS

Pole Position: Lewis Hamilton 
1st Place: Lewis Hamilton
2nd Place: Sebastian Vettel
3rd Place: Kimi Raikkonen
Retirements: Nico Hulkenberg (Engine), Pascal Wehrlein (Collision Damage), Daniel Ricciardo (Engine) & Fernando Alonso (Engine)

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Article Written By: Amy Hawk
No copyright infringement intended
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US GP: Track Schedule

US GRAND PRIX 2018 - TRACK SCHEDULE

October 18th / Thursday

11:00 - 12:00 - Press Conference
17:45 - 19:15 - Pit-Lane Walk/Truck Tour (F1 Experience - F1 Experience Guests Only)

October 19th / Friday

10:00 - 11:30 - Free Practice #1
12:00 - 13:00 - Press Conference
12:30 - 13:20 - Paddock Club Pit-Lane Walk
14:00 - 15:30 - Free Practice #2 
17:20 - 17:50 - Paddock Club Truck Tour

October 20th / Saturday

10:00 - 10:30 - Paddock Club Truck Tour
10:00 - 11:00 - Paddock Club Pit-Lane Walk
10:15 - 10:45 - Team Pit-Stop Practice
12:15 - 12:25 - ESPN Hot Lap - High Speed
13:00 - 14:00 - Free Practice #3
14:20 - 15:15 - Paddock Club Pit-Lane Walk
14:45 - 15:15 - Paddock Club Truck Tour
14:45 - 15:15 - Paddock Club Pit-Lane
16:00 - 17:00 - Qualifying
17:00 - 18:00 - Press Conference
18:10 - 18:40 - Paddock Club Truck Tour

October 21st / Sunday

11:00 - 12:00 - Paddock Club Pit-Lane Walk
11:25 - 11:55 - Paddock Club Truck Tour
11:30 - 12:00 - Drivers Track Parade
12:00 - 12:20 - Starting Grid Presentation
12:45 - 12:50 - Sky Diving Display 
12:54 - 12:56 - National Anthem
12:58 - 12:59 - Helicopter Fly Past (TBC)
13:10 - 15:10 - Race

* - Subject to change

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No copyright infringement intended
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US GP: Race - Re-Cap & Results

US GP - RACE - RE-CAP & RESULTS

    As the lights went out for the 6th straight year at Circuit of The Americas, it was all or nothing for Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel, who have both been pushing harder than ever in hopes of winning the 2017 Drivers Championship. 

    It was Vettel who got the better start, easily getting around the silver Mercedes. However, with an easy game of catch-up, Hamilton would re-take the lead by lap 6.

    Nico Hulkenberg found himself to be the first retirement of the race and it was only 4 laps in that he suffered from an engine issue. New team-mate, Carlos Sainz, had better mechanical luck and finished his first race for Renault in the points, bringing the car home in 7th.

    Pascal Wehrlein was the next retirement after a collision with Magnussen. There were no penalties given but Magnussen has had plenty of heat lately surrounding his driving. He had already picked up a 3-Place-Grid-Penalty for impeding Perez during Qualifying. Magnussen then later collided with Wehrlein's team-mate, Ericsson, but it was Ericsson who was found guilty of causing the collision. The Swedish driver had a 5-Second-Time-Penalty added to his final race time.

    Both Alonso and Ricciardo also fell victim to engine issues, with both drivers retiring before lap 30. Alonso recently signed on to stay at McLaren for 2018. The team will be using Renault engines next year and it could be a chance for the team to fight for podiums and potential wins after a long drought.

    Force India ended their weekend with another double-points haul. Perez finished in 8th, while team-mate, Ocon, finished in 6th after battling an illness that left him feeling miserable during Qualifying the day before. Perez had been battling an illness as well during the Malaysian GP weekend and had required IV fluids.

    Brendon Hartley made his F1 race debut and finished in 13th, just a few places away from grabbing a championship point. Kvyat, who got called back to race after being replaced at Malaysia and Japan by Pierre Gasly, managed to grab that last point by bringing his Toro Rosso home in 10th. However, this proved to be not enough for him to stay on for the Mexican GP as the team decides to run Hartley and Gasly instead.

    Lewis Hamilton brought home the win after a tough battle, trying to fight Vettel off nearly the whole way through. Vettel still prevailed as he crossed the finish line in 2nd. An important finish that keeps him in the running for the 2017 title. 

    Max Verstappen battled his way to third after a slight collision with Valtteri Bottas and a high-speed overtake on Kimi Raikkonen in the final corners on the last lap. However, he was handed a 5-Second-Time-Penalty after as he had taken all 4 wheels off the track when making the move.

    Verstappen expressed his disappointment and confusion in the media afterward, citing that Bottas had taken all 4 wheels off the track in their earlier battle but had not received any penalty at all. Thus shows what appears to be inconsistency in the rules. 3rd place was handed to Raikkonen, who looked a little shocked to suddenly be up on the podium with a trophy.

    While Hamilton still has plenty to fight for, he was quick to celebrate as Mercedes received the 2017 Constructors trophy and title.

RESULTS:

1. Lewis Hamilton / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain / + 25 Points

2. Sebastian Vettel / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany / + 18 Points

3. Kimi Raikkonen / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland / + 15 Points

4. Max Verstappen / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands / + 12 Points*

5. Valtteri Bottas / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland / + 10 Points

6. Esteban Ocon / Force India-Mercedes / France / + 8 Points

7. Carlos Sainz / Renault-Renault / Spain / + 6 Points

8. Sergio Perez / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico / + 4 Points

9. Felipe Massa / Williams-Mercedes / Brazil / + 2 Points

10. Daniil Kvyat / Toro Rosso-Renault / Russia / + 1 Point

11. Lance Stroll / Williams-Mercedes / Canada 

12. Stoffel Vandoorne / McLaren-Honda / Belgium

13. Brendon Hartley / Toro Rosso-Renault / New Zealand

14. Romain Grosjean / Haas-Ferrari / France

15. Marcus Ericsson / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden**

16. Kevin Magnussen / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark

RETIRED - Fernando Alonso / McLaren-Honda / Spain / Engine

RETIRED - Daniel Ricciardo / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Australia / Engine

RETIRED - Pascal Wehrlein / Sauber-Ferrari / Germany / Collision Damage

RETIRED - Nico Hulkenberg / Renault-Renault / Germany / Engine

* - Notes Verstappen originally finished 3rd but received a 5-Second-Time-Penalty for taking all 4 wheels off the track while overtaking Raikkonen

** - Notes Ericsson received a 5-Second-Time-Penalty for causing a collision with Magnussen

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Article Written By: Amy Hawk

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Follow us on Twitter @F1Insider78 & @Bethonie_Boost 

US GP: Free Practice #3 - Re-Cap & Times

US GP - FREE PRACTICE #3 - RE-CAP & TIMES

    Lewis Hamilton once again proved to be the fastest on the grid as he once again took the top spot in the final practice session of the US GP Weekend. He set a 1:34.478 around COTA (Circuit of The Americas). Vettel was close behind in his Ferrari, with a 1:34.570. Bottas, Raikkonen and Verstappen rounded up the top 5.

    Romain Grosjean, who has had countless bad luck and car problems throughout the season, found himself spinning off the track and getting stuck in the gravel. His session was over early and he ended in 19th with a time of 1:37.891. Team-mate, Magnussen, finished a few spaces ahead in 16th.

    Daniil Kvyat, who returns to Toro Rosso after his seat was handed to Pierre Gasly for the Malaysian and Japanese GP weekends, found himself last on the time-sheets with a 1:38.500, due to a mechanical issue. Brendon Hartley, who is filling the other Toro Rosso seat this weekend, finished up in 15th with 1:36.818.

TIMES:

1. Lewis Hamilton - 1:34.478 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain

2. Sebastian Vettel - 1:34.570 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany

3. Valtteri Bottas - 1:34.692 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland

4. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:34.755 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland

5. Max Verstappen - 1:35.103 / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands

6. Felipe Massa - 1:35.346 / Williams-Mercedes / Brazil

7. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:35.608 / Renault-Renault / Germany

8. Carlos Sainz - 1:35.650 / Renault-Renault / Spain

9. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:35.723 / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Australia

10. Sergio Perez - 1:35.802 / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico

11. Esteban Ocon - 1:35.965 / Force India-Mercedes / France

12. Lance Stroll - 1:36.118 / Williams-Mercedes / Canada

13. Fernando Alonso - 1:36.239 / McLaren-Honda / Spain

14. Stoffel Vandoorne - 1:36.599 / McLaren-Honda / Belgium

15. Brendon Hartley - 1:36.818 / Toro Rosso-Renault / New Zealand

16. Kevin Magnussen - 1:37.271 / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark

17. Marcus Ericsson - 1:37.319 / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden

18. Pascal Wehrlein - 1:37.807 / Sauber-Ferrari / Germany

19. Romain Grosjean - 1:37.891 / Haas-Ferrari / France

20. Daniil Kvyat - 1:38.500 / Toro Rosso-Renault / Russia

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Article Written By: Amy Hawk

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US GP: Free Practice #2 - Re-Cap & Times

US GP - FREE PRACTICE #2 - RE-CAP & TIMES

    Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton was fastest in the second free practice ahead of the United States Grand Prix.

    Hamilton was more than three tenths of a second faster than Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in second, while title rival Sebastian Vettel could only manage third.

    Red Bull set the pace early in the session. With Hamilton and Vettel both making mistakes on their first runs it was down to Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo to swap positions at the top of the order. After the initial runs, Ricciardo was fastest, ahead of Verstappen, Hamilton, and Kimi Raikkonen.

    When the ultra-soft tyres were brought out, Hamilton jumped to the top of the times. His 1m34.668s lap was nearly a second faster than Valtteri Bottas, who had been the first to strap on the pink walled tyres.

    Verstappen, who came closest to Hamilton, finished the session nearly four tenths of a second slower. Vettel claimed third ahead of Bottas, Ricciardo, and Vettel.

    After mechanical problems confined him to the pits in the first practice session of the day, Fernando Alonso made up for lost time with the seventh fastest time in FP2. Having just signed a new deal with McLaren, Alonso’s time was just 1.6s slower than Hamilton and more than a second faster than team-mate Stoffel Vandoorne, who was 15th quickest.

    Felipe Massa took eighth while Force India duo Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon rounded out the top 10.

    Carlos Sainz Jnr was again quicker than new team-mate Nico Hulkenberg, the Renault duo taking 11th and 12th.

    Daniil Kvyat was back in the Toro Rosso for the first time since the Malaysian GP. The Russian takes over Sainz’s seat after his early move to Renault but it was test driver Sean Galeal in the car for FP1. Kvyat set more laps than almost any other driver to put himself 13th in the order.

    His team-mate for the weekend, Brendon Hartley, again struggled with his helmet. He claimed it was still lifting at high speed, but wasn’t as bad as it had been in the first practice. He was 17th quickest overall.

    Both Haas drivers found themselves spinning early in the session. Romain Grosjean struggled throughout the session and told the team the aero balance needed to be changed as the car wouldn’t turn. He was the slowest in the session, while team-mate Kevin Magnussen took 14th.

    Lance Stroll was 16th quickest, just ahead of Hartley, Pascal Wehrlein, and Marcus Ericsson.

TIMES:

1. Lewis Hamilton - 1:34.668 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain
2. Max Verstappen - 1:35.065 / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands
3. Sebastian Vettel - 1:35.192 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany
4. Valtteri Bottas - 1:35.279 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland
5. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:35.463 / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Australia
6. Kimi Raikkonen – 1:35.514 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland
7. Fernando Alonso – 1:36.304 / McLaren-Honda / Spain
8. Felipe Massa – 1:36.460 / Williams-Mercedes / Brazil
9. Sergio Perez - 1:36.481 / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico
10. Esteban Ocon - 1:36.490 / Force India-Mercedes / France
11. Carlos Sainz - 1:36.529 / Renault-Renault / Spain
12. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:36.534 / Renault-Renault / Germany
13. Daniil Kvyat - 1:36.761 / Toro Rosso-Renault / Russia
14. Kevin Magnussen - 1:37.285 / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark
15. Stoffel Vandoorne - 1:37.7463 / McLaren-Honda / Belgium
16. Lance Stroll - 1:37.788 / Williams-Mercedes / Canada
17. Brendon Hartley - 1:37.987 / Toro Rosso-Renault / New Zealand
18. Pascal Wehrlein - 1:38.165 / Sauber-Ferrari / Germany
19. Marcus Ericsson - 1:38.262 / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden
20. Romain Grosjean - 1:38.387 / Haas-Ferrari / France

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Article Written By: Bethonie Waring
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US GP: Free Practice #1 - Re-Cap & Times

US GP - FREE PRACTICE #1 - RE-CAP & TIMES

    With his fourth Formula 1 title within touching distance, Lewis Hamilton topped the times in the first free practice session ahead of the United States Grand Prix.

    Hamilton’s 1m36.335s lap was half a second faster than his championship rival Sebastian Vettel, who finished the session second.

    Red Bull set the pace early in the session. Max Verstappen was the first man on slick tyres, with a pre-season shower putting intermediate tyres in demand in the first half an hour. Vettel and Felipe Massa both bettered his time before Daniel Ricciardo jumped of the order.

    Ricciardo didn’t improve again and dropped back to 16th as others found time. Verstappen did go back to the top briefly before Hamilton, Vettel, and Valtteri Bottas knocked him back to fourth.

    Stoffel Vandoorne set the fifth fastest lap whilst team-mate Fernando Alonso failed to set a time. McLaren found a hydraulics leak on the Spaniard’s car which confined him to the pits until the final 10 minutes.

    Making his Formula 1 debut, Brendon Hartley suffered a difficult session. Having not driven an F1 car since his time as a Mercedes test driver in 2013, Hartley had problems with his helmet and driving position at high speeds. Though the problem still remained at the end of the session, Hartley managed to finish 14th fastest, more than a second faster than Sean Gelael in the other Toro Rosso. Galael took 17th.

    Massa took sixth ahead of Kimi Raikkonen and Esteban Ocon, who span in damp conditions early in the session. Team-mate Sergio Perez finished ninth.

    Having switched to Renault for the remainder of the season, Carlos Sainz Jnr kicked off his time with his new team with a 10th place in FP1. His lap was more than eight tenths of a second faster than Nico Hulkenberg’s, the German finishing 13th behind Kevin Magnussen and Lance Stroll.

    Romain Grosjean could only manage 15th fastest, nine tenths of a second behind Magnussen.

    Sauber regular Marcus Ericsson beat Friday driver Charles Leclerc at the bottom of the order.

TIMES:

1. Lewis Hamilton - 1:36.335 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain
2. Sebastian Vettel - 1:36.928 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany
3. Valtteri Bottas - 1:36.979 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland
4. Max Verstappen - 1:37.339 / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands
5. Stoffel Vandoorne - 1:37.352 / McLaren-Honda / Belgium
6. Felipe Massa - 1:37.570 / Williams-Mercedes / Brazil
7. Kimi Raikkonen – 1:37.598 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland
8. Esteban Ocon - 1:37.808 / Force India-Mercedes / France
9. Sergio Perez - 1:37.861 / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico
10. Carlos Sainz - 1:38.093 / Renault-Renault / Spain
11. Kevin Magnussen - 1:38.408 / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark
12. Lance Stroll - 1:38.534 / Williams-Mercedes / Canada
13. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:38.904 / Renault-Renault / Germany
14. Brendon Hartley - 1:39.267 / Toro Rosso-Renault / New Zealand 
15. Romain Grosjean - 1:39.336 / Haas-Ferrari / France
16. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:39.366 / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Australia
17. Sean Gelael - 1:40.406 / Toro Rosso-Renault / Indonesia*
18. Marcus Ericsson - 1:40.448 / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden
19. Charles Leclerc - 1:40.828 / Sauber-Ferrari / Monaco*
20. Fernando Alonso - NO TIME SET / McLaren-Honda / Spain

* - Driving in FP1 only

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Article Written By: Bethonie Waring
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US GP: Circuit Preview

US GP - CIRCUIT PREVIEW + 2016 STATS

Name: Circuit of The Americas (COTA)

Location: Travis County (South of Austin), Texas

Opened: October 21st 2012

Length: 3.427 Miles

Capacity: 120,000

Runs: Anti-Clockwise

Turns: 20

Race Laps: 56

2016 STATS

Pole Position: Lewis Hamilton

1st Place: Lewis Hamilton

2nd Place: Nico Rosberg

3rd Place: Daniel Ricciardo

Retirements: Nico Hulkenberg (Collision Damage), Esteban Gutierrez (Brakes), Max Verstappen (Gearbox) & Kimi Raikkonen (Loose Wheel)

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Article Written By: Amy Hawk

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US GP: Race - Re-Cap & Results

US GRAND PRIX - RACE

    Lewis Hamilton secured his fiftieth GP win at the US Grand Prix this weekend, a much needed victory in his championship battle. Teammate Nico Rosberg secured second and remains ahead of Hamilton in the championship standings, whilst a virtual safety car ruined Daniel Ricciardo’s strategy and left him in third.

    Red Bull were hoping the super soft tyres were going to give Ricciardo the edge at the start of the race, with the two Mercedes drivers ahead of him on the soft compound tyres. Ricciardo shot off of the line, immediately challenging Rosberg for second and managing to get past. Hamilton managed to escape holding onto second as he led the way into the race.

    Meanwhile, there was the usual opening lap bumps further back in the pack. Both Force India drivers were caught up in contact. Nico Hulkenberg found himself in trouble, unable to turn, and hit Sebastian Vettel ahead of him. That bounced him into Valtteri Bottas, and left him with damage to his front wing, and Bottas with a punctured tyre.

    Sergio Perez was hit by Daniil Kvyat and sent into a spin. There didn’t seem to be too much damage for the Mexican, though, and he managed to continue after dropping down through the order. Kvyat was given a ten-second-penalty for the incident.

    Hulkenberg and Bottas dived into the pits to repair the damage done by the opening lap. Bottas managed to come back out after a tyre change, but Hulkenberg wouldn’t be so lucky. The German retired from the race.

    Back at the front of the pack, Hamilton was building up a gap to Ricciardo. With the softer tyres, Ricciardo was forced to pit earlier than Rosberg but, once the Mercedes drivers had pitted, it was the same order in the top three.

    Ferrari were the main story in the first set of pit stops. The Italian team had tried the undercut with Kimi Raikkonen, bringing him into the pits early. It wouldn’t work though, with the Finn being stuck in traffic. Max Verstappen, who’d gotten a poor start, was able to catch up with the Ferrari and a move up the inside with DRS put the teenager in fifth.

    Next up for Verstappen, once Sebastien Vettel was pitted, was Rosberg. It didn’t take long for the Red Bull to close in on Rosberg, who was on the medium compound tyre, but getting past was proving difficult. Verstappen was reminded by the team that his tyres needed to last to the end of the stint. Verstappen’s reply? “I’m not here to finish fourth.”

    Verstappen did back off though and, a few laps later, came into the pits. Unfortunately, Red Bull weren’t ready for him, as they hadn’t actually called him into the pits. It was a long stop that dropped him back to seventh.

    Setting off to try and recover, Verstappen found himself in more trouble. The Red Bull was going very slowly and Verstappen described something “Hitting the engine. The faster I go, the harder it hits.” It was later found to be a gearbox problem. Verstappen stopped on track, bringing out the virtual safety car.

    At the front of the race, Mercedes reacted quickly, both of their cars diving into the pits with a “free” pit stop. Ricciardo, who had only pitted a handful of laps before, lost out. The tyre strategy that could have given him a fighting chance at second was now wasted as Rosberg emerged from the pits ahead of Ricciardo.

    Rosberg wasn’t able to take the fight to his teammate, though. The German came out of the pits behind Pascal Wehrlein and wasn’t able to overtake during the virtual safety car. There, he lost a lot of time to Hamilton, believing Wehrlein to be driving slower than necessary. When racing began again, Rosberg easily got past, but he was now on the back foot.

    Raikkonen would have more trouble in the pits at his next pit stop. Ferrari released the Finn early, with the wheel gun still attached and the wheel not properly screwed onto the car. Raikkonen stopped at the end of the pit lane but, as reversing in the pit lane is banned, his race was over.

    The closing stages of the race saw a battle between Carlos Sainz Jnr, Felipe Massa, and Fernando Alonso in the fight for fifth place. It seemed that Sainz needed to pit again for a fresh set of tyres but, as the laps ticked down, it became obvious Sainz was aiming to make his tyres last until the end of the race, and Massa and Alonso would have to get past him on track.

    Sainz made a small mistake ahead of them, but it was Alonso who would take advantage of that. The older Spaniard moved up the inside of Massa, but it appeared Massa didn’t see his old team mate trying to make the move. The two made wheel to wheel contact, but Alonso managed to get ahead, leaving Massa in sixth and with a punctured tyre.

    The incident was investigated after the race, but there was no further action.

    Overtaking Sainz was a little easier for Alonso. With DRS, the McLaren was faster than the Toro Rosso on the straights and Alonso swept past Sainz for fifth place.

    Hamilton took the win four and a half seconds over Rosberg after fifty six laps. He closes the gap to twenty six points to his team mate. Red Bull have a fifty three point lead over Ferrari in the battle for second in the constructors championship.


RESULTS:

1. Lewis Hamilton / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain / + 25 Points
2. Nico Rosberg / Mercedes-Mercedes / Germany / + 18 Points
3. Daniel Ricciardo / Red Bull-TAG-HEUER / Australia / + 15 Points
4. Sebastian Vettel / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany / + 12 Points
5. Fernando Alonso / McLaren-Honda / Spain / + 10 Points
6. Carlos Sainz / Toro Rosso-Ferrari / Spain / + 8 Points
7. Felipe Massa / Williams-Mercedes / Brazil / + 6 Points
8. Sergio Perez / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico / + 4 Points
9. Jenson Button / McLaren-Honda / Great Britain / + 2 Points
10. Romain Grosjean / Haas-Ferrari / France / + 1 Point
11. Kevin Magnussen / Renault-Renault / Denmark
12. Daniil Kvyat / Toro Rosso-Ferrari / Russia
13. Jolyon Palmer / Renault-Renault / Great Britain
14. Marcus Ericsson / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden
15. Felipe Nasr / Sauber-Ferrari / Brazil
16. Valtteri Bottas / Williams-Mercedes / Finland
17. Pascal Wehrlein / Manor-Mercedes / Germany
18. Esteban Ocon / Manor-Mercedes / France

RETIRED - Kimi Raikkonen / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland / Attached Wheel Gun
RETIRED - Max Verstappen / Red Bull-TAG-HEUER / Netherlands / Gearbox Failure
RETIRED - Esteban Gutierrez / Haas-Ferrari / Mexico / Brake Problem
RETIRED - Nico Hulkenberg / Force India-Mercedes / Germany / Collision Damage

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Article Written By: Bethonie Waring
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