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Listen, if you only watch one Formula 1 race a year, you might as well do it this weekend, when the only American race on the calendar (for now) will be held in Austin, Texas. Here is what to expect before the US Grand Prix on Sunday.
What is the US Grand Prix?
F1 has been running in the United States intermittently for decades, with some of these events not going very well. F1 has recently returned to America after a five-year absence in 2012, with a grand prize at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin. Since then, the series is presented every year at COTA, but not without a lot of dramas and fears that the race is not included in the F1 calendar. Fortunately, this was not the case this time.
Circuit of The Americas, a 20-kilometer track with a tight first turn, S-turns and many other tight turns, is the personal playground of F1 leader Lewis Hamilton.
Hamilton is, to put it simply, right here. According to Racing Reference Records, he has won five of the six F1 races that are taking place there. The only other driver to win at COTA is his closest rival this year, Sebastian Vettel, in 2013.
There may soon be more than one F1 race in the United States, as the new American owners of F1 want races in the United States all over the calendar. A Miami Grand Prix on a messy circuit was supposed to be on the 2019 schedule, but that has already been postponed until at least 2020, and F1 has also announced the names of potential Las Vegas Grand Prix and Grand Prix races. New York guard.
But for now, COTA has been using DIBS as the only American date for F1 for at least two years.
Where are we in the season?
The US Grand Prix is the 18th of 21 races this year. We have a more comprehensive guide on the 2018 F1 season in general here, but here's the summary: the top three teams in the last racing seasons are Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull Racing, all of which have a consistent advantage over the rest of the group . field, and have semi-predictable end positions between them – they are all interchangeable, but if you place bets, count on Mercedes first, then on Ferrari, then on Red Bull.
Hamilton remains the star of the Mercedes and his teammate, Valtteri Bottas, is sometimes encouraged to follow the team's orders to help the Hamilton championship leader. Ferrari has Vettel, who is second in the championship but so long ago that it makes no difference, and Kimi Raikkonen, 38, who will go to Alfa Romeo Sauber after this year and will be replaced by a young driver Charles Leclerc.
Red Bull has Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo, the first of them having got some extra curves placed at COTA after a big penalty of passage in the race of last year. Ricciardo will leave Red Bull after this year for Renault.
Will the title of F1 2018 be decided this weekend?
That's an excellent question, given that everything has been said about Hamilton being so far ahead of his nearest competitor in the standings. The short answer is: maybe.
The championship seemed very tight and competitive between Hamilton and Vettel for the first part of the racing season, as Ferrari seemed to have a small advantage. A few mistakes later, we almost all failed, and we are now acquiring decisive scenarios before the race in the United States.
Basically, if Hamilton finishes well and Vettel finishes low enough in the race, Hamilton can win the championship several races earlier in Austin. It would not be the first time this has happened.
Here are the decisive scenarios for Hamilton this weekend, all compiled into a nice little graphic on COTA's Twitter account. If he does not succeed this weekend, he will probably do it sooner rather than later.
Since Hamilton is so good on the track, a major threat for him to finish near the front (read: first) is a wreck in the first corner. These happen sometimes.
An additional complication: the weather is bad in Austin this weekend, with unusually low temperatures (for Texas) in the mid-60s and a high possibility of rain or even floods. We expect this race to be a wet race.
How can people at home follow the race?
We've reached the point where you're shouting "U-S-A!" And you think how fun it would be to see one of the biggest international race titles in the world decided on red, white and blue soils. Here's how and when to sing this throughout the Sunday afternoon American Grand Prix.
When: Sunday October 21st at 2 pm ET
Or: Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas
TV channel in the United States: ABC, coverage from 1:30 pm ET
Streaming via F1: F1 TV Pro, $ 11.99 a month or $ 99.99 a year
Live updates without video coverage: Access F1 TV, $ 2.99 a month or $ 26.99 a year, or simply create a list of F1 accounts on Twitter and follow it for free.
There are also free practice sessions and qualifying sessions, the qualifiers consisting of three elimination rounds that determine the starting lineup. The qualifications are at 17 hours. Saturday, with streaming coverage or on ESPN News in America.
Put on your starry and striped pajama pants, whether you're watching the race or watching it at home, and get ready to have a fun one, because that's what we hope for.
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