Harry Benjamin
BBC F1 Commentator

We go racing in Texas and it's a good start from Lando Norris who cuts across to the inside.

The Dutchman doesn't give up, they almost collide!

Verstappen and Norris run each other off the track and it's the Ferrari that takes the lead!

Six races to go in the 2024 season. Yeehaw!

Up the hill they go and Lando Norris is desperately trying to defend against Max Verstappen on the inside, which allows Charles Leclerc to steam through and take the race lead from fourth place!

Lewis Hamilton has propelled himself all the way up to P12! There was drama all over the first lap, pushing the doors open for other drivers to take advantage.

Image source, Getty Images

The sun is out and the skies are clear and blue in Austin. The fans are already in party mode in the grandstands. If you're just joining us, hello! George Russell is starting from the pit lane, while Lando Norris is on pole and Max Verstappen in second are going toe-to-toe at the front of the pack.

Marc Priestley
Former F1 mechanic on BBC Radio 5 Live

Ferrari have come alive without changing their car at all, there are no upgrades on that Ferrari, a car that struggled effectively last time out.

This weekend it seems to be one of the dominant cars, some of the teams even are struggling to fully understand how to get the best out of their packages.

Image source, Getty Images

He claimed his fourth pole position in five races yesterday, but can Lando Norris convert today's head-to-head battle off the line with Max Verstappen into another another grand prix victory?

Last time out in Singapore was the first time in five attempts this season Norris has led after the opening lap after starting on pole, so he knows he has the pace and the control to keep three-time world champion at bay.

But will that radio message earlier on highlighting the car's struggles with Turn 19 be playing on his mind?

Hit the left thumb if you think Norris will take the win in Austin.

Or tap the right thumb if you think Verstappen will come out on top.

With a longer race distance and warmer temperatures today, just how are those mid-range Pirelli tyres going to hold up?

The top 12 drivers are all on the medium tyres at the beginning of this 56-lap race, while Lewis Hamilton is one five drivers to opt for the hards instead.

"Damn, this is far back," says Lewis Hamilton from his P17 starting position on the grid.

Harry Benjamin
BBC F1 Commentator

The sun continuing to beat down on the starting grid as the drivers make their last adjustments before clambering into their cockpit.

Ian Fergusson
BBC weather forecaster

It's a beautiful day at COTA where air temperature is 27.1C and the track 46.4C.

Like yesterday, a fairly light wind from the east, with gusts to 19mph in the past hour. Dry event lies ahead (official risk of rain is 0%).

The gap between leaders McLaren and second-placed Red Bull is now 39 points in the constructors' championship thanks Max Verstappen's sprint win.

We did see some movement in the teams' standings on Saturday: Haas are now above RB and into sixth place. The pair on both level on 24 points, but Haas take the spot on previous race results.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

The sprint victory handed Max Verstappen a two-point swing in the drivers' championship and now he leads rival Lando Norris by 54 points heading into today's US Grand Prix.

Charles Leclerc in third has lost a point on second-placed Norris after finishing fourth in the sprint and now trails the McLaren man by 35 points.

Meanwhile, points on the board for both Haas drivers on Saturday has given Nico Hulkenberg's bid to finish in the top 10 another boost. He's now ahead of Aston Martin's Lance Stroll, who sits 11th, by one point.

Andrew Benson
BBC F1 correspondent in Austin

Image source, Pirelli 2024

Race strategy is open. A two-stop may be the default, but a one-stop is on the radar following the resurfacing of large parts of the track. The medium and hard tyres are expected to be the focus of the race.

A pit stop costs in the region of 20-21 seconds, half that under a safety car, which are not that common in Austin, even allowing for the fact there has not been one for nine races. Having the DRS gains a driver 0.6secs a lap and overtaking is relatively easy.

Image source, BBC Sport

So much has happened already in the Austin that the questions for BBC F1 correspondent Andrew Benson are already coming in thick and fast.

Red Bull's controversial adjustment device, McLaren's response to it, sprint race shenanigans, late crashes in qualifying; and that's before we even get to what might happen over the course of 56 laps tonight.

If there's anything on your mind, send your questions through using the link here

The answers will be published at the beginning of next week.

Martin Brundle is on his grid walk on Sky Sports and has already spoken to a host of sporting stars. He reaches Oscar Piastri, who is starting P5 in the upgraded McLaren, and asks does the car look racy? "We'll find out in about 10 minutes," comes the reply.

Ah, national anthem time. It's an acapella version of the Star-Spangled Banner performed by the University of Texas Longhorn Singers - and it was great.

'Thunderstruck' by AC/DC is booming out of the speakers as the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders entertain the crowds.

Image source, Getty Images

To celebrate his 100th Formula 1 race in Austin, Alex Albon has been handed a welcome gift - a two-place jump up the order to P14.

The 28-year-old made his debut in the sport five years ago with Toro Rosso and scored his maiden podium while driving for Red Bull at the Tuscany Grand Prix in 2020, before scoring another third-placed finish in Bahrain six races later.

Albon is in his third season with Williams following a difficult end to his career at Red Bull and is 13th in the drivers' championship.

Jennie Gow
F1 pit-lane reporter in Austin

The grandstands are packed, the hills are lined with a lot of Lando Norris fans but there is general excitement here. It is hot enough to BBQ a piece of meat on the tarmac!

Image source, Getty Images

Carlos Sainz has already shown this weekend he's more than capable of taking the fight to the front-runners and helping himself to a few places from his starting grid position.

The Spaniard qualified fifth for the sprint race but soon found himself defeating Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc in a fierce duel, picking off the Mercedes of George Russell and then pouncing on Lando Norris' lock-up at Turn One to finish second to Max Verstappen.

After qualifying third for Sunday's grand prix, Sainz said Ferrari had taken "a good step in the right direction" to put themselves in the hunt for a potential race victory.

The Scuderia have looked one of the strongest teams in race trim, but one eye will also be on tyre preparation given how they (and others) appeared to struggle with degradation during the 19-lap sprint.

Harry Benjamin
BBC F1 Commentator

We're fresh off the back of Sting and Eminem headlining the off-track action and on the track, the main headline, we still do have a championship battle on our hands.

We're about half an hour drive from downtown Texas, it is hot, it is an event, a festival, not just a grand prix.

Image source, Getty Images

'Recovery drive' will be the motto of the Mercedes garage at the Circuit of the Americas today, with both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell facing a tough task to get back up into the points.

Earlier on, Russell wrote on X:, external "The team has worked so hard bringing upgrades to the car, which showed great potential on Friday. Yesterday, we didn’t seem to have that pace and I was pushing beyond the limit, ultimately paying the price with the crash.

"Today’s a new day and the team have done an amazing job fixing the car overnight. I’ll be giving it absolutely everything to do their hard work justice."

Image source, Getty Images

Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton, speaking to Sky Sports: "We've not been able to change the car overnight, but I'm hoping for a better day. It's a new day, a new chance and a new opportunity to do something new.

"George and I are going to be pushing, George has been really unfortunate as well, so we're both starting from the back. Hopefully we can work as a team.

"It's a beautiful day here in Austin and the crowd is amazing every year."