FORMULA 1 - 2015

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COTA boss: US fans are excited to see Hamilton

Circuit of the Americas founder and chairman Bobby Epstein says Lewis Hamilton is playing a significant role in pushing Formula 1 in the United States ahead of a weekend that could see him wrap up the 2015 title there.

The Englishman's ninth win of the season last time out in Russia has seen him move into 'match point' position coming to Texas having opened up his advantage over Sebastian Vettel to 66 points, knowing a 75 point margin by the end of the weekend will see him defend his crown.

It comes as the Austin venue prepares to host its fourth edition of the United States Grand Prix, a round that is increasingly beginning to find its place in the notoriously tricky American motorsport market.

Indeed, though there were concerns the introduction of Mexico to the calendar in a back-to-back couplet of races would harm ticket sales, Epstein says the attraction and success of Hamilton – and his ability to resonate with American audiences beyond F1 – has been a big draw this year.

“I think Lewis is the one to focus on, and his accomplishments,” Epstein told Crash.net. “I think people are excited to see Hamilton and some of the other drivers who have become famous.

“Lewis is popular in the US. Even seeing Lewis, the boxing match in Vegas for the big fight this year, the Pacquaio-Mayweather one, or some of the other things he participates in, I think he's becoming well known now. I assume it happens globally, but certainly his brand and brand equity in the US has increased a lot over the past year.”

With the American Haas outfit debuting in 2016, this year's race will also see an American competing on home soil for the first time since Scott Speed raced at the 2007 Indianapolis race, with Alex Rossi lining up for Manor. It is an addition that Epstein describes as 'extra special'.

“Alexander was the first one ever to try the track when I reopened it. He came to town to do a fashion week event where he was a featured guest and so he came out to try part of the track. So it's extra special that he's the one that is driving this weekend.”

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F1 United States Grand Prix: Hulkenberg ready to bounce back in Austin

Having had his Russian Grand Prix cut short by a first lap coming together with Marcus Ericsson, Nico Hulkenberg aims to put things right with a good showing at one of his favourite venues.

The German's early DNF in Sochi – which was precipitated by his solo spin before he was collected by the Sauber - prolonged a wretched run of results that has seen him score points only twice since the British Grand Prix back in July, but he aims to put the Russian result behind him in this weekend's USGP.

“Of the newer tracks on the calendar, I think Austin is probably my favourite,” he confirmed, “We should be in good shape and competitive there, which would be the best way to bounce back after my disappointing weekend in Sochi.”

With Force India generally showing well over recent F1 weekends, even if the results don't back up the performances, Hulkenberg is looking forward to kick-starting his bid for a top ten championship position, with a six-point gap to make up on Lotus' Romain Grosjean the first hurdle to overcome. The VJM08B, introduced midway through the season, is proving to be a potent weapon, and the German is keen to make the most of it at a circuit where the driver can also make a difference.

“The variation of corners makes it good fun to drive,” he noted, “The lap is made up of high-speed, medium-speed and low-speed corners, and there are also a lot of gradient changes, such as the uphill approach to turn one, where it can be tricky to get your brake balance right.

“The track is smooth and it's easy to find your rhythm, while the DRS is worth quite a lot and the long straight between turns 11-12 is a really good opportunity for overtaking. They've designed a very nice facility!”

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Vettel: ‘Amazing’ Ferrari year has been against the odds

Sebastian Vettel says his impressive first season as a Ferrari driver has gone 'against the odds', admitting his tough 2014 season left him doubting his abilities.

After six successful seasons in the Red Bull stable – which yielded four consecutive world titles between 2010 and 2013 -, Vettel made the move to Ferrari for 2015 and has proven a frequent thorn in the side of the otherwise dominant Mercedes' with three wins in Malaysia, Hungary and Singapore.

Currently second in the standings with four races of the season remaining, Vettel's renewed success comes after a tough 2014 campaign which saw him struggle to adapt to the new regulations in Red Bull machinery.

Indeed, having had his ability questioned during those four title-winning seasons due to the car he was driving, Vettel admits the downward spiral in 2014 left him doubting his own talents too. Nonetheless, having been prepared to wait for success with Ferrari – which itself struggled last season -, he says the race-winning success of his 2015 campaign has gone beyond his expectations.

“I am not ashamed to admit it - everybody doubts himself at one point or another,” he told the official F1 website. “For sure, 2014 was not a nice season. I was not performing the way I wanted to perform - and if that happens it is more honest to show your feelings and not hide behind a fake smile. So about the same time last year I understood that it was time to move on.

“The stage I am at now proved me right. I am very happy with how things worked out. Sure, when I joined Ferrari there was never any guarantee in terms of results, but now it is nice to know that we've exceeded all kinds of expectations, including mine. It was a dream come true when I joined - and against all odds the first year so far has been amazing.

Vettel also reveals he had had contact with Ferrari before his decision to move in 2014, but insists the timing to leave Red Bull wasn't right until last year.

“I don't want to be arrogant, but I was already in contact with Ferrari,” he continued. “If you are in the paddock you meet each other every now and then. So I'd had conversations before, but back then the time was not the right one. Suddenly last year it was. That made all the difference.”

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F1 United States Grand Prix: Perez turns attention to home race warm-up

Having celebrated his podium finish in the Russian Grand Prix, Sergio Perez is looking to further boost his points tally as F1 heads to Austin.

While he does not necessarily expect to come home in the top three, the Mexican is hoping to boost a finishing record at the Circuit of the Americas that includes only one scoring performance – ninth with McLaren in 2013 – and cement his place in the overall top ten for the season.

Without his first lap misfortune in Japan, when he was shoved off the road and had to pit before recovering to twelfth on the road, Perez would likely arrive in Texas on a run of five straight scoring finishes as Force India continues to stake its claim as a top five team following the introduction of its VJM08B, and the Mexican is keen to extend that run one week before F1 returns to his homeland.

“Getting back on the podium in Sochi was an amazing feeling and seeing my crew below the podium is an image that will stay with me forever,” he reflected, "It's been an interesting season so far and we are doing a great job, so our focus needs to be on keeping it up for the rest of the season.

"Austin is a great place to race - it has been my home race for several years, before the return of the Mexican Grand Prix, and, when I step into the cockpit and see all the Mexican flags and the fans in the stands, it's an incredible boost for me.”

One week after the USGP, Perez will be back on home soil for the first Mexican Grand Prix since 1992, when the Force India driver was just two years old.

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WOLFF: THREE CAR TEAMS WOULD BE EXCITING FOR F1

Mercedes is keen and more than ready in the event that Formula 1 needs to deploy three-car teams as early as 2016.

That is the admission of Toto Wolff, who sounds even more enthusiastic about expanding the teams already at the front of the grid than helping to resolve the crisis that could leave Red Bull’s two teams without engines.

So if it falls to the likes of Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren to add third cars and drivers to their respective garages, “I think it would give the driver market some movement and it would be exciting for the fans,” boss Wolff told Spox.

“I think it would excite the fans seeing guys like (Mercedes’ Pascal) Wehrlein and (McLaren junior) Stoffel Vandoorne taking on the superstars in those cars,” he added.

The devil, however, could be in the detail, as expanding to three-car operations could simply add to the predictability of F1 in the already controversial new power unit era.

Wolff agreed: “We must ensure that there are not three Mercedes or three Ferraris on the podium. This is the kind of detail that we would have to work out. Personally, I like the idea, but I alone do not make the rules.”

Wolff’s plan-B to give new DTM champion Wehrlein his race debut next year is Manor, but the German has denied that the backmarker team’s new engine contract gives Mercedes first pick over the occupant of the cockpit.

Indeed, Auto Motor und Sport said Wolff and Manor are currently arguing over money, with the team demanding $10 million and Mercedes willing to pay only $3 million.

“There are various alternatives,” Wolff is quoted by German broadcaster RTL. “But we are not willing to get Pascal into a car at any price.”

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HORNER: OFFICIALLY NOTHING IS FINISHED WITH RENAULT

Red Bull and Renault are apparently still moving closer to divorce, however behind the scenes the prospect of reconciliation hangs in the air as a faint sign of hope lingers.

That is because, with Mercedes and Ferrari having ruled out ending the Red Bull engine crisis, simply patching up the damaged relationship with Renault could now be the energy drink company’s last chance to stay in F1.

Omnicorse, a specialist Italian publication, claims that Renault have ruled out reversing their decision to go elsewhere at least until Red Bull publicly apologises.

Up and down pitlane, sympathy for Red Bull is also low, given the outfit’s brash outspokenness, often spilling into the territory of hostility.

“It would be easier if Red Bull would sit down and solve their problems behind closed doors,” Mercedes’ Toto Wolff agreed in an interview with Spox.

There are, however, signs that Red Bull and Renault could patch up their tattered relationship.

On the bright side is the eight glorious world championships won jointly between 2010 and 2013, before Red Bull began to so publicly berate Renault’s performance in the new ‘power unit’ era.

Earlier, it was said the Renault divorce was definitely complete, but Red Bull team boss Christian Horner is quoted by Germany’s RTL: “Officially, nothing is finished with Renault. It’s difficult to see what will happen but nothing is impossible. Pretty much everything is open.”

Another new sign of positivity is that Renault has finally decided to make available to Red Bull the upgrade, encapsulating almost all of its 12 in-season ‘tokens’.

Originally scheduled for Sochi, there was speculation Renault was going to hold back the upgrade until 2016. So the fact that it could now be used by Red Bull in Austin is a sign that the warring spouses might get back together.

But even if there is the possibility of reconciliation, time is running out, with Dietrich Mateschitz having set an end-of-October deadline.

Indeed, by next weekend’s Mexican grand prix it will already be 1 November, with Helmut Marko having revealed: “I hope that by the race in Austin, we know where we are going.”

Horner added: “We’ve been waiting since May to understand what their (Renault’s) intentions are. Are they in, are they out? Are they going to have their own team? Are they a supplier or not? We are waiting for them.”

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JOS VERSTAPPEN: I SOMETIMES WORRY ABOUT MAX

As an Formula 1 driver, he was affectionately known as Jos ‘The Boss’ Verstappen, a tribute to his bravery and audacity, particularly when wheel-to-wheel with a rival, and it is in this area that his 18-year-old son is now also turning heads.

However, Max’s nerve landed him in the wall in a terrifying shunt at Monaco, and he had The Boss’ heart in his mouth again recently at Spa.

“We talk about certain corners, kerbs or overtakes,” Verstappen senior said at a sponsor event earlier this week.

“Like the one at Spa, where he passed Nasr on the outside. Of course, it was a beautiful move, but not entirely without danger at 300kph. Max cannot think that will work out every time,” the 43-year-old former Benetton and Minardi driver said.

Max’s father admits, however, that his own lack of fear does appear to have been passed to the next generation, “When I raced myself, I would sometimes think about it [fear] but you know you’re the one in control.”

“Now Max is racing I occasionally think about it again, especially on tracks where there’s more danger. Look at Sochi, not exactly risk-free if you look at the accidents there. I sometimes worry, but Max is so keen to race so I hope nothing happens to him,” he added.

But a lack of fear alone does not explain why Max is now the hottest property on the driver market, and linked with a third car at Ferrari in the event that Red Bull pulls the plug on F1.

“After that fast turn leading to the chicane [at Suzuka],” recalled Jos, “the car will hover around the same speed to save energy. So Max changed the settings which meant that the car kept accelerating instead of maintaining the same speed.”

“That’s why it looked so easy when he passed [teammate Carlos] Sainz,” he added. “Max had already thought about this himself before he was positioned behind Sainz. That’s an extra skill that Max has.”

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RENAULT ADMITS RED BULL MAY NOT GET AUSTIN ENGINE UPGRADE

Renault has admitted that Red Bull may decide against using a once highly-anticipated new specification of engine this weekend in Austin.

Although the upgrade had originally been scheduled for Sochi, the French carmaker is finally now ready to debut the new specification, making use of 11 of its 12 available tokens.

Renault engine chief Remi Taffin said on Wednesday that the new power unit gives “improved power and efficiency”.

However, amid the marque’s divorce proceedings with partner teams Red Bull and Toro Rosso, it is not clear that the new engine will even be used in Austin.

“We know that introducing the new PU will incur a grid penalty so the decision to use will be made in full consultation with the teams,” added Taffin.

“At this point of the season obviously points are crucial so if circumstances allow then we will use on track.”

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NO ENGINE UPGRADE FOR FERRARI IN AUSTIN

Ferrari has decided to postpone the introduction of a new engine specification for now, Italian sources are reporting.

Earlier, boss Maurizio Arrivabene admitted there was a possibility the Maranello team would deploy the last of its four upgrade ‘tokens’ ahead of the US grand prix.

It is believed the new unit is the basis of the 2016 design, with a shape change to facilitate a tighter rear end of the chassis for next year’s title assault.

“We have halved the gap to Mercedes this year,” technical boss James Allison is quoted by Auto Motor und Sport. “Now we need to find another eight tenths over the winter.”

So getting an early start on the new engine project was a possibility, even though running the 2016-style upgrade in Austin would have meant grid penalties.

And at present, Sebastian Vettel still has a mathematical shot at the championship. So it was believed Ferrari could get the new engine up and running only in Kimi Raikkonen’s car.

“We still have four tokens left and plenty of ideas on how to spend them, both on increasing power for this season and also looking ahead to 2016,” Ferrari engine chief Lorenzo Sassi said on Tuesday.

However, Italian sources are claiming early on Wednesday that Ferrari’s decision is to postpone the introduction of the upgrade for now, even on Raikkonen’s car, as bench testing has not yet achieved the desired results.

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MERCEDES AGREES ENGINE TWEAKS TO HELP RIVALS

Mercedes agreed for the welfare of Formula 1 to ease its engine development restrictions because the sport needs more competitive teams.

That is the claim of Toto Wolff, after a key engine summit in Geneva last week also saw the FIA and Ferrari agree to tweaks that should help struggling Renault and Honda to catch up next year.

For 2016, the existing rules dictated that manufacturers would get only 25 ‘tokens’, and all of them would have to be used before the start of the season.

However, at the Geneva meeting, it was agreed that the number of tokens next year will be increased to 32, with manufacturers also allowed to use them throughout the race season.

“In this case, we have put our hat on that we need a platform with competitive teams,” Wolff told the German-language Spox.

“Honda and Renault want to be fighting with us at eye-level,” he admitted. “So we cannot just take the hard line and always optimise the rules in our direction.

“Sometimes you have to give the others room to breathe. Honda entered a year later. Renault decided to become a factory team again.

“In this respect, an easing of the regulations is appropriate, saving us all this discussion that ‘engine development is frozen and the others cannot catch up’,” said Wolff. “There is a level playing field, and I think that’s important.”

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ECCLESTONE SAYS MOSLEY NOT RETURNING TO F1

Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone has played down suggestions he is trying to engineer a return to power for former FIA president Max Mosley.

As the sport’s problems mount up, it was with surprise and suspicion this week that F1 supremo Ecclestone sat for a 30-minute television interview alongside Mosley.

Ecclestone has identified new FIA chief Jean Todt’s deferral to democracy and unwillingness to boldly intervene as a problem, having already admitted that turning on Mosley during the News of the World scandal is a rare “regret”.

And Mosley has also said of Ecclestone’s role in ending his long reign: “Bernie would be the first to say that was a major mistake.”

The joint ZDF interview might simply have been a message to Todt that, if F1 is going to fix its problems, it might take more of a Mosley-style approach.

Ecclestone agrees: “I think Jean is slowly but surely coming around to realising that we’ve got to pull some teeth out and we’ve got to get on and do it. If there’s a bit of pain, that’s how it is.”

As for the chance that Mosley is going to actually return to F1, Ecclestone insisted: “No, no, no. He’s nothing to do with formula one anymore. He was only there because the TV people wanted to do an interview. He’s nothing to do with it.”

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Questions Ahead Of United States Grand Prix

Will Hamilton uncork the title champagne in Austin, catch-22 for Ferrari, who will win the battle for the final 2016 race seats and more.

Will The Champagne Be Uncorked?

The Fat Lady is busy clearing her throat ahead of the United States GP as Lewis Hamilton is on the verge of joining Jack Brabham, Jackie Stewart, Niki Lauda, Nelson Piquet and, of course, Ayrton Senna as three-time World Champions.

The equation is pretty simple: the Mercedes driver needs to outscore Sebastian Vettel by nine points in Austin while he only needs to better Nico Rosberg by two points.

So Hamilton leading home another Merc 1-2 at the Circuit of the Americas, a track where he won in 2012 and 2014, will do the job.

Oh yes Lewis, in the unlikely event of US President Barack Obama joining you on the podium, please don't spray champagne on POTUS.

Catch-22 Situation For Ferrari?

Ferrari are in a bit of a tricky situation ahead of the United States Grand Prix in terms of their engine. They still have four in-season development tokens at their disposal and would ideally want to use it ahead of the Austin race to give Sebastian Vettel one final push in the title.

Well that's the word coming from Ferrari, but Vettel's chances of stopping Lewis Hamilton from winning a third Drivers' Championship are close to zero and the next best thing is to finish ahead of Nico Rosberg.

Vettel currently has the upper hand in the battle for second following his P2 in Russia and Rosberg's DNF, but Ferrari know they can't rely on Mercedes poor reliability to finish ahead every time.

They thus need another engine boost, but any changes would result in penalties for Vettel and team-mate Kimi Raikkonen as they are both on their fourth and final power units. Difficult situation, but they also need to start building for next year.

An Eye On 2016 For Renault?

Another manufacturer that is looking towards 2016 is Renault. Ferrari, Mercedes and Honda have all used tokens at various stages this season already.

Yet Renault has waited until four races before the end of the season to finally spend 11 of their 12 tokens. The upgrades will be available to Red Bull, but the two parties first need to discuss the issue.

This late upgrade is no doubt with a view on 2016 for the new Renault works team and, if Red Bull like what they see in Austin, then we may just have 13 teams on the grid next year.

There have also been rumours in the paddock that Renault has deliberately held back this year with the aim to cause a few surprises next year.

Battle For Fifth Over?

Sergio Perez's third place at Russia was great reward for Force India and it has put them firmly in the driving seat for fifth place in the Constructors' Championship as they now have a 26-point lead over Lotus.

Let's not forget that Force India missed the start of pre-season testing as their car was not ready and they only introduced the VJM08 B-spec at the British Grand Prix. They have picked up 61 points since their upgraded car took to the track and for a couple of unlucky incidents involving Nico Hulkenberg, they would have been closer to Red Bull in the standings.

Who Will Win The Final 2016 Race Seats?

There are only seven race seats left for the 2016 Formula 1 season (one at Lotus, one at Red Bull, two at Toro Rosso, two at Manor and one at Haas F1). Of those still available, you expect Red Bull (if they stay in F1) to either keep Daniil Kvyat or promote one of Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz with another member of the academy stepping up to STR should they opt for the second scenario.

Mercedes look set to make the most of their new partnership with Manor by getting reserve driver Pascal Wehrlein a seat while Haas F1 are believed to be close to confirming Esteban Gutierrez.

That leaves only one seat at Lotus and one seat at Manor available for the likes of Jolyon Palmer, Roberto Merhi, Alexander Rossi and Will Stevens as well as those from the feeder series to compete for.

The battle between the Manor team-mates is getting exciting. Rossi, who will become the first American since Scott Speed in 2007 to compete at a home race this weekend, finished ahead of Stevens in his two previous races while Merhi also got the better of the Briton in Russia last time out.

It's certainly a tight battle, but the prizes may yet go to the drivers with the biggest cheques.

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Heavy rain forecast for entire US GP race weekend

The United States Grand Prix is bracing itself for a very wet weekend according to Formula 1's official weather provider, UBIMET.

The Austrian company, which is an official FIA partner, is predicting heavy rain throughout all four days, with the worst coming on Friday and Saturday before easing off slightly on race day.

UBIMET's F1 meteorologist Steffen Dietz has warned that both Friday practice sessions will experience "quite damp and wet conditions".

Temperatures will average a cool 23 degrees for most of Friday and Saturday.

Qualifying is likely to suffer the worst of the conditions according to Dietz as a strong frontal system arrives in Austin, delivering overcast skies and heavy rain.

Sunday sees improving conditions with fewer rain clouds and isolated showers.

Those showers are likely to come during the race, although the rain won't be quite to the extent of both Friday and Saturday.

Temperatures however will hover around 22 degrees, meaning tyre warming during dry spells could prove crucial to race pace.

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Wehrlein expects F1 decision in 'two to three weeks'

Mercedes reserve driver Pascal Wehrlein will soon discover whether or not he has clinched a full-time seat for the 2016 Formula 1 season.

The recently crowned DTM champion is believed to be a frontrunner for the soon-to-be Mercedes powered Manor squad, after impressing in outings for the German marquee and Force India in testing.

However, Manor could still yet be persuaded by a driver bringing considerably more commercial backing, as the terms of their engine deal with Mercedes is understood to not include running Wehrlein.

The current world champions may also prefer to keep the German in DTM for another year to help retain their domestic title, twinned with a Friday practice role with Force India.

Despite the on-going speculation, Wehrlein is keen to savour the moment of becoming the youngest DTM champion in history but expects to hear soon what his future holds.

"I don't know at the moment," Wehrlein said when asked about his future in the short-term.

"We will celebrate our DTM title and then over the next two or three weeks, we'll decide."

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US driver today, US team tomorrow: F1’s American future looks bright

As the Circuit of the Americas prepares to host its fourth United States Grand Prix this weekend, Formula One’s future in America has seldom looked more promising.

For the first time since 2007 the USA fans have a home driver to cheer on. Granted, Alexander Rossi may not be in a front-running team but he will be familiar with the crowd from his practice run at the track with Caterham two years ago.

Next year American team Haas, already well-known thanks to their successful NASCAR squad, is set to debut having allied with the biggest name in Formula One: Ferrari.

And while the prospect of an American world champion might seem a long way off, Lewis Hamilton might well be the next best thing, and the chances are good he will wrap up his third title on Sunday.

Through his celebrity connections, America has almost become an adopted homeland for Hamilton. Last year he gave an interview to the ABC network prior to the race weekend in which he suggested he might raise a family in America in the future.

A Hamilton coronation will happen if he has a minimum of 75 points over his closest rival when the chequered flag falls on Sunday. That will happen if he wins the race – as he previously did in 2012 and 2014 – and Sebastian Vettel does not finish second.

Rossi will take a bow at home

Mercedes can expect to enjoy their usual margin of superiority at a track which has a fairly high ‘power effect’ – the performance of the power unit has a significant bearing on lap time. Energy recovery in the braking zones is vital to reduce fuel consumption at a venue where more petrol is used per kilometre than most venues.

The steep gradient at points around the circuit – including the one-in-eight climb to turn one – puts oil pressure systems under added strain and forces turbochargers to spin at higher speeds as the cars climb.

The tyre selection remains the same as last year: soft and medium rubber will be available. The COTA surface was very low in grip when F1 first visited the track three years ago, but with several series including the World Endurance Championship visiting the venue it has improved over time.

Pirelli motor sport director Paul Hembery expects to see “the wide variety of strategies used last year”, although 12 months ago almost every driver used a two-stop strategy starting with the soft compound.

United States Grand Prix team-by-team preview

Mercedes

Unreliability is the X-factor for Mercedes after three race-day breakdowns in the last four grands prix. Nico Rosberg’s most recent failure potentially cost him victory in Russia and certainly hastened the demise of his championship chances.

“For Nico, bad luck has played a big part this year and it would be a huge mountain to climb,” admitted executive director Toto Wolff, who added the team’s recent reliability was “not up to our standards”.

Red Bull

With Mercedes and Ferrari engines seemingly off the table for Red Bull, will they now try to make amends with Renault? An indication may come from whether they take advantage of the opportunity to use Renault’s upgraded power unit.

“The principal changes involve the internals of the ICE to give improved power and efficiency,” explained Renault director of operations Remi Taffin. “Introducing the new PU will incur a grid penalty so the decision to use will be made in full consultation with the teams.”

Williams

Third place in the constructors’ championship for the second year running is virtually assured for Williams, despite the disappointment of Valtteri Bottas being shunted off the podium by Kimi Raikkonen two weeks ago.

Nonetheless they’re keeping a close eye on their closest rivals. “The circuit suits our car so we should have a good race,” said performance chief Rob Smedley. “We need to keep pulling open a gap on Red Bull and the team must keep on fighting to get as many points as possible.”

Ferrari

With four engine tokens left to spend, Ferrari was entertaining the possibility of upgrading its power unit this weekend. But with Vettel still holding a slim chance of taking the drivers’ title, and with engine development potentially being opened up next season, the value of risking an early upgrade this early is reduced. The problems Mercedes encountered after trying the same at Monza shows the potential downside to such a gamble.

McLaren

While the track surface may have improved compared to the first race, it caught McLaren out 12 months ago. “Last year we really struggled with tyre degradation on the relatively new asphalt,” said Jenson Button, “so we need to crack that as soon as we get out on track on Friday and see what we can do to combat it.”

Force India

The team is buzzing from its podium at the last race. “It’s very satisfying to get some more silverware for our trophy cabinet at Silverstone,” said Vijay Mallya. “Ever since the introduction of the b-spec car I knew that we had the potential to do something special.”

Toro Rosso

Despite having raced in Russia following his huge practice crash Carlos Sainz Jnr subsequently revealed he felt dizzy during the race, and last weekend he cancelled a planned appearance at the World Series by Renault finale in Spain.

Nonetheless that he will have to get to grips with COTA quickly, as unlike his team mate he has only previously driven it in the simulator.

Lotus

Lotus’s first job this weekend is to fix Romain Grosjean’s wrecked car from Sochi. “There is no indication in the data and in the parts that anything broke and subsequently caused the accident,” explained technical director Nick Chester. “The right-hand side of the car suffered the damage – front and rear suspension right hand side, the nose, the rear wing, crash structure. We haven’t seen anything however that should stop us getting the car back together.”

Sauber

The team will mark its 400th appearance at an F1 race weekend in Austin, and Ferrari test driver Raffaele Marciello will have another practice run in one of their car’s.

Manor

Rossi returns in place of Merhi and will be a centre of attention for the team off the track – but on it there’s no reason to expect it won’t be back-of-the-grid business as usual.

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Stevens out to "spoil Rossi's party" in US GP

Manor boss John Booth has no doubts that Will Stevens will be out in Austin this weekend to spoil local-hero Alexander Rossi's 'party'.

Rossi arrives for his home United States Grand Prix at the centre of attention, as he is set to become the first American to race on home soil since Scott Speed in 2007.

Booth reckons that the fact that Rossi will be the focus for much of the media attention will spur teammate Will Stevens on to beat him even more.

"We have been treated to a fascinating battle between team-mates over the past few races and we are sure that, in the nicest possible way - in as much as fiercely competitive drivers can afford - Will is going be keen to spoil Alexander's party this weekend," said Booth.

"That spirit of racing is what we are all about as a team, and although there is a championship being decided at the front of the grid, we'll have our own intense battle going on, I'm sure."

No distraction

Although Rossi has a packed schedule of media and sponsor appearances over the weekend, Booth is confident that the youngster will not allow the extra pressure to affect his on-track performance.

"He has one of the busiest PR schedules I have seen for a driver," said Booth. "Nonetheless, he is a very focused racer and he will find a way to manage the many demands on his time."

Rossi himself said the reality of competing on home soil was finally starting to hit home now he was involved in the build-up.

"I can't adequately describe how excited I am about competing in my home Grand Prix for the first time," he said.

"Thankfully, I've been so busy with a whole bunch of PR commitments that I've been able to keep that side of it in check, but now we're just a few days out, the reality is starting to hit me and it feels great.

"It's a huge deal for me, not only because it makes me extremely proud to be the first American driver to race on US soil since 2007, but also because it's the realisation of a goal that I, and the people around me, have been working towards for effectively 13 years.

"This weekend is an opportunity to reward their support and commitment as much as my own determination as a race car driver, and I'll be giving it my all."

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Ecclestone expects Todt to toughen up

Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone suggests that FIA president Jean Todt may be about to adopt a more hard-line stance in getting much needed changes made to the sport.

Against growing calls for F1 to deliver a host of new rules to make itself more exciting and bring costs under control, Ecclestone recently expressed frustration about Todt's preference for never upsetting people.

In an interview with German channel ZDF last week, Ecclestone backed former FIA president Max Mosley's view that if F1 was going to deliver the right rules, then it would have to do so in defiance of the wishes of teams.

In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, Ecclestone has now suggested that Todt may be waking up to that fact too.

"I think Jean is slowly but surely coming around to realising that we've got to pull some teeth out and we've got to get on and do it," Ecclestone said.

"If there's a bit of pain, that's how it is."

No role for Mosley

Mosley's appearance in the joint TV interview with Ecclestone prompted suggestions that the pair could be plotting some kind of move to seize more control of F1.

But Ecclestone has denied that Mosley wants any return to a proper role, or even wants to perform advisory functions.

"No, no, no," he said. "He's nothing to do with Formula 1 any more. He was only there because the TV people wanted to do an interview.

"He's nothing to do with it. It wasn't supposed to be fun, it was supposed to be serious, but never mind."

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Renault confident with or without upgrades

Renault says it is heading to the United States Grand Prix confident it can deliver some good results, even if its upgraded engine is not used.

As Motorsport.com reported, Renault has used 11 of its remaining 12 engine development tokens to introduce a new specification power unit for this weekend.

However, a final decision on whether or not it will be used will only be taken after meetings are held with Red Bull to decide if the performance benefits outweigh the handicap of grid penalties if it is brought in to play.

Improved potential

Renault's director of operations Remi Taffin said that recent progress in solving reliability and maximising the potential of its power unit has lifted confidence.

“Whatever spec we do use, we are looking forward to Austin,” he said. “Our reliability has been good in the last three races and performance more in line with our expectations; both our teams just need a clean weekend to show the improved potential of both packages.”

Upgrades confirmed

Taffin also confirmed that the modifications made to the power unit were focused on the internal combustion engine elements.

“The principal changes involve the internals of the ICE to give improved power and efficiency,” he said. “We know that introducing the new PU will incur a grid penalty so the decision to use will be made in full consultation with the teams.

“At this point of the season obviously points are crucial so if circumstances allow then we will use on track.”

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Allan McNish's onboard guide to Circuit of the Americas

Lets take a ride with ex-F1 racer Allan McNish at the recent World Endurance Championship round, so enjoy a couple of laps around the venue for this weekend's US Grand Prix with full commentary. "A modern circuit, but with character that makes you think hard..."

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Six of the Best: Mismatched team-mates

It's often said in Formula One that the only true barometer of performance is a driver's teammate. By such a standard, some drivers in the 2015 field, notably Nico Rosberg and Kimi Raikkonen, could be said to have had disappointing seasons.

It may prove some consolation though that no matter how badly outperformed any of the current crop have been, the performance gap has nothing on this selection of six of the most mismatched teammates in Formula One history.

1972 – Lotus: Emerson Fittipaldi & Dave Walker

Dave Walker has the ignominy of being the only driver to non-score in F1 as his team-mate clinched the world title

There have been greater Grand Prix drivers than Emerson Fittipaldi, and there have surely been much worse Formula One racers than Dave Walker – but never have two team-mates been more grossly mismatched than when Fittipaldi and Walker lined up alongside each other for Lotus in 1972.

Walker holds the ignominious record of being the sole driver in F1 history to fail to score a point while his teammate won the World Championship. As Fittipaldi became the youngest champion in F1 history, with three poles, five wins and a lowest racing finish of third (discounting Canada where the Brazilian had to pit for repairs, finishing 11th) delivering 61 points for Lotus, Walker took a best finish of ninth, a best qualifying position of 12th, and contributed zero points to Lotus' winning effort in the constructors' championship.

What made the whitewash all the more startling was Walker's undoubted pedigree in junior formulae. The Australian had been 1969 British Formula Ford champion, and decimated the opposition in the 1971 British F3 series - winning 25 out of 32 races and earning a one-off drive for Lotus at the 1971 Dutch GP.

Team principal Colin Chapman saw enough in Walker to offer him a full-time drive alongside Fittipaldi for 1972. Walker may have been five years older than Fittipaldi, but there was no question about who was the senior driver. Fittipaldi was one of the up-and-coming men of Formula One, and he and Lotus, armed with a new sponsorship from John Player Special, expected to challenge.

Fittipaldi and Lotus fulfilled their part of the bargain, but it was a wholly one-sided team effort. Walker struggled enormously, with Lotus questioning the Australian's driving technique, fitness and mechanical sensitivity, while Walker in turn claimed that Lotus gave him inferior equipment to Fittipaldi (which, if true, would hardly be surprising given that Fittipaldi was fighting a one-man assault on both championships).

The writing was on the wall for Walker long before he was dropped for the Italian and Canadian GPs after Lotus discovered he had secretly tested for another Formula Two team. After an inglorious swansong at Watkins Glen, in which he qualified 30th out of 31 entries and retired with an engine failure, Walker was unsurprisingly given his marching orders – and replaced for 1973 with a more suitably competitive stable mate for Lotus and Fittipaldi; a Swedish tyro by the name of Ronnie Peterson.

1986/87 – Lotus: Ayrton Senna & Johnny Dumfries / Satoru Nakajima

Many of Formula One's greatest drivers have at some point in their careers enjoyed a period of dominance over a teammate – but few have specifically argued the case for a patsy on the other side of the garage, as Ayrton Senna did in ensuring that Lotus hired Johnny Dumfires to partner the Brazilian for the 1986 season.

Dumfries, or to give him his full title, John Colum Chrichton-Stuart, 7th Marquess of Bute, was an aristocratic Scot who turned his back on the family fortune to pursue a self-funded racing career of some repute – finishing 1984 as British F3 champion and runner-up in European F3.

Meanwhile, Elio de Angelis had left Lotus at the end of 1985 in frustration that the team's efforts were being concentrated on Senna. Senna, demonstrating characteristic political acumen despite his relative youth, vetoed the team's proposed hire of Derek Warwick as he didn't believe that Lotus could run two competitive cars, and so the team turned to Dumfries.

Unfortunately for Dumfries, Senna was reaching the peak of his powers, and the Brazilian wiped the floor with his new teammate. Senna took 8 poles, 2 wins and scored 55 points as he competed gamely for the title against the might of Williams and Alain Prost in the McLaren. Dumfries on the other hand had a best qualifying position of 8th, failed to qualify in Monaco and scored just three points in total across the season.

Dumfries was quietly dropped at the end of the year to make way for Satoru Nakajima, a Japanese debutant who was placed in the team at the insistence of new engine partner Honda. Nakajima fared little better than Dumfries, taking a best qualifying position of 11th, scoring 7 points with a best finish of 4th, and suffering the humiliation of qualifying 8 seconds slower than Senna in Detroit. In comparison, Senna won the internal qualifying battle 16-0 for a second consecutive season, taking a pole, two wins and 8 podiums en route to finishing third in the championship with 57 points.

Senna would be much more closely matched by Alain Prost and Gerhard Berger over the next five seasons, but the Brazilian would go on to repeat the level of supremacy he enjoyed over Dumfries and Nakajima with a third rookie teammate, Michael Andretti, in 1993.

1994 – Benetton: Michael Schumacher & JJ Lehto / Jos Verstappen / Johnny Herbert

Michael Schumacher underlined his class at Benetton as three different team-mates tried and failed to get close to him

Michael Schumacher's 'first' career in Formula One was marked by almost complete dominance over a succession of teammates. After comfortably outperforming Martin Brundle in 1992 and then obliterating Riccardo Patrese in 1993, for 1994 the highly rated Finn, JJ Lehto, joined Schumacher at Benetton.

Lehto had performed admirably for the Dallara and Sauber teams in three years scrapping around the lower midfield, but his Benetton career got off to the worst possible start when he injured his neck in a pre-season testing accident, missing the first two races.

Into Lehto's stead stepped Dutch test driver Jos Verstappen for his F1 debut at the season-opening Brazilian GP. Qualifying two seconds slower than Schumacher, Verstappen battled for the lower points positions before exiting the race in a spectacular barrel-rolling accident. Unfortunately, it would prove an apt metaphor for the sister Benetton's season.

Despite not being fully recovered, Lehto replaced Verstappen for the San Marino GP, but was eliminated after stalling on the grid and being hit violently from behind by Pedro Lamy's Lotus. Lehto's struggles on his return, scoring one point to Schumacher's 36 across a four race sequence from San Marino to Canada, saw him once again replaced by Verstappen from the French GP onwards.

Verstappen remained outclassed by Schumacher, and the gulf in class between the German and his teammates was illustrated when Schumacher was banned from the Italian and Portuguese Grands Prix. With Verstappen and the returning Lehto at the wheel, Benetton were reduced to a midfield team, qualifying 10th and 20th respectively at Monza and failing to score, and lining up 10th and 14th at Estoril, with Verstappen's fifth place the sole reward from the two races. In comparison, Schumacher's return at the next race in Jerez saw him comfortably win from pole position.

Lehto was permanently dropped after Portugal, and Schumacher's team-mates poor scoring returns had seen Benetton's Constructors' Championship aspirations dashed. For the final two races, Japan and Australia, Verstappen himself was dropped in favour of the more experienced Johnny Herbert to strengthen Benetton's bid to win the Constructors' title and offer more support to Schumacher in his title fight against Damon Hill.

To put the entire season into context, while Schumacher took five poles, eight wins and 92 points en route to the title, never finishing a race lower than second including his two disqualifications, the no. 6 Benetton claimed only 11 points, with two third places for Verstappen the high point in amongst a litany of retirements, accidents and underwhelming performances.

1980-81 – Brabham: Nelson Piquet & Hector Rebaque

Nelson Piquet may always remain one of Formula One's most underrated legends, a three-time World Champion whose legacy was tainted by an abrasive personality and a steady decline over the last few seasons of his career as he stepped into the background during the Senna-Prost era.

However, the Brazilian was undoubtedly a driver of prodigious skill, especially in his early years, as a collection of thoroughly vanquished teammates can attest. Perhaps the most mismatched driver to line up alongside Piquet was Hector Rebaque, a Mexican racer who partnered Piquet at Brabham in the 1980-81 seasons.

After an initially unsuccessful foray into Formula One, initially with the foundering post-James Hunt Hesketh team and then at the head of his own ambitious Team Rebaque project, Rebaque was plucked from relative obscurity to replace the Argentine Ricardo Zunino at Brabham from the 1980 British GP – after Zunino scored zero points to Piquet's 25 across the first half of the season.

Rebaque fared little better, outscored 29 points to 1 and 7-0 in qualifying by Piquet across the second half of the campaign - and offering nothing in the way of support for the Brazilian's ultimately unsuccessful championship bid.

Rebaque was retained for 1981 however, and although his campaign was a vast improvement on his efforts in 1980 his was still a largely disappointing supporting role in what would turn out to be a championship-winning car.

Piquet took four pole positions, three race wins, four further podiums and 50 points in total en route to snatching his first title in a tense three-way showdown at the final race. Rabaque on the other hand scored 11 points across four points finishes, with a best grid placing of 6th, but suffered the ignominy of failing to qualify in Monaco as Piquet placed the sister car on pole, and was only ever a peripheral figure on the fringes of the Formula One frontlines as his teammate battled for the championship.

2009 – Williams: Nico Rosberg & Kazuki Nakajima

Kazuki Nakajima's fortunes nosedived alongside Nico Rosberg at Williams in 2009, bringing his F1 career to an abrupt halt after a bright start

It was an unfortunate case of history repeating for the Nakajima family in 2009, as Kazuki's season at the wheel of a Williams-Toyota alongside Nico Rosberg was every bit as chastening as his father's experience partnering Ayrton Senna in 1987.

Eschewing the family's Honda connections, Nakajima, Jr. had joined the Toyota stable as a young driver, wishing to shield himself against accusations of nepotism as he progressed through the junior formulae. After joining Williams as a test driver in 2007, Nakajima was promoted to a race seat for the season finale in Brazil following the sudden retirement of Alexander Wurz.

Nakajima's first full season of Formula One was promising, with the Japanese enjoying three points scoring finishes across the first six races. Although his campaign tailed off and Nakajima was outqualified 14-4, the Japanese still took a respectable 9 points to Rosberg's 17, making a telling contribution to Williams' total haul.

In 2009 however, Nakajima's contribution nosedived dramatically. Nakajima's was partially a hard-luck story, with the Japanese losing a points finish in Turkey due to a delayed pit stop, seeing his career-best fifth place grid position at the British GP squandered through poor strategy, losing out in close 9th-placed finishes at both the Hungarian and Singapore GPs and being taken out of points contention at the season-ending Brazilian GP by rookie and fellow countryman Kamui Kobayashi.

However, although Nakajima's struggles could be partially attributed to poor fortune, the bottom line stats made harsh reading. While Rosberg took 11 points finishes for a total of 34.5 across 17 GPs, including a streak of 8 consecutive scoring races, Nakajima failed to score in any of his 13 finishes all season and was the only non-points scoring driver who entered every race.

1963 – Lotus: Jim Clark & Trevor Taylor / Peter Arundell / Mike Spence / Pedro Rodriguez

Jim Clark's Formula One career is synonymous with Lotus, and the team was run through much of the 1960s as a de factor one car outfit with a singular focus on Clark and extracting the maximum from his remarkable abilities.

Only Innes Ireland, who was sacked by Lotus team principal Colin Chapman after the 1961 season so the team could better concentrate on Clark's prospects, ever ran the Scot close, and many of the drivers who followed as Clark's teammate were only ever there to nominally make up the numbers.

Clark's first championship-winning season in 1963 was one of the greatest in Formula One history, with the Scot claiming 100% of the maximum available points by taking seven wins in a season in which only a driver's best six results counted. Clark also took seven pole positions from ten rounds, and collected three Grand Slams (pole, fastest lap, win, led every lap), including his iconic wet weather demolition job on the field in the Belgian GP at Spa.

On the other side of the garage however, it was a different story. Trevor Taylor was Clark's full time teammate in 1962-63, and although he demonstrated some pedigree with a second place finish at the 1962 Dutch GP, it would be his only score in a season that saw Clark take six poles and three wins in finishing second in the championship.

Taylor's 1963 season was even worse in comparison to Clark, scoring only one point at the season's opening race in Monaco, losing out 9-0 in the internal qualifying battle in placing no higher on the grid than seventh, and contributing almost nothing to Lotus' points tally in winning in the Constructors' Championship.

Taylor wasn't the only teammate that Clark would leave chasing shadows in 1963 however. At several races during the season Lotus ran a three-car entry, and accordingly none of Peter Arundell, Mike Spence or Perdro Rodriguez could better Taylor's efforts – with Spence's 13th place in Italy the best result the trio of stand-ins could muster between them.

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DANIEL RICCIARDO SETS SIGHTS ON GLOBAL STARDOM WITH NEW MANAGEMENT DEAL

Daniel Ricciardo has joined the sports management company Areté in a bid to grow his “commercial and brand partnerships”, as well as handle his Formula 1 affairs.

Areté, which was founded earlier this year by Simon Bayliff, who previously worked for the Wasserman Media Group and represented the likes of David Beckham, Michael Owen and Jack Wilshere, currently has cyclist Mark Cavendish and a number of English football players on its books.

Ricciardo, who has not had any form of management during his Red Bull-backed rise up the motorsport ranks, has joined the agency to help enhance his standing outside the F1 paddock and create a recognisable brand.

He said: “I’m really looking forward to working with the guys from Areté. With their past experience with athletes, I hope to develop and grow my commercial and brand partnerships in the coming years.”

The Australian driver is Areté’s first racing driver client and Bayliff is hoping his company can capitalise on Ricciardo’s popularity with F1 fans thanks to his smiling persona in the F1 paddock.

Bayliff said: “Daniel is without doubt one of the most engaging, personable and talented athletes on the F1 grid. He’s got incredible personality and natural likeability mixed with the drive and ambition of a real winner.

“These unique on and off track characteristics have our team extremely excited to be working alongside him to help achieve his commercial ambitions. He certainly reinforces and compliments the growing positioning of the Areté talent group.”

The news that Ricciardo has joined an agency comes just a few months after he stated that he did not need a manager to succeed in F1.

Speaking at the British Grand Prix, he said: “I’ve got a small little group around me, just a lawyer and just really myself. I get advice from a few people here and there but I’ve sort of gone back and forth deciding.

“Up until this point of my career, Red Bull’s dominated a lot of the moves I’ve made and pretty much picked where I go, so I haven’t really had the need [for a manager]. I’ve been happy to do it on my own.

“Obviously knowing the paddock a bit better now, if I did have to go and talk to someone or negotiate something, I feel I could go in there and do, let’s say, the majority of it by myself.”

As well has helping his ambitions to create a global brand, joining a sports management agency may be useful to Ricciardo in the coming months if Red Bull does decide to pull out of the sport at the end of the season.

The company’s two F1 teams are still not certain to be on the F1 grid in 2016 as a result of its split with Renault and if it does leave, such a scenario it would put the F1 careers of Ricciardo, Daniil Kvyat, Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz in jeopardy.

But at this stage there are still F1 race seats up for grabs for 2016, with one space at Haas F1, Lotus – which is expected to become Renault – and Manor. Both Haas and the Enstone-based Lotus squad are known to be watching the Red Bull situation closely just in case any of its contracted drivers becomes available for 2016.

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You know i think ive watched only one GP this year(aussie) thanks to channel ten only broadcasting half of years GP's and

those god awful V6's.

It's akiller in that network 10 only show half the races and even then, they dont show the Qualifying all the time either.

I normally watch the other races online where I can....

I must say though, this season, I've often fallen asleep during the races.

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MARKO: I AM CONFIDENT WE WILL FIND A SOLUTION

Helmut Marko says he is confident Red Bull’s Formula 1 engine supply crisis will finally end this weekend in Austin.

If it is not solved, team owner Dietrich Mateschitz’s end-of-October deadline will arrive and the Austrian billionaire could pull the plug on the sport.

“It would suck,” Daniel Ricciardo, the lead driver of the senior team Red Bull Racing, told the Guardian newspaper.

On the face of it, Red Bull is out of options. Mercedes and Ferrari have said no and the relationship with Renault is poisonous.

F1’s only other engine supplier, Honda, has also ruled out adding a customer team for 2016, but Autosprint correspondent Alberto Sabbatini says there is a faint hope of a deal with the Japanese manufacturer.

He explained that Red Bull got itself into the situation because it intended to hook up with Audi from 2018, but Mercedes and then Ferrari got wind of the project and baulked at being a mere stop-gap solution.

Then, VW’s diesel-gate scandal struck and Red Bull was left with nothing. Autosprint reports that Honda could be a lifeline for Red Bull, as the energy drink marque could help Honda develop its struggling hybrid technology, even though works partner McLaren “is strongly opposed”.

In truth, the more realistic solution for Red Bull is simply to somehow patch up its almost terminal relationship with Renault.

“There will be a meeting in Austin,” Marko, Red Bull’s closest F1 official to Mateschitz, told Osterreich newspaper. “I am confident that we will find a solution.”

The report cited insiders who believe the most likely outcome is that Red Bull will stay with Renault while Toro Rosso switches to 2015-spec Ferrari power.

When asked by Marca what he thinks will happen, Mercedes’ Toto Wolff answered: “I don’t know. I am not part of the management of Red Bull.”

“In the last two months we have heard of various ideas but I cannot judge. It seems that they are talking with Renault, and for F1 it would be good if they continue.”

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ROSBERG: MY AIM IS TO WIN THE NEXT FOUR RACES

Nico Rosberg is refusing to give up on the 2015 Formula 1 drivers’ championship, although even his Mercedes boss does not believe he can overcome Leiws Hamilton at the top of the standings.

“It’s a shame that Nico was not able to keep fighting for the title because he has done very well,” Toto Wolff told Marca ahead of the United States Grand Prix.

The Mercedes chief admitted reliability has thwarted Rosberg’s chances, warning that even second place for the German is now in doubt.

“Second place is in danger,” Wolff admitted, “as Sebastian (Vettel) is now ahead, but Nico has had very bad luck.

“It’s not finished, we have four races to go and in Sochi he (Rosberg) was very strong with pole position and leading the race until the car broke down. The results we have seen (from Rosberg) are below his actual level.”

Rosberg acknowledges that his 73 point gap with just 100 points left to win is a major hurdle, but he refuses to give up.

“I’m still fully focused on it and there are still four races,” he told the German broadcaster RTL in the days before Austin. “We have an amazing car and I go to the last four races trying to win them. That’s my aim.”

But even if Rosberg does complete the season with a winning spree, Hamilton would have to strike an equally-unlikely patch of terrible luck.

Indeed, in Austin, Rosberg’s quest will end if he scores just 2 points fewer than Hamilton, while Vettel’s mathematical chances will be over if his deficit in Austin is more 9 points or more.

It would complete the back-to-back clean sweep for Mercedes of two drivers’ and two constructors’ world championships in 2014 and 2015.

“Yes, the great triumph is close,” agreed Wolff, “but it is not done yet. 66 points is a lot, but there are still 100 in play.

“We’ve seen great comebacks before in F1, so I don’t like to start celebrating until it is actually done.

“This is always the danger of sport — you always need to be awake and ready to react. Formula one is a very rapidly changing world,” explained Wolff. “You always need to be careful.”

For instance, the weather specialists Ubimet have announced that Austin is currently bracing for “the biggest rain event” seen for months in Texas, which “will affect” the US grand prix.

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UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX: DRIVERS’ PRESS CONFERENCE

Full transcript from the FIA Hosted drivers’ press conference ahead of the United States Grand Prix weekend at Circuit of the Americas, in Austin featuring: Marcus Ericsson(Sauber), Alexander Rossi (Manor), Valtteri Bottas (Williams), Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull Racing), Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) and Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes).

Lewis, three times a US Grand Prix winner, twice at the Circuit of the Americas. You, Nico [Rosberg] and Sebastian [Vettel] have finished one, two, three, in that order, on four occasions this season. If it happens again on Sunday, you are the world champion. What are your thoughts?

Lewis Hamilton: Well, first of all, just happy to be here, excited; I always enjoy myself out here in the States. The track is fantastic; the race has been great here since 2012. Just excited for another weekend. I missed driving the car for the last two weeks.

You spend a lot of time in this country, as we can see from your regular social media output? Why do you like the US so much?

LH: Well, I like travelling everywhere in the world, so it’s not just the US, but I have a lot of friends out here. There’s a lot to do. America has a lot to offer, in such a big space. I do a lot of my music out here, so this is kind of the central hub for music, so that’s probably why I spend more time here than usual.

Thank you for that. Moving on to Daniel: a podium here last year, of course, at the Circuit of the Americas, but pointless in three of the last five races, although your best result of the season came during that run, the second place in Singapore. This recent run now means you’re behind your team-mate Daniil Kvyat in the championship. How important to you is it to finish ahead of him at the end of this season?

Daniel Ricciardo: I don’t know to be honest. Because we’re not really fighting for the title it’s sort of irrelevant. I think I have missed out a fair few bags of points at various occasions this year. But, yeah, I’m not too worried. Obviously you want to finish in front, I’m not going to lie, but when you’re seventh or eighth in the championship it’s sort of irrelevant. Yeah, the little Russian’s jumped in front of me, but we’ll see. I’m confident I’ll end up with more points, but as I said, I’m not too fussed about it.

So, we’re reaching the end of October now, how confident are you about being on the grid next season and what assurances have Red Bull given you about how this whole thing is unfolding?

DR: Not much has changed to be honest. Yeah, we’re still not really confirmed with anything yet. From my side I’m still confident I’ll be racing. Confident we’ll be there, hopefully competitive. I think that’s more the concern. I have confidence we’ll be on the grid it’s just the concern is can we be competitive? I want to make sure we can be. This year, obviously we have got a couple of podiums, which is nice, but certainly not enough to keep us extremely happy. So, yeah, we want to be competitive again and I think that’s just as important as being on the grid.

Alexander, coming to you, the only American driver in the field and the first American to race in the US Grand Prix in eight years. How proud do you feel about being in the series today and what’s the reaction been like here in the States in the build-up to the race?

Alexander Rossi: I think, first of all, that the reaction has been very positive, which is what we wanted to see, Of course there is pride that goes along with it, but that started in Singapore and Japan as well. Obviously to be here at home means a big deal, but at the same time we have a job to do and very clear objectives to meet. I’m looking forward to it; there are a lot of friends and family that will be coming this weekend. But I think once you get in the car and on track you appreciate the fact that there is a bigger picture.

Obviously you jumped into the car quite late in the season. Two race outings so far and you beat your team-mate on both occasions. What goals have you set for yourself for the remaining events this season and how confident are you of securing a full-time ride for 2016?

AR: With the current situation with the performance difference in the cars I think it’s very clear that the objective just needs to be continuing what we’ve done in the first two, as you said. Both of those weekends there was quite a disrupted Friday for the whole team, so I think if we have a strong Friday the Sunday result can be even more positive. In terms of next year, I’m obviously quite keen to be in a full-time seat next year, which is apparent. The position that I’m in with the team at the moment is good and we’re looking to put that all together for next year.

Kimi, coming to you, you said in Sochi that the collision with Valtteri Bottas was a racing incident, you’ve watched it again by now I’m sure, so how do you feel about it now and how have you left it with Valtteri?

Kimi Raikkonen: Well it hasn’t changed. Obviously there were some discussions and penalties given to me, but I would still do it tomorrow again, that doesn’t change the story. Unfortunately, we came together in the end and we both lost a bit, but that’s life, that’s racing. I don’t feel bad about it and if somebody feels that, it’s up to them. It’s OK for me. Like I said, I would still do the same thing next time and maybe it goes better.

There was another good battle with your team-mate Sebastian Vettel in Sochi. Is the objective for 2016 to beat him or finish in front of him on a more regular basis?

KR: Well, obviously this year hasn’t exactly been what we hoped but it’s been much better than the previous year and I’m sure we are doing the right things but we don’t get the results sometimes. That’s fine, we are going in the right direction all the time and I’m sure when we get things running smoother and all the time better so we can definitely fight with him every week. Like I always said: I wouldn’t be here if I wouldn’t feel like that.

Valtteri, coming to you, obviously in that incident in Sochi you lost what would have been only your second podium finish of the year. After some considered thought what’s your attitude to it now?

Valtteri Bottas: For me it’s the same really. It was a good weekend until the last lap, so of course disappointing to lose the points but my opinion hasn’t changed. I wouldn’t do anything different and it’s now history, so I’m 100 per cent ready to move on.

The result means there are only two points now between you and your team-mate Felipe Massa, so similar question to the one I asked Daniel I guess, how essential is it for you to finish ahead of him in the final standings?

VB: Of course it is, yes. As a driver you always want to beat your team-mate but as Daniel said, when it’s not for either the top three or winning the title it’s not that important. The main thing is to get the maximum points for the team with the two drivers. But personally I would prefer to keep in front and that’s one of the goals for the rest of the year.

Marcus, you didn’t race here last year as Caterham didn’t make the trip, but you were here, so what are you most looking forward to about racing on this Circuit of the Americas track?

Marcus Ericsson: Yeah, I’m really looking forward to driving the track, I think it looks really cool; some nice corners, the first sector especially. Like you said, it was the first race I missed out last year, so I’m really looking forward to driving the track.

You were out on the first lap in Russia, ending a 12-race finishing streak. You’ve been knocked out in Q1 in the last three races in a row but you have outqualified your team-mate five time in the last seven, so how would you sum up the state of play Sauber as we get to this closing part of the season?

ME: I think I’ve had a really good run from the middle of the season really. Then the last three weekends we’ve had some messy weekends with difficult Fridays and difficult Saturdays, so I’m not entirely happy with the last three events. I think we could have done better things there. Like you said, Russia was a tough one, going our on the first lap, especially because I think our car was competitive around there. So not very happy with the last three but looking forward to turning it around here in Austin.

Question to Valtteri. I’m sorry I know it’s history but it’s still interesting at least for us. After the race Kimi said that he was surprised the move didn’t work because he had done that earlier in the race to you, at the exactly the same place, in exactly the same way and you had let him through and I wondered if that was the case from your point of view? And Kimi please add to this if necessary. In other words, earlier in the race did he do that pass exactly as he trued to do it later in the race?

VB: Yeah, I guess it’s still interesting for you guys, but for us not so much. From my point of view the first one was quite a different one, it was much more clear that he could do it. And of course for me, as a driver, not going to leave the door open two times. So, for me, it was a different kind of situation, as we saw from the result.

Kimi, any response?

KR: No. It was for him anyway.

I’m just giving you the right of reply.

KR: Why would I need to reply? It doesn’t change what we say anymore.

I guess the follow up question to Kimi is: did you not see that Valtteri was going to close the door on that second occasion?

KR: I saw it in the end but obviously once you’ve decided to go there… I tried to brake and turn in as much as I can but there’s no way to avoid it. That’ why… what can you do? Once you go there you do it or not. Once I saw that he’s coming… I don’t know. Maybe he didn’t expect or didn’t see me. Tried to slow down and turn in but y’know, in the end if there’s no space there’s no space. We’re going to collide. It’s an unfortunate thing but it’s a part of racing. You get penalised sometimes, sometimes not. We are here to race, it’s pointless to cry afterwards. I’m sure that people like it more like that than just following each other, so… it’s part of the thing.

This is a generic question, how do you create more enthusiasm in urban black America for Formula One? I know we’re up against football and basketball – how do you make Formula One as exciting for the urban kid in America?

LH: Don’t look at me, ask these first. I’d love to see what these others think!

DR: Just try and be as ‘lads–y’ as possible. Just make it exciting. I mean, we try. I think the sport’s, most of the time, pretty exciting. As performers – let’s say – we try and do what we can to make it cool. In all honest I think Austin, this circuit, is one of the best on the calendar for excitement. I’ve said it before, there’s so many places to overtake, I think the layout is perfect with big, wide apexes, so you can have a lot of fun on this track. I these terms, I think that creates the excitement: overtaking, fights. If it’s just a single train race it’s obviously less exciting so… I think this track creates a lot of that. I think as drivers most of us try to be y’know, like… cool people, funny people. We try to bring fans into the sport. Yeah… I don’t know. I don’t know if I’ve answered your question.

Alexander, do you want to have a go at it?

AR: Sure, I mean, from an American perspective, I think the biggest thing, leading onto what Daniel was saying, the excitement level needs to be there but beyond that I think the accessibility. Obviously motorsports is something that is quite difficult to get into – and that’s the same for any young kid trying to do it. I think the biggest thing is a direction where to go. I think that’s the thing that’s missing the most. Beyond that, kind of just… there’s always things that can be done in terms of making it expand to a different part of the States. I think it’s very much… Formula One is three locations and in America we’re trying to grow it as much as we can. I think once that happens it’ll appeal to a much broader mass.

Final thought Lewis?

LH: Yeah, just sitting here trying to think. I agree very much with what they mentioned. It’s difficult for people to get attached here in America. Obviously they’re crazy about NFL and NBA and there sports that you can just go and guy the equipment; buy a ball or a racquet and go play down the road or in the street, whereas karting, you can’t. I was very lucky, my Dad bought me a go kart and we drove it around a car park, like a DIY Homestore car park for a while – but there’s not that much accessibility, as he was saying, for kids who say “hey, I want to go go-karting.” You have to plan it weeks in advance almost, or save up. So, I don’t really know. Maybe Formula One can start to engage more with the NFL or with the other sports. The brands that you have here in the States, and start to engage with them. I never, every see… I don’t know if I’ve ever seen an NBA player come – I’ve had a friend come once. Otherwise it’s never really been anyone from those sports, different kind of sports come and try to see what Formula One’s about to maybe bring some attention to it, maybe. As you can see, I’m doing as much as I can – but I’m only one person. Yesterday I was go-karting with some kids, there were two black kids with us. One passed me, the first time I’d ever been on track with a black kid and, coming past it was like seeing myself come by – it was kinda funny. It was good. It’s open to everyone.

This question’s for everyone. There’s been a lot of talk about rule changes, or taking a more of an old school approach to the sport. I wanted to know how you guys felt about that – because I guess there’s a little fear that maybe the cars are getting too technical, you guys might end up being like David Hasselhoff in Knight Rider, talking the car and the car’s driving itself. Just wanted to know how you guys feel about taking a more old school approach to the cars, taking a little more tech out of it.

KR: I think it’s the right direction. F1 should be easily the fastest racing cars in the world and it doesn’t look right some races where we go and GP2s are a few seconds off almost. They should be definitely faster, more like they were in the mid-2000s. I think that’s the way they plan to go and I think it’s more fun for us, it looks much more greater to the spectators. But also, they have to make it also… nicer for all the people. Everybody is complaining it’s boring, it’s this and that. If something doesn’t change nobody will care how the car looks or how fast they are. Something has to change, that’s for sure, for F1 to get back more interesting for everybody – but I think it’s a good way to go, make the cars faster and more exciting looking.

Valtteri, your thoughts on this.

VB: I think the main thing, like every driver for sure, it’s likely the cars are going to be quicker, so that’s a good thing. Maybe more tricky to drive, hopefully. The main thing, the cars are fast and more spectacular for everyone. I’m not sure it’s really an old school thing because the sport will keep developing. It’s a good direction.

Marcus?

ME: First of all, I think the cars today are still a lot of fun to drive for us drivers but like Valtteri says, of course faster cars are always going to be nice for us drivers – but I think there’s a fine line there. To not make it too much like ten, 15 years ago when there was not so much overtaking. I think the racing today is great, with a lot of fights and overtaking. I think we should not cross that line and make the races just follow each other and no overtaking. But yeah, of course, faster cars is going to be more fun for us and more fun to watch.

DR: I think sometimes having such a big difference between cars is not so fun for a spectator as well. You see, I think it was a Williams pass a McLaren in Sochi and it was like it was standing still. That… for a spectator seeing that. That driver’s not better and he’s passed him… holding your foot flat down the straight – there’s no real skill required so when it looks that easy then it’s a little bit… I think it takes something away from the sport, one way or another. So, you always want a bit more equality. I mean, sure, you always want the top teams and you always want to look up to racing for a top team, so you always… there’s got to be some sort of division but a smaller division would be nice. More competition I think, more drivers fighting for wins. I think then, when you win a race also, the reward is much bigger. Somehow to get that back, I think, would be good.

LH: I think it does need to change. I’ve not really looked at the changes they’re proposing, to be honest, but it needs to be… for example, with the DRS, it doesn’t feel organic, like natural racing. Whatever changes they make, I want to see closer racing. Wheel to wheel racing. It needs to be like go-karting was. If, y’know, go-karting, wheel to wheel and those guys following the train overtaking. We need to make Formula One a bit more like that. Somehow. I don’t know how they’re going to do it. It needs to be a lot different to what it was in the last 20 years.

AR: I’m going into my third race so I don’t really have much of a comment, other than the fact I’m not really racing anyone at the moment other than one other car. Obviously I have to agree with what everyone said but for my own personal views, nothing different.

Kind of following up this discussion, there’s been a lot of talk about the power units in that and the fact that they are a little bit disparate right now in terms of performance. But what about a re-vamp of the aerodynamic approach, because what you guys were talking about – Lewis in particular – about the go-karting and running close and that, you don’t seem to be able to do that right now because you get close enough, you wash the front end out, there’s no stick? How about re-vamping the aero on the car to get more done, maybe with a tunnel, less sensitivity in the nose so you can follow somebody through say, the last turn at Monza and be able to run right up and not lose the nose as opposed to all the focus on all the power units? That seems like that would improve the racing.

LH: It does seem that way but I don’t think that’s possible. You’ve got turbulence behind the plane, it’s the same thing, you get turbulence behind the car. All these vortices that are bouncing off the car, whichever rule they change to keep downforce, it’s always going to be like that. They need to do something like where when you’re getting close to another car and the car in front has to… the cars always have to have the same amount of downforce, no matter how close you get, so I don’t know how they’ll achieve that but that would be kind of neat.

Alexander, having had FP1 a couple of years ago, how much nicer is it to have past F1 machinery track experience as opposed to the last two events you’ve done?

AR: I’ll let you know tomorrow. Obviously it gives you a baseline but at the same time the cars in ’13 were clearly very different to what they are now. I don’t know how much is applicable to be honest. I think it’s more of a bonus, the fact that I’ve actually driven the track, more than anything else.

Daniel, Renault has a new engine in the works. What has Renault told you and what has the team told you about this engine?

DR: Yeah, it’s available if we want to use it. Obviously that would mean a penalty, though, so we’ve got to understand if it’s worth it. Last I heard, it’s not massive so from my understanding it’s probably not worth taking it but yeah, I think we’re down such a chunk that I don’t think we’re going to gain enough in this short time to make it up so if we start from the back, I don’t think we’re going to make (up) the ground we need. Right now, I would say we’re probably less likely to take it. That’s about it. Hopefully today they tell me something different and we’ve found a bigger chunk of horsepower from it but I think realistically there’s not a whole lot.

Just following up on what you were saying there, it looked as if in sector three in Russia your car was actually not bad at all in terms of putting its power down and racing Ferrari- and Mercedes-engined cars and on that basis, I wonder where you feel you’re at around here now, on this circuit, bearing in mind the sector three here as well? How quick is the car now?

DR: The car’s good and I was surprised to hold Valtteri and Kimi off for as long as I did. Once they caught me I thought I wouldn’t have sat in front as long. That was definitely some nice little surprises, I guess, in Russia. I think it has progressed for sure, the power as well but I think the car has really come alive and yeah, the grip we have through all those tight, twisty bits is really good. I think this circuit will suit us more so yeah, I’m hoping we can be more competitive here. It just seems that (in) qualifying we don’t really have that one lap pace but then (in) the races we seem to be a lot more competitive so if we can somehow start towards the front then I think we can stay there. We’ll see how we go but I’m definitely excited to race here if we’re not floating down the river.

To all of you; Pirelli is set to stay for quite a few years. What would the drivers like to see from the tyres looking at the next few seasons?

VB: Maybe more grip, that’s always nice, more grip. I think there have been some tracks that – for example Russia – even the supersoft has been a bit too hard so yeah, I’m sure that they are learning from all these things but I think this is adjusting to the different tracks because every tarmac is so different tracks because every tarmac is different, every track is so different, so to make the races exciting, a good quick tyre for the track, I’m sure they are pushing for that so we will see what they can do.

KR: I think we’ve had a lot of discussions about Pirelli and obviously they have been blamed for many things but it’s not easy for them to produce tyres that… first of all I don’t think they are ever going to be able to produce tyres that everyone is happy with. Somebody is always complaining and then we are not allowed to do testing so how can they improve the tyres? We always say, OK, we should go this or that way but they don’t have the time on the circuit to do anything so that doesn’t help them. I don’t really see the point of discussing here what we would like. For sure they will talk to us. I think everybody has to work together with the teams to decide that OK, we can do testing, also helping Pirelli in that way. When teams cannot decide themselves together who does the test or whose car is being used then Pirelli cannot do any laps. It’s very difficult to improve tyres and do what the teams are asking of them. I think it’s up to the teams to provide them also the possibilities to get the tyres running in a proper test and try things. I’m sure they will find a way to do that and I’m sure we will get what everybody’s more or less happy with.

LH: I don’t know. As Kimi said, it’s pointless everyone saying what we would like if we can’t do any testing. I don’t really particularly… more performance is what we always want and I think they’ve got to make a big step if that’s going to be the case.