Onwards to Brazil, scene of Lewis Hamilton's greatest day in the sport back in 2008 when he clinched his first - and as yet only - world title. The Briton can't win the title next Sunday, but he can certainly move a giant step closer.
That said, anything can still happen and there are double points on offer in Abu Dhabi, which could really shake things up.
Thanks for your company and contributions. It's been a blast. See you back here Friday. Until then, it's good night from me!
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AFPCopyright: AFP
So was today the day that Nico Rosberg's confidence took a knock-out blow, the German once again having no answer to Mercedes' team-mate Lewis Hamilton's charge to victory from second on the grid?
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Keep an eye on the F1 pages or follow @bbcf1 on Twitter for all the reaction from the Austin paddock and the latest news ahead of next weekend's Brazilian Grand Prix.
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The pack up has begun in Austin, with Sao Paulo the next stop for the Formula 1 circus. We go from a newish circuit to an old but absolute classic in the form of Interlagos, with first practice kicking off at 12:00 GMT on Friday. Live text commentary will kick off at 11:30.
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It was a good day for Williams in terms of the constructors' championship, with the Grove-based team increasing their lead in third place to 42 points over Ferrari. You can see the full standings here.
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Reach for your remotes, folks. Or click the Live Coverage tab at the top of the page because Suzi Perry and the team are go, go, go on BBC One with the United States Grand Prix highlights programme.
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Today was Mercedes' 10th one-two finish of the season, tying McLaren's record from 1988. It was also the 12th race they've led from start-to-finish, which also ties McLaren's record from 1988.
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Force India: Tough day at the office today. At least only a few days until we're back in action in Brazil!
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If you want to catch up on the race you can read the report here or wait for the highlights, which start on BBC One in eight minutes' time.
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Lotus F1 TeamCopyright: Lotus F1 Team
Lotus on Twitter: Hey @JeanEricVergne, @RGrosjean's a little annoyed at what you did to his car! Thanks for returning it.
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Today's result means that championship will be decided at the finale in Abu Dhabi, no matter what happens next weekend in Brazil.
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James Brandon: Can't see past Hamilton for the title now, even with the double points party in Abu Dhabi.
Justin: Great race by Lewis Hamilton, let's hope the double point situation in Abu Dhabi doesn't bite him.
Rachel: Allowed the kids to stay up for all of that. British sporting history! Take a bow Lewis Hamilton!
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"We are doing what we can," says Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo, who finished third. "We all had a great weekend so thank to all the fans. It's a pleasure to come out here.
"Thanks to Red Bull for giving me a package to fight for the podium and I'm really happy with third place.
"You can overtake here. I got Magnussen and then Alonso on the restart so it wasn't too boring out there."
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"It kind of sucks for me today," says Nico Rosberg, who finished second. "It took too long for me to find my rhythm. Once Hamilton got by I found my rhythm but that was too late."
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Mercedes amg f1Copyright: Mercedes amg f1
Mercedes on Twitter: Here's your #USGP podium folks! Give it up for @LewisHamilton & @nico_rosberg!!
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Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
"I have an incredible team and an incredible car and I had a great opponent today," said race winner Lewis Hamilton. "It is such a privilege to represent my country and to be top of the driver wins is quite special. The car was great today."
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Lewis Hamilton asks 1978 world champion Mario Andretti for his Stetson while being interviewed but the American says no, adding "not while I'm doing my official duties". But the Briton gets his wish one the interviews are done and dusted, although it's a bit small for him...
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Daniel Ricciardo's third place is his eighth podium of what has been a stunning season. However, the race result means he is now eliminated from the title fight. Only Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg can mathematically win this year's title now.
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APCopyright: AP
Here's a random fact for you. It's six years to the day since Lewis Hamilton won the world title at the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix.
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Pete: Supreme drive yet again from Lewis Hamilton! he's like a Champion Boxer keeping his opponent at arms-length; always doing just enough.
Andrew Priestley: Brilliant victory from Lewis Hamilton. He managed his tyres, his own race and the gap to Rosberg so well.
Ibraheem Khan: Hamilton wins! Got an answer to everything Nico can throw at him at the moment. Imperious form!
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Nico Rosberg smiles as he receives his second-placed trophy but he must be hurting inside. The German has been beaten by Lewis Hamilton again. You have to go back to July and the German Grand Prix for Rosberg's last win.
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Now that's a proper trophy which Lewis Hamilton hoists aloft to cheers from team members below and the fans in the grandstand opposite.
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David Coulthard
BBC F1 co-commentator
"We didn't quite get to see the wheel-to-wheel action we were looking for, but still a great job from Hamilton. He is a fantastic driver and he deserves all the success and plaudits that go with it."
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The British national anthem rings out at the Circuit of the Americas with Lewis Hamilton all smiles on the top step of the podium.
United States Grand Prix result
1) Lewis Hamilton 2) Nico Rosberg 3) Daniel Ricciardo 4) Felipe Massa 5) Valtteri Bottas 6) Fernando Alonso 7) Sebastian Vettel 8) Kevin Magnussen 9) Jean-Eric Vergne 10) Pastor Maldonado
DNF: Nico Hulkenberg, Sergio Perez and Adrian Sutil
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David Coulthard
BBC F1 co-commentator
"The incredible thing is Rosberg has done a great job this season. And he was only four seconds behind Hamilton in the end. It's not like he is doing a bad job at all, it's just that Hamilton has that little edge."
APCopyright: AP
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Lewis Hamilton waves to the crowd as he heads back to the pits for the podium celebrations. The Briton now leads Nico Rosberg by 24 points with two races and 75 points still on the table.
Team radio
Lewis Hamilton's race engineer: "Get in there Lewis. Epic drive. Epic."
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That's Lewis Hamilton's fifth successive victory and 32nd of his career, which means he now holds the outright record for the most wins by a British driver.
This level of dominance has echoes of Sebastian Vettel's incredible finish last season. The German scored nine wins on the bounce to end last year.
APCopyright: AP
Chequered flag
EPACopyright: EPA
Lewis Hamilton wins the United States Grand Prix.
Final lap
Lewis Hamilton starts the final lap, with Nico Rosberg 2.1 seconds behind and struggling to clear the traffic.
Lap 55
Sebastian Vettel passes Jean-Eric Vergne for ninth place while up front, Lewis Hamilton leads Nico Rosberg by two seconds.
Lap 54
Jenson Button is in all sorts of trouble here as Sebastian Vettel barges his way past the 2009 world champion for 10th. Button now out of the points in 11th.
Lap 53
Jean-Eric Vergne's charge continues, the Frenchman managing to make a clean pass this time, with Jenson Button the loser, to take eighth.
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Lap 52
Third-placed Daniel Ricciardo responds to Felipe Massa's advances and ups the gap to 1.5 seconds with four laps to go. Lewis Hamilton leads Nico Rosberg by 3.4 seconds now. Looks like job done.
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Nige Edwards: I am confused. With Fernando looking so good, why are Ferrari not looking to ditch a very average Kimi?
Lewis: I think this year Vettel has found out how Webber felt last year.
Megan: Can foresee Lewis winning today & next week then having a car failure at Abu Dhabi & Nico winning because of double points.
Lap 51
Felipe Massa is just 1.4 seconds behind Daniel Ricciardo in the battle for third with just five laps to go. Meanwhile, up front race leader Lewis Hamilton leads Nico Rosberg by 2.4 seconds.
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David Coulthard
BBC F1 co-commentator
"That was a great pass by Vergne. We have seen him come alive in his wheel to wheel action this season. It's one thing to pull off a late move on the brakes, but it is another to make it stick."
Lap 50
We've got bumper cars up at Turn One as Jean-Eric Vergne barges Romain Grosjean out of the way for ninth place. Pastor Maldonado takes advantage and steals 10th, too. Grosjean down to 11th.
Lap 49
Williams tell Felipe Massa to try and close the gap on Daniel Ricciardo because they think the Red Bull driver might have an issue. Massa responds immediately, reducing the gap from 2.2 seconds to 1.7.
Lap 48
The two Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg are lapping in the high 1m41s while their closest challenger Daniel Ricciardo is in the mid 1m43s. They've been in a league of their own all weekend.
Lap 47
Nico Rosberg takes half a second out of Lewis Hamilton to reduce the gap to the race leader to 1.9 seconds. Hamilton is warned over the radio to be careful on he exit of Turn 19 where a strip of Astroturf has dislodged itself.
Lap 46
Sebastian Vettel is struggling on those tyres and that makes him easy-pickings for Fernando Alonso, who breezes past to take sixth.
Lap 45
Here's how they stand with 11 laps to go:
1) Ham 2) Ros 3) Ric 4) Mas 5) Bot 6) Vet 7) Alo 8) Mag 9) But 10) Gro
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Ashley: Just as an aside, how good is this track? The best of the "new" tracks from the last decade or so. Encourages taking risks.
Adam: If Hamilton wins it will be a devastating blow to Rosberg's confidence for the next few races.
Denis: For me, Rosberg yet to prove he's a top F1 driver. In the same car there's half a dozen others who would give Hamilton a better fight.
Lap 44
Fernando Alonso pits, taking on a set of the options tyres and rejoins in seventh, just behind Sebastian Vettel. Good work from Vettel, who started from the pit lane but now running sixth.
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David Coulthard
BBC F1 co-commentator
On Vettel passing Magnussen: "Vettel uses the straight-line advantage once again. Magnussen resigned to fact that if he does too much defending he is allowing his team-mate Button to close the gap."
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Lap 43
Kimi Raikkonen pits from seventh and rejoins in 13th. Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg are matching each other for lap times, the gap 2.4 seconds with 13 laps to go.
Lap 42
Sebastian Vettel passes Kevin Magnussen for ninth place, with Jenson Button nipping up the inside of Romain Grosjean at Turn One for 11th.
Lap 41
Pastor Maldonado has been given a five-second stop-go penalty for speeding in the pit-lane. He is unlikely to make another stop, so they will have the penalty added to his time at the end of the race.
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David Coulthard
BBC F1 co-commentator
"Hamilton reacting to Rosberg closing that gap. He has just done the fastest lap of the race and he has just gone purple in the first sector, so continuing to open that out."
APCopyright: AP
Lap 40
Lewis Hamilton sets the fastest lap of the race to lead Nico Rosberg by 2.5 seconds. Meanwhile, Sebastian Vettel is battle with Kevin Magnussen for ninth place. Vettel has a stab up the inside, but can't slow the car down enough and Magnussen snatches the place back.
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
Lap 39
Lotus' Pastor Maldonado is under investigation for speeding in the pit lane. He's currently down in 14th.
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Peter: Early days (laps?) yet, but Daniel Ricciardo is shaping up to be my driver of the weekend. This kid has amazing talent! Godspeed!
Simon: Rosberg has only beaten Hamilton in a straight fight at one race: Monaco. All the other races he has won, Hamilton had an issue.
Ian: Only way that Nico can get confidence back is by battling Lewis on the track and beating him.
Lap 38
Fernando Alonso, Kimi Raikkonen and Daniil Kvyat, running sixth, seventh and eighth respectively, have yet to make a second stop.
Up front, the gap between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg remains at 2.8 seconds.
Lap 37
With 19 laps to go, here's how they stand:
1) Ham 2) Ros 3) Ric 4) Mas 5) Bot 6) Alo 7) Mal 8) Rai 9) Kvy 10) Mag
Lewis Hamilton leads Nico Rosberg by 2.8 seconds, with Daniel Ricciardo six seconds further back.
Lap 36
But, as I say that, Nico Rosberg sets the fastest lap of the race, snipping one second out of the deficit to Lewis Hamilton. The gap now 2.6 seconds.
Daniel Ricciardo is comfortable in third, 1.8 seconds clear of Felipe Massa.
Lap 35
Lewis Hamilton is stretching his lead at the front, 3.6 seconds clear of Nico Rosberg. Still 21 laps to go.
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David Coulthard
BBC F1 co-commentator
"With these longer runs Hamilton has found some confidence and found some pace. On the same tyre strategy it is hard to imagine that Rosberg can come back at him unless Hamilton has a problem."
Lap 34
Nico Rosberg pits and rejoins behind Lewis Hamilton. If Rosberg wants to win this race, he'll need to make the pass on the track as neither Mercedes driver needs to stop again.
Here's the top 10: 1) Ham 2) Ros 3) Ric 4) Mas 5) Bot 6) Alo 7) Mal 8) Rai 9) Kvy 10) Mag
Lap 33
Lewis Hamilton pits from the lead to over the rest of the field. It's a good stop from Mercedes, just 2.9 seconds, and he's back out in second. Nico Rosberg is told to push.
Lap 32
Shoddy stop from Williams with Felipe Massa getting held in his box. The Brazilian eventually gets away, but the delay means Daniel Ricciardo flies past to take third.
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
"That has not gone at all to the Williams plan as Massa's tyre's must have hit the cliff on his in lap," says BBC F1's David Coulthard.
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Julez: Hamilton is once again showing why he will be the world champion. Amazing driving!!!
Peter: Lewis just looks to be in supreme control of this race. Amazing stuff. How does he do it?
Shohidur: Excellent drive from Massa so far, not a million miles behind Rosberg. Really don't know what Bottas is doing.
Lap 31
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
The Williams of Felipe Massa is showing good pace this afternoon. He's closing the gap to the Mercedes and is just 4.9 seconds behind Nico Rosberg.
Lap 30
Lewis Hamilton responds to Nico Rosberg's attack with a high 1m43 that is nearly half a second quicker than the German. The gap is now two seconds.
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Lotus on Twitter: P10 for Pastor now! Stop the race, stop the race!
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David Coulthard
BBC F1 co-commentator
"Up at the front Rosberg is keeping Hamilton honest - they are trading lap times."
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
Lap 29
"OK Jenson, pit this lap," says Jenson Button's race engineer. A wound up 2009 world champion replies "Are you sure this lap? Are you sure?" in reference to the message from the previous lap.
Lap 28
Jenson Button is told to pit, but then told to stay out as his McLaren team-mate Kevin Magnussen is in the pits. Meanwhile, up front, Lewis Hamilton leads Nico Rosberg by 1.4 seconds. This race is not over yet.
Lap 27
Fernando Alonso continues his charge, passing the McLaren of Kevin Magnussen for sixth place.
APCopyright: AP
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Libin Daniel: Hamilton! Hamilton! What a takeover! Takes a lot of guts. Austin! Make some noise!
John McEnerney: Two super moves by 2 super drivers Alonso & LH, imagine that battle week in week out! Super racing!
Jeremiah Kariuki: Lewis makes overtaking seem so easy! Superb drive. He only needs to keep the car ahead for the remaining over 30 laps!
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Mercedes on Twitter: Phew!! They both emerge clean - strong stuff from @LewisHamilton! Your move @nico_rosberg! Let's have more of this!!
Lap 26
A Lotus passing a Red Bull? What is going on? Romain Grosjean passes Sebastian Vettel for ninth place. Vettel is have a torrid afternoon, complaining about the car's pace on team radio.
Lap 25
Lewis Hamilton has opened up a 1.3 second lead over Nico Rosberg, with Felipe Massa 6.9 seconds adrift.
Replays show Fernando Alonso finally gets past Jenson Button for seventh place.
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James Allen
BBC Radio 5 live commentator
"It was exactly like this when Hamilton won here in 2012. He was shadowing Vettel [who was leading] and just before the end of the grand prix he passed him."
AFPCopyright: AFP
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David Coulthard
BBC F1 co-commentator
"Rosberg goes wide into the corner and once again Hamilton came across the front of his car and left Rosberg with no choice but to drive off the circuit. In driver terms it's within the rules but it is a slap in the face to his team-mate.
"Rosberg decided to defend very late in the braking zone. He tried to make a move but you are not allowed in the braking zone."
Lap 24
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
Lewis Hamilton leads the United States Grand Prix!
The Briton nips into his team-mate's slipstream and with the aid of DRS pulls alongside on the brakes in the run down to Turn 12. It's a bold move and Rosberg doesn't give him much space, but he's through!
Hamilton then gives Rosberg the squeeze on the exit, with the German forced on to the run-off before rejoining. What a blow that will be to Rosberg's confidence.
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David Coulthard
BBC F1 co-commentator
"Hamilton is showing Rosberg he is there and filling his mirrors with a view of his car. Just applying the pressure.
"Rosberg just has to be a little bit on the side of cautious as he knows one little mistake will allow Hamilton to pounce."
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
Lap 23
Lewis Hamilton is now in the DRS zone, just 0.8 seconds behind Nico Rosberg. Watch this space!
Reaction
Force India's Sergio Perez, who attracts a lot of fans from his native nearby Mexico but retired on lap one: "I was trying to do the move into 15 and then Adrian (Sutil) closed the door. I tried to brake late but I couldn't avoid Kimi (Raikkonen).
"It is a shame. We were looking forward to the points and it is one of those races when you really didn't want anything to happen but unfortunately it happened in the most important race for me."
APCopyright: AP
Lap 22
Good scrap between Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso, the two former world champions going side-by-side through several corners. Button, currently eighth, manages to keep Alonso behind for now - but for how long?
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Vicky Sanderson: The momentum is with Rosberg; he knows what he needs to do and he's doing a good job so far.
Dennis Ward: Rosberg is fully in control. He has it in the bag.
Cameron: Hamilton will pull a move on Rosberg when he least expects it, just wait, sometime Hamilton's move will hatch.
Lap 21
Lewis Hamilton is on the move, the Briton cutting the gap by a second over the course of two laps. The deficit to Nico Rosberg is just 1.4 seconds. Still 35 laps to go.
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Lap 20
Esteban Gutierrez does himself no favours by leaving the door wide open at Turn 12. Romain Grosjean takes advantage to move into 12th and Jean-Eric Vergne decides to have a piece of the action, too, following the Lotus through.
Lap 19
The order has changed following a flurry of pit stops. Here's a snapshot of the top 10:
1) Ros 2) Ham 3) Mas 4) Ric 5) Bot 6) Kvy 7) Mag 8) But 9) Alo 10) Vet
Lap 18
Force India's presence in this race is over as Nico Hulkenberg pulls off to the side of the track. The German was running outside of the points.
Lewis Hamilton lost out during the stops and now trails team-mate Nico Rosberg by 2.4 seconds as they battle for the lead.
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David Coulthard
BBC F1 co-commentator
On Ricciardo's battle with Bottas: "That Williams has such good straight-line speed it is going to be so difficult to keep him behind.
"Bottas is on the option tyre so he has the pace advantage on the rubber and he has the better straight-line speed.
"He will be hoping to get down the inside and make that pass stick into Turn 12."
APCopyright: AP
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Brian Condron: US Grand Prix really has a great track. Reckon I need to pay a visit to Austin, Texas.
Sydney River: Superb aggressive driving will get Hamilton the win, Go Lewis!
Edson: Hamilton just needs to keep pressure on Rosberg, he will crack sooner or later.
Lap 17
Lewis Hamilton pits and rejoins in second, behind Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg. Valtteri Bottas is all over the back of Daniel Ricciardo's Red Bull. That Williams has so much more straight-line speed, but Ricciardo is defending his position well at the moment.
Lap 16
Williams' Valtteri Bottas pits and rejoins just ahead of Daniel Ricciardo. But the Red Bull driver has the momentum and sweeps around the outside of Bottas for fourth place.
Lap 15
Nico Rosberg pits from the lead, releasing Lewis Hamilton. Can the 2008 world champion pump in he lap time to jump his team-mate when he makes his own stop?
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
Team radio
Lewis Hamilton's race engineer: "You're doing a great job here Lewis, just keep the pressure on."
Lap 14
Daniel Ricciardo is flying and is now just 0.7 seconds behind the Williams of Valtteri Bottas, in fourth. Ricciardo and third-placed Felipe Massa pit.
APCopyright: AP
Lap 13
Lewis Hamilton has drifted to one second out behind Nico Rosberg, with Felipe Massa 6.2 seconds adrift in third.
Team radio
Nico Rosberg: "Front left [tyre] is finished."
That'll be music to the ears of Lewis Hamilton.
Lap 12
Pastor Maldonado, Jean-Eric Vergne and Esteban Gutierrez are given five-second stop-go penalties for speeding behind the safety car. That's a shame for Maldonado who is running eighth. Both Lotuses are currently in the points and showing their best form of the season.
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David Coulthard
BBC F1 co-commentator
On Jean-Eric Vergne squeezing out Romain Grosjean as he attempts to pass: "That is the racing driver equivalent of a slap in the face there. Vergne making it clear if Romain wants to make his way past he has to be a bit more decisive and make the move stick."
Reaction
"So disappointing and unnecessary," says Sauber's Adrian Sutil of Force India's Sergio Perez on 5 live after their coming together on lap one ended both of their races
Lap 11
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
Lewis Hamilton closes once more, the Briton now just 0.6 seconds behind his Mercedes team-mate and title rival Nico Rosberg.
Lap 10
Jenson Button has been cleared by the stewards with regards potentially speeding behind the safety car. Nico Rosberg still leads Lewis Hamilton by one second. Still 46 laps to go.
Meanwhile, Jean-Eric Vergne firmly shuts the door on an attempted pass by Romain Grosjean. They're battling over ninth.
Lap nine
Nico Rosberg responds to pressure from Lewis Hamilton to extend his lead over Lewis Hamilton to one second. Felipe Massa, meanwhile, is 3.9 seconds further back, 0.8 ahead of Williams team-mate Valtteri Bottas.
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
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David Coulthard
BBC F1 co-commentator
"Hamilton is applying the pressure on Rosberg, who may well be trying to manage the tyres. If they are doing a two-stop strategy they will have to get into the lap 20 or mid-teens.
"Hamilton won't be able to spend a lot of time in the gearbox of Rosberg without eating into those tyres."
Lap eight
The McLarens of Jenson Button and Kevin Magnussen are having a shocker, having shown good pace earlier in the weekend. Button is down in 13th and under investigation for speeding behind the safety with Kevin Magnussen 0.8 seconds up the road in 12th. Sauber's Gutierrez and Lotus's Maldonado are also under investigation.
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David Coulthard
BBC F1 co-commentator
"If Sebastian Vettel is attempting to do a one stop this afternoon he is going to have to be so gentle on these tyres. That is not conducive to overtakes. So this is going to be fairly gentle racing to start with."
Sebastian Vettel is currently 15th, 1.3 seconds behind Nico Hulkenberg.
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Ashley Wilkinson: Not many have the fortitude to pull that move off on Fernando Alonso, of all people. Kudos, Danny!
Jay: It's amazing how drivers are still buying the same dummy Ricciardo's been selling for so many races now!
ML Shelton: Looks like Perez has scuppered his chances of renewing his drive next year.
Lap seven
Lewis Hamilton is told that he is safe on fuel - which means he doesn't currently need to drive conservatively to fuel save to get to the end of the race. The Briton immediately picks up the pace, pumping in the fastest lap of the race and closing to within just 0.6 seconds. Game on.
Lap six
Nico Rosberg sets the fastest lap of the race to move 1.1 seconds clear of Lewis Hamilton in this 56-lap race. Here's the top 10 as it stands:
1) Ros 2) Ham 3) Mas 4) Bot 5) Ric 6) Alo 7) Rai 8) Mal 9) Ver 10) Gro
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David Coulthard
BBC F1 co-commentator
On Ricciardo's move on Alonso: "That is why they practice the long runs with fuel on Friday. It's all about getting your confidence. It has won him back some of those places he lost off the start."
Lap five
Nico Rosberg opens up a 0.7 second lead over Lewis Hamilton with Felipe Massa holding off an attack from Valtteri Bottas at Turn One to retain third. Fernando Alonso isn't so lucky, though, with Daniel Ricciardo steaming through to take fifth. Good recovery from the Australian who had a bad start and dropped back.
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David Coulthard
BBC F1 co-commentator
"Hamilton got good reaction off the line at the start but you can see there is more traction on the right of the track. He might be surprised not to out-launch his team-mate Rosberg. But he will be relieved he wasn't out-launched by one of the Williams into Turn One."
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
Lap four
Good news, folks. The safety car will come in at the end of this lap. Nico Rosberg starts to back the field up, with Lewis Hamilton pulling alongside to remind his team-mate he's there. But the German then puts the hammer down and slightly catches Hamilton out.
Lap three
The marshals are doing a good job of clearing the debris which means this race should be back under way shortly.
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Jeremiah Kariuki: The only chance Sutil had to impress and probably score some points for the team are gone with that collision with Perez!
Jacques: Good start from the dirty side by Lewis, didn't lose any places, hope he repeats his performance from 2012.
Lap two
Kevin Magnussen and Sebastian Vettel are among the cars to pit under the safety car. Nico Rosberg leads from Lewis Hamilton.
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David Coulthard
BBC F1 co-commentator
"It was contact with Raikkonen that did it. He just misjudged the speed of the car in front of him. The safety car plays into the hands of Sebastian Vettel, who doesn't have to catch up to the back of the field. It increases his chances of getting points this afternoon."
Lap One
So Nico Rosberg leads from Lewis Hamilton with Felipe Massa third and Valtteri Bottas fourth. Further back, there's contact - and lots of it, with Sergio Perez tapping the back of Kimi Raikkonen, which slings him into the unsuspecting Adrian Sutil. Sutil is out instantly, which is hugely disappointing considering his very strong qualifying performance.
Perez manages to get back to the pits, but his Force India is too badly damaged to continue. There's a lot of debris so the safety car is coming out.
Start
APCopyright: AP
Nico Rosberg makes a clean getaway with Lewis Hamilton tucking into his Mercedes team-mate's slipstream before having a look up the inside. He's not close enough to make a pass, though, and it's as you were. Behind them, Felipe Massa gets past his Williams team-mate Valtteri Bottas for third.
Go! Go! Go!
The grid is set. One light, two lights, three lights, four lights, five lights - it's go, go, go!
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
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Sebastian Vettel pulls out of the garage and crawls down to the end of the pit lane, where he'll start the race.
"The US Grand Prix is looking like a two-stop race for the first time - it was an easy one-stop in both 2012 and 2013. Three stops are not much slower but it's believed most won't need to go that way. First stop timing is not critical but they are expected around laps 12-16 - and if someone is on a three-stop, it will only become apparent at their second stop, which would then be in the mid-20s rather than the early to mid-30s. Red Bull's strategy will be interesting.
"Might Daniel Ricciardo try to get ahead of the faster Williams cars by stopping early, trying to force them to respond and risk running into excessive tyre wear? And could Sebastian Vettel start on the harder 'medium' tyre from his pit lane position? Some strategists believe the world champion might even try a one-stop. There is a definite advantage for the drivers on the right-hand side of the grid, in the odd-numbered positions, but at four to five metres it is not quite enough to guarantee a place gain in the event of comparable starts for both drivers."
Go! Go! Go!
APCopyright: AP
Nico Rosberg blasts away from pole position to lead the field away for the formation lap. The grandstands look pretty packed - let's hope they get to witness a cracker of a race. Could we see Mercedes-coloured fireworks at Turn One?
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This is your five-minute warning. The grid is clearing, the drivers are getting in the zone and the sun is shining. Let's do this.
Vote
The results are from the vote are in, folks, and 61.3% of you are against the idea of three-car Formula 1 teams, with 38.7% of you supporting it. Thanks for voting.
"It has been a tough year for Pastor Maldonado, who engineered his and his sponsor's exit from the final two years of their Williams contract last year to join race-winning Lotus, only to see the two teams' fortunes reverse. The Venezuelan has had a torrid time trying to force the recalcitrant Lotus to do what he wants, and has fully earned his nickname 'Crashtor' in the process. But finally in Austin it has all come together.
"Maldonado put in his best performance of the year and qualified 11th, and will line up 10th as a result of Jenson Button's grid penalty. 'The car feels more solid and together than it has for the last few races which meant I was able to push more than usual,' he said. 'We know we work better in the faster corners - just as we saw in Barcelona - and I think there is still more pace in the car. On my Q2 lap I made a small mistake in the second to last corner which would have been worth another tenth and then we'd have been in Q3. I think we have a great chance to score points and that will be the main focus."
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Martin Thetford: Yes to three-car teams as the spread of the field would be reduced, and it's better than 18 cars. Revenues must be spread more evenly.
Kayleigh Gray: Bottas win would be amazing! Good race for Jenson as well please!
George Coutts: Got a feeling that Lewis LET Rosberg get pole yesterday. Would you want Rosberg starting behind you after what he has done before?
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"I like to predict we will finish on the podium, so that is my goal," Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo, who starts fifth, tells BBC F1 co-commentator David Coulthard. "I want to try and get ahead of these Williams and stay there. The wind is going to make strategy a bit more interesting so that might be good for us. But I'm going to need a mega tow to stay with them down the straight."
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Lewis Hamilton won the inaugural Austin race in 2012, which incidentally was his final victory for McLaren, while Sebastian Vettel was triumphant last year. Who will stand on the top step this time around? Not long until we find out.
"Is time running out on Jenson Button's Formula 1 career? It certainly feels that way. There has been an air of resignation about Button in the last couple of races and although it has been confirmed neither that Fernando Alonso is joining McLaren nor that they would retain Kevin Magnussen instead of Button if he does, it looks a bit like that is what will probably happen. Button has been talking all weekend about 'just enjoying my racing', and admitted on Thursday that he had stopped worrying about his future.
"Sources close to him say that unless something dramatic changes in the next few days, these will be the last three races in F1 for Button. A switch to endurance racing, following in his friend Mark Webber's footsteps of a year ago, seems the most likely option - he has noticeably shifted on his previously expressed distaste for Le Mans this weekend after BBC Sport broke the story that he was considering exactly that. Button qualified seventh, pipping Magnussen by just 0.051secs, but starts 12th because of a penalty for changing a gearbox before it had done the mandatory five races."
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With 16 minutes remaining, here's a reminder of how they line up. It's pretty busy on the grid, with drivers, team members, media and VIP guests. However, they all fall silent as the United States national anthem is belted out. F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone has a front row seat, alongside 1978 Formula 1 world champion Mario Andretti and, er, Pamela Anderson.
"A bit of non-sporting Lewis Hamilton news. The Mercedes driver is to split at the end of this season with his management group - Simon Fuller's XIX, which also represents David Beckham and Andy Murray. Hamilton has said in Austin he was going to 'do something different. I don't know what yet but I will decide at the end of the year'. It is all very amicable, apparently, but the move comes at a crucial time, for through the winter and into the early part of next year is when Hamilton will be negotiating a new contract with Mercedes. His current one, in the setting up of which XIX were heavily involved, runs out at the end of next season."
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If Lewis Hamilton takes victory in Austin, he will clinch the record for Formula 1 race wins by a British driver. The Briton currently shares the accolade with 1992 world champion Nigel Mansell, with 31 wins.
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Mercedes can beat the record of 15 wins for a constructor in a single season, which set by McLaren in 1988, and equalled by Ferrari in 2002 and 2004 with victory in today's race.
"The stand-out performance of qualifying came from Sauber's Adrian Sutil, who got the troublesome Swiss car into the top 10 shoot-out for the first time this season. Sutil was 0.7secs faster than team-mate Esteban Gutierrez, who was 16th fastest and was knocked out in Q1. 'Where did it come from?' he asked rhetorically. 'The temperatures, the circumstances, were just perfect for us, the weather in general, the track layout maybe suited us better than others. We were also a little surprised to be eighth in the third practice and always in the top 10 in qualifying but for some reason the car felt more predictable, the tyres lasted much better than usual over one lap and I could feel the grip you need to do a decent lap time. I had more confidence in the car so we made it.'
"The German has a great chance to score Sauber's first points of the season - either he or Gutierrez has spun or crashed each time they have been close before, to the intense frustration of the team. 'Especially in this moment in the situation we are it is super-important,' he said. 'I will do my best to try to secure a better position in the constructors for the team.' The stakes are potentially very high, and not just for the extra millions the team would earn if they moved up a place in the championship. With only one Sauber seat available following the team's signing of Marcus Ericsson for 2015, Sutil could even secure his F1 future on Sunday. Or kill it."
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McLaren on Twitter: Two of our guests this weekend - @GordonRamsay and @MissUSA. Hope you have a great day with us, guys!
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"Nico has to fightback here," says Mercedes non-executive chairman Niki Lauda. "If he cannot beat Lewis now it will be difficult for [him to win] the championship in two races. He has to turn it around here."
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David Coulthard
BBC F1 co-commentator
"Nico Rosberg still needs to prove he can beat Lewis Hamilton in a wheel-to-wheel battle. He has a real chance here."
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Eddie Jordan
BBC F1 chief analyst
"Nico has to grab himself and the car and bring the grand prix to Lewis. I wouldn't rule out Nico at all. I think he has got some real talent. Nico is strutting about with an air of confidence and I think he is going to win this race. He is a different man, previously he was down in the dumps."
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We've got 25 minutes until the lights go out, with Nico Rosberg starting on pole and Lewis Hamilton in second. What a run up to Turn One this could be. We'll have commentary from the BBC Radio 5 live team, which will be available by clicking the 'live coverage' tab or the 'play' symbol at the top. While you're up there, give the highlights tab a click to find all the best video from the race weekend so far.
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Who do you think has completed the most racing laps this season?
No, it's not a Mercedes but a Red Bull, which is impressive considering their problems in pre-season testing. Daniel Ricciardo has completed 945 laps this year, more than anyone else. The only laps he failed to complete were the final seven in Malaysia.
"Expect some action from Sebastian Vettel as he fights to make his way through the field from his pit-lane start for taking a sixth engine. The world champion spent practice and qualifying working on race set-up, and the car will have none of the compromises inherent in the set-up of one that had to do both qualifying and race. 'I think we can move up, our race pace seems OK, but it will be tight,' Vettel said. 'It will be difficult to overtake, as we don't have the ideal straight-line speed.' In that, he's not joking - he is 15th in the speed trap on the long straight and although he is no more than 1km/h slower than any of the Ferrari and Renault-engined cars, the Mercedes-powered ones are well ahead. Passing them will take some work."
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Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel, winner of this race last year, has never gone a complete season in his career without either a pole or a victory.
He led 684 laps last year, but has managed just one this season, which was in Singapore. His chances of ending his victory drought look bleak as he start's today's race from the pit-lane.
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The Red Bull drivers were in demand on Saturday with Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo getting a basketball lesson from San Antonio Spur point guard Tony Parker.
Get involved #bbcf1
Bill Mahar: I say no to the idea of three-car Formula 1 teams... it's going to destroy the mojo of #F1.
Justin Bayliss: Everything else in the world is shrinking , so why not the number of teams? Just get rid of team tactics!!!
Vampire Echidna: No, it's not a good idea to have three cars. It would lessen the chance of teams getting on the podium if one team dominates.
"Fernando Alonso is sixth, one place behind the fifth he seems to have made his own grid slot over the last few years with Ferrari. Alonso explained that the team have had to tune down his engine a little to try to ensure it lasts and avoid the sort of penalty that has led to Sebastian Vettel starting this race from the pit lane for taking a sixth engine. 'We were a couple of tenths down on the engine because we have some limitations there after the Monza engine failure,' Alonso said. 'In fact we were discussing last week using the sixth engine and starting from the pit lane like Red Bull will, or using a very old engine with a little bit less power but at least we wouldn't need to recover places. We chose the second option, so probably we are missing a little bit of performance here and there.'
"Alonso said the aim was to ensure he used the best available engine in the final race in Abu Dhabi. 'If we can manage here and Brazil, then we must not have a penalty in Abu Dhabi because it is double points. We have a better engine available. We need to put the better one in Abu Dhabi, so we'll manage these races the best we can. I think we'll be OK. I'd prefer to start sixth, a couple of tenths down because of power, rather than at the back and try to recover because it is difficult to overtake.'"
The US GP grid
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With Marussia and Caterham in administration. There will only be 18 cars at this race, the fewest at any event since the 2005 Monaco GP (when BAR were excluded for 2 races for an illegal fuel tank).
It means that of all the three new teams given entries for the 2010 season (HRT were the third), all of them will have disappeared in less than five years.
Here's today's grid with McLaren's Jenson Button dropping five places from fifth to 12th after picking up a penalty for changing his gearbox.
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"I think we have to target at least the Williams in front of us and give it the best fight we can," says Daniel Ricciardo, who was donning a Red Bull liveried Stetson. "I'm ready for it."
Celeb spot!
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Talking of Daniel Ricciardo, here's a shot of the Australian posing with the latest VIP guest to enjoy Red Bull hospitality this weekend. Yesterday actor Keanu Reeves and Pamela Anderson of Baywatch fame popped in. Today, it's American hurdler Lolo Jones.
"On performance so far, the US Grand Prix looks as if it will split fairly quickly into three races for the leading positions - the one between the Mercedes drivers, the one between the two Williams drivers behind them and then the one between Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren. But perhaps Daniel Ricciardo in fifth place can mix it with the Williams drivers, especially Felipe Massa, who qualified only 0.039secs ahead of him. 'Generally we're pretty happy with that,' the Red Bull driver said. 'We're really close to Felipe and it's encouraging for the race.'"
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Nico Rosberg has finished second nine times this season, more than any F1 driver ever before in any year. To put that into context, two-time world champion Jim Clark only finished second once in his whole career.
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Nico Rosberg is definitely the happier of the two Mercedes drivers - and sounds like he has the bit between his teeth. "It was a great day yesterday and I look forward to today," he said. "It should be good."
With the constructors' championship won by Mercedes, Rosberg added: "The shift is thinking about myself now. The battle between us two has always been aggressive and that is not going to change."
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The drivers' parade is done and dusted, with some cool vintage cars providing the transport.
Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton, in ripped jeans and chunky gold chain, said: "I'm hoping my brakes will be OK. It's going to be a good race and I hope we can put a show on for people."
On starting second on the grid, Hamilton added: "From history here I know for the last two races that the left hand side is slightly worse."
"Quite often, when Lewis Hamilton has had a disappointment, he slips into an uncommunicative mood and his Saturday evening news conference is short and monosyllabic. But in Austin, despite the brake problems that afflicted his qualifying and led to him being nearly 0.4secs off team-mate Nico Rosberg, he was relaxed and chatty. Hamilton had looked quicker than Rosberg all weekend until the second part of qualifying and he seems confident that if the team can solve the front brake temperature imbalance that led to lock-ups in qualifying he can take the fight to Rosberg in the race. 'I'm going out to try to win the race,' he said. 'The true gap if neither of us have issues is not going to be that big. I just hope we are able to fight and we get to have a battle, that it's not Turn One and then it's decided."
Vote
Alongside that question, we're also running a vote this evening. We want to know if you support the idea of three-car Formula 1 teams?
Voting is simple. Head to the top-right side of the page and make your choice or tweet #Yes or #No to @bbcsport.
The vote will close at 19:50 GMT and results will appear on this page shortly after. Terms and conditions are available here.
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So can this man pull it out of the bag and win his fifth successive race to further stretch his lead over Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg? Or will Rosberg show us what he is made of and defend robustly from Lewis Hamilton at the front?
Fire over your race predictions, with reasons why, using the #bbcf1 hashtag, texting 81111 (UK only) or by leaving a comment on the BBC Sport Facebook page.
"The US Grand Prix has been a weekend dominated by matters other than the world championship battle between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, with the financial state of the sport at the forefront of discussions and tempers beginning to fray following the collapse of the Marussia and Caterham teams.
But for the next two hours or so that will be put to the back of people's minds, and it will be Hamilton v Rosberg again. Rosberg, 17 points behind Hamilton, has one thing in mind only. How vital is it for you to win, Eddie Jordan asked him on Saturday afternoon? 'Rather vital,' he said with a smile. 'How would you see it, Eddie? It veers towards the vital side, wouldn't you say?'"
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With Antiques Roadshow and The X Factor results your options on the telly this evening, Monday morning and the sight of your desk probably couldn't come soon enough. But this Sunday evening is different, because we've got some racing to get stuck into.
Yep, I've got live text and audio coverage of the United States Grand Prix from the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. And with Lewis Hamilton leading Nico Rosberg by 17 points, with 100 remaining, the championship battle is very much on.
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ReutersCopyright: Reuters
Brake issues halted Lewis Hamilton's charge to pole position for today's United States Grand Prix as title rival Nico Rosberg clinched the best starting spot on the grid.
However, it wasn't all bad as Hamilton qualified second, which is where he started in 2012 before going on to pass Sebastian Vettel and win the race.
If the team have found a solution to his brake troubles overnight, we will have an almighty battle for victory on our hands...
Live Reporting
Lawrence Barretto
All times stated are UK
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Latest PostPost update
Onwards to Brazil, scene of Lewis Hamilton's greatest day in the sport back in 2008 when he clinched his first - and as yet only - world title. The Briton can't win the title next Sunday, but he can certainly move a giant step closer.
That said, anything can still happen and there are double points on offer in Abu Dhabi, which could really shake things up.
Thanks for your company and contributions. It's been a blast. See you back here Friday. Until then, it's good night from me!
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So was today the day that Nico Rosberg's confidence took a knock-out blow, the German once again having no answer to Mercedes' team-mate Lewis Hamilton's charge to victory from second on the grid?
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Keep an eye on the F1 pages or follow @bbcf1 on Twitter for all the reaction from the Austin paddock and the latest news ahead of next weekend's Brazilian Grand Prix.
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The pack up has begun in Austin, with Sao Paulo the next stop for the Formula 1 circus. We go from a newish circuit to an old but absolute classic in the form of Interlagos, with first practice kicking off at 12:00 GMT on Friday. Live text commentary will kick off at 11:30.
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It was a good day for Williams in terms of the constructors' championship, with the Grove-based team increasing their lead in third place to 42 points over Ferrari. You can see the full standings here.
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Reach for your remotes, folks. Or click the Live Coverage tab at the top of the page because Suzi Perry and the team are go, go, go on BBC One with the United States Grand Prix highlights programme.
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Today was Mercedes' 10th one-two finish of the season, tying McLaren's record from 1988. It was also the 12th race they've led from start-to-finish, which also ties McLaren's record from 1988.
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Force India: Tough day at the office today. At least only a few days until we're back in action in Brazil!
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If you want to catch up on the race you can read the report here or wait for the highlights, which start on BBC One in eight minutes' time.
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Lotus on Twitter: Hey @JeanEricVergne, @RGrosjean's a little annoyed at what you did to his car! Thanks for returning it.
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Today's result means that championship will be decided at the finale in Abu Dhabi, no matter what happens next weekend in Brazil.
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James Brandon: Can't see past Hamilton for the title now, even with the double points party in Abu Dhabi.
Justin: Great race by Lewis Hamilton, let's hope the double point situation in Abu Dhabi doesn't bite him.
Rachel: Allowed the kids to stay up for all of that. British sporting history! Take a bow Lewis Hamilton!
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"We are doing what we can," says Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo, who finished third. "We all had a great weekend so thank to all the fans. It's a pleasure to come out here.
"Thanks to Red Bull for giving me a package to fight for the podium and I'm really happy with third place.
"You can overtake here. I got Magnussen and then Alonso on the restart so it wasn't too boring out there."
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"It kind of sucks for me today," says Nico Rosberg, who finished second. "It took too long for me to find my rhythm. Once Hamilton got by I found my rhythm but that was too late."
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Mercedes on Twitter: Here's your #USGP podium folks! Give it up for @LewisHamilton & @nico_rosberg!!
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"I have an incredible team and an incredible car and I had a great opponent today," said race winner Lewis Hamilton. "It is such a privilege to represent my country and to be top of the driver wins is quite special. The car was great today."
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Lewis Hamilton asks 1978 world champion Mario Andretti for his Stetson while being interviewed but the American says no, adding "not while I'm doing my official duties". But the Briton gets his wish one the interviews are done and dusted, although it's a bit small for him...
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Daniel Ricciardo's third place is his eighth podium of what has been a stunning season. However, the race result means he is now eliminated from the title fight. Only Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg can mathematically win this year's title now.
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Here's a random fact for you. It's six years to the day since Lewis Hamilton won the world title at the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix.
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Pete: Supreme drive yet again from Lewis Hamilton! he's like a Champion Boxer keeping his opponent at arms-length; always doing just enough.
Andrew Priestley: Brilliant victory from Lewis Hamilton. He managed his tyres, his own race and the gap to Rosberg so well.
Ibraheem Khan: Hamilton wins! Got an answer to everything Nico can throw at him at the moment. Imperious form!
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Nico Rosberg smiles as he receives his second-placed trophy but he must be hurting inside. The German has been beaten by Lewis Hamilton again. You have to go back to July and the German Grand Prix for Rosberg's last win.
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Now that's a proper trophy which Lewis Hamilton hoists aloft to cheers from team members below and the fans in the grandstand opposite.
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David Coulthard
BBC F1 co-commentator
"We didn't quite get to see the wheel-to-wheel action we were looking for, but still a great job from Hamilton. He is a fantastic driver and he deserves all the success and plaudits that go with it."
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The British national anthem rings out at the Circuit of the Americas with Lewis Hamilton all smiles on the top step of the podium.
United States Grand Prix result
1) Lewis Hamilton 2) Nico Rosberg 3) Daniel Ricciardo 4) Felipe Massa 5) Valtteri Bottas 6) Fernando Alonso 7) Sebastian Vettel 8) Kevin Magnussen 9) Jean-Eric Vergne 10) Pastor Maldonado
11) Romain Grosjean 12) Jenson Button 13) Kimi Raikkonen 14) Esteban Gutierrez 15) Daniil Kvyat
DNF: Nico Hulkenberg, Sergio Perez and Adrian Sutil
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David Coulthard
BBC F1 co-commentator
"The incredible thing is Rosberg has done a great job this season. And he was only four seconds behind Hamilton in the end. It's not like he is doing a bad job at all, it's just that Hamilton has that little edge."
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Lewis Hamilton waves to the crowd as he heads back to the pits for the podium celebrations. The Briton now leads Nico Rosberg by 24 points with two races and 75 points still on the table.
Team radio
Lewis Hamilton's race engineer: "Get in there Lewis. Epic drive. Epic."
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That's Lewis Hamilton's fifth successive victory and 32nd of his career, which means he now holds the outright record for the most wins by a British driver.
This level of dominance has echoes of Sebastian Vettel's incredible finish last season. The German scored nine wins on the bounce to end last year.
Chequered flag
Lewis Hamilton wins the United States Grand Prix.
Final lap
Lewis Hamilton starts the final lap, with Nico Rosberg 2.1 seconds behind and struggling to clear the traffic.
Lap 55
Sebastian Vettel passes Jean-Eric Vergne for ninth place while up front, Lewis Hamilton leads Nico Rosberg by two seconds.
Lap 54
Jenson Button is in all sorts of trouble here as Sebastian Vettel barges his way past the 2009 world champion for 10th. Button now out of the points in 11th.
Lap 53
Jean-Eric Vergne's charge continues, the Frenchman managing to make a clean pass this time, with Jenson Button the loser, to take eighth.
Lap 52
Third-placed Daniel Ricciardo responds to Felipe Massa's advances and ups the gap to 1.5 seconds with four laps to go. Lewis Hamilton leads Nico Rosberg by 3.4 seconds now. Looks like job done.
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Nige Edwards: I am confused. With Fernando looking so good, why are Ferrari not looking to ditch a very average Kimi?
Lewis: I think this year Vettel has found out how Webber felt last year.
Megan: Can foresee Lewis winning today & next week then having a car failure at Abu Dhabi & Nico winning because of double points.
Lap 51
Felipe Massa is just 1.4 seconds behind Daniel Ricciardo in the battle for third with just five laps to go. Meanwhile, up front race leader Lewis Hamilton leads Nico Rosberg by 2.4 seconds.
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David Coulthard
BBC F1 co-commentator
"That was a great pass by Vergne. We have seen him come alive in his wheel to wheel action this season. It's one thing to pull off a late move on the brakes, but it is another to make it stick."
Lap 50
We've got bumper cars up at Turn One as Jean-Eric Vergne barges Romain Grosjean out of the way for ninth place. Pastor Maldonado takes advantage and steals 10th, too. Grosjean down to 11th.
Lap 49
Williams tell Felipe Massa to try and close the gap on Daniel Ricciardo because they think the Red Bull driver might have an issue. Massa responds immediately, reducing the gap from 2.2 seconds to 1.7.
Lap 48
The two Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg are lapping in the high 1m41s while their closest challenger Daniel Ricciardo is in the mid 1m43s. They've been in a league of their own all weekend.
Lap 47
Nico Rosberg takes half a second out of Lewis Hamilton to reduce the gap to the race leader to 1.9 seconds. Hamilton is warned over the radio to be careful on he exit of Turn 19 where a strip of Astroturf has dislodged itself.
Lap 46
Sebastian Vettel is struggling on those tyres and that makes him easy-pickings for Fernando Alonso, who breezes past to take sixth.
Lap 45
Here's how they stand with 11 laps to go:
1) Ham 2) Ros 3) Ric 4) Mas 5) Bot 6) Vet 7) Alo 8) Mag 9) But 10) Gro
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Ashley: Just as an aside, how good is this track? The best of the "new" tracks from the last decade or so. Encourages taking risks.
Adam: If Hamilton wins it will be a devastating blow to Rosberg's confidence for the next few races.
Denis: For me, Rosberg yet to prove he's a top F1 driver. In the same car there's half a dozen others who would give Hamilton a better fight.
Lap 44
Fernando Alonso pits, taking on a set of the options tyres and rejoins in seventh, just behind Sebastian Vettel. Good work from Vettel, who started from the pit lane but now running sixth.
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David Coulthard
BBC F1 co-commentator
On Vettel passing Magnussen: "Vettel uses the straight-line advantage once again. Magnussen resigned to fact that if he does too much defending he is allowing his team-mate Button to close the gap."
Lap 43
Kimi Raikkonen pits from seventh and rejoins in 13th. Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg are matching each other for lap times, the gap 2.4 seconds with 13 laps to go.
Lap 42
Sebastian Vettel passes Kevin Magnussen for ninth place, with Jenson Button nipping up the inside of Romain Grosjean at Turn One for 11th.
Lap 41
Pastor Maldonado has been given a five-second stop-go penalty for speeding in the pit-lane. He is unlikely to make another stop, so they will have the penalty added to his time at the end of the race.
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David Coulthard
BBC F1 co-commentator
"Hamilton reacting to Rosberg closing that gap. He has just done the fastest lap of the race and he has just gone purple in the first sector, so continuing to open that out."
Lap 40
Lewis Hamilton sets the fastest lap of the race to lead Nico Rosberg by 2.5 seconds. Meanwhile, Sebastian Vettel is battle with Kevin Magnussen for ninth place. Vettel has a stab up the inside, but can't slow the car down enough and Magnussen snatches the place back.
Lap 39
Lotus' Pastor Maldonado is under investigation for speeding in the pit lane. He's currently down in 14th.
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Peter: Early days (laps?) yet, but Daniel Ricciardo is shaping up to be my driver of the weekend. This kid has amazing talent! Godspeed!
Simon: Rosberg has only beaten Hamilton in a straight fight at one race: Monaco. All the other races he has won, Hamilton had an issue.
Ian: Only way that Nico can get confidence back is by battling Lewis on the track and beating him.
Lap 38
Fernando Alonso, Kimi Raikkonen and Daniil Kvyat, running sixth, seventh and eighth respectively, have yet to make a second stop.
Up front, the gap between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg remains at 2.8 seconds.
Lap 37
With 19 laps to go, here's how they stand:
1) Ham 2) Ros 3) Ric 4) Mas 5) Bot 6) Alo 7) Mal 8) Rai 9) Kvy 10) Mag
Lewis Hamilton leads Nico Rosberg by 2.8 seconds, with Daniel Ricciardo six seconds further back.
Lap 36
But, as I say that, Nico Rosberg sets the fastest lap of the race, snipping one second out of the deficit to Lewis Hamilton. The gap now 2.6 seconds.
Daniel Ricciardo is comfortable in third, 1.8 seconds clear of Felipe Massa.
Lap 35
Lewis Hamilton is stretching his lead at the front, 3.6 seconds clear of Nico Rosberg. Still 21 laps to go.
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David Coulthard
BBC F1 co-commentator
"With these longer runs Hamilton has found some confidence and found some pace. On the same tyre strategy it is hard to imagine that Rosberg can come back at him unless Hamilton has a problem."
Lap 34
Nico Rosberg pits and rejoins behind Lewis Hamilton. If Rosberg wants to win this race, he'll need to make the pass on the track as neither Mercedes driver needs to stop again.
Here's the top 10: 1) Ham 2) Ros 3) Ric 4) Mas 5) Bot 6) Alo 7) Mal 8) Rai 9) Kvy 10) Mag
Lap 33
Lewis Hamilton pits from the lead to over the rest of the field. It's a good stop from Mercedes, just 2.9 seconds, and he's back out in second. Nico Rosberg is told to push.
Lap 32
Shoddy stop from Williams with Felipe Massa getting held in his box. The Brazilian eventually gets away, but the delay means Daniel Ricciardo flies past to take third.
"That has not gone at all to the Williams plan as Massa's tyre's must have hit the cliff on his in lap," says BBC F1's David Coulthard.
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Julez: Hamilton is once again showing why he will be the world champion. Amazing driving!!!
Peter: Lewis just looks to be in supreme control of this race. Amazing stuff. How does he do it?
Shohidur: Excellent drive from Massa so far, not a million miles behind Rosberg. Really don't know what Bottas is doing.
Lap 31
The Williams of Felipe Massa is showing good pace this afternoon. He's closing the gap to the Mercedes and is just 4.9 seconds behind Nico Rosberg.
Lap 30
Lewis Hamilton responds to Nico Rosberg's attack with a high 1m43 that is nearly half a second quicker than the German. The gap is now two seconds.
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Lotus on Twitter: P10 for Pastor now! Stop the race, stop the race!
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David Coulthard
BBC F1 co-commentator
"Up at the front Rosberg is keeping Hamilton honest - they are trading lap times."
Lap 29
"OK Jenson, pit this lap," says Jenson Button's race engineer. A wound up 2009 world champion replies "Are you sure this lap? Are you sure?" in reference to the message from the previous lap.
Lap 28
Jenson Button is told to pit, but then told to stay out as his McLaren team-mate Kevin Magnussen is in the pits. Meanwhile, up front, Lewis Hamilton leads Nico Rosberg by 1.4 seconds. This race is not over yet.
Lap 27
Fernando Alonso continues his charge, passing the McLaren of Kevin Magnussen for sixth place.
Get involved #bbcf1
Libin Daniel: Hamilton! Hamilton! What a takeover! Takes a lot of guts. Austin! Make some noise!
John McEnerney: Two super moves by 2 super drivers Alonso & LH, imagine that battle week in week out! Super racing!
Jeremiah Kariuki: Lewis makes overtaking seem so easy! Superb drive. He only needs to keep the car ahead for the remaining over 30 laps!
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Mercedes on Twitter: Phew!! They both emerge clean - strong stuff from @LewisHamilton! Your move @nico_rosberg! Let's have more of this!!
Lap 26
A Lotus passing a Red Bull? What is going on? Romain Grosjean passes Sebastian Vettel for ninth place. Vettel is have a torrid afternoon, complaining about the car's pace on team radio.
Lap 25
Lewis Hamilton has opened up a 1.3 second lead over Nico Rosberg, with Felipe Massa 6.9 seconds adrift.
Replays show Fernando Alonso finally gets past Jenson Button for seventh place.
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James Allen
BBC Radio 5 live commentator
"It was exactly like this when Hamilton won here in 2012. He was shadowing Vettel [who was leading] and just before the end of the grand prix he passed him."
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David Coulthard
BBC F1 co-commentator
"Rosberg goes wide into the corner and once again Hamilton came across the front of his car and left Rosberg with no choice but to drive off the circuit. In driver terms it's within the rules but it is a slap in the face to his team-mate.
"Rosberg decided to defend very late in the braking zone. He tried to make a move but you are not allowed in the braking zone."
Lap 24
Lewis Hamilton leads the United States Grand Prix!
The Briton nips into his team-mate's slipstream and with the aid of DRS pulls alongside on the brakes in the run down to Turn 12. It's a bold move and Rosberg doesn't give him much space, but he's through!
Hamilton then gives Rosberg the squeeze on the exit, with the German forced on to the run-off before rejoining. What a blow that will be to Rosberg's confidence.
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David Coulthard
BBC F1 co-commentator
"Hamilton is showing Rosberg he is there and filling his mirrors with a view of his car. Just applying the pressure.
"Rosberg just has to be a little bit on the side of cautious as he knows one little mistake will allow Hamilton to pounce."
Lap 23
Lewis Hamilton is now in the DRS zone, just 0.8 seconds behind Nico Rosberg. Watch this space!
Reaction
Force India's Sergio Perez, who attracts a lot of fans from his native nearby Mexico but retired on lap one: "I was trying to do the move into 15 and then Adrian (Sutil) closed the door. I tried to brake late but I couldn't avoid Kimi (Raikkonen).
"It is a shame. We were looking forward to the points and it is one of those races when you really didn't want anything to happen but unfortunately it happened in the most important race for me."
Lap 22
Good scrap between Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso, the two former world champions going side-by-side through several corners. Button, currently eighth, manages to keep Alonso behind for now - but for how long?
Get involved #bbcf1
Vicky Sanderson: The momentum is with Rosberg; he knows what he needs to do and he's doing a good job so far.
Dennis Ward: Rosberg is fully in control. He has it in the bag.
Cameron: Hamilton will pull a move on Rosberg when he least expects it, just wait, sometime Hamilton's move will hatch.
Lap 21
Lewis Hamilton is on the move, the Briton cutting the gap by a second over the course of two laps. The deficit to Nico Rosberg is just 1.4 seconds. Still 35 laps to go.
Lap 20
Esteban Gutierrez does himself no favours by leaving the door wide open at Turn 12. Romain Grosjean takes advantage to move into 12th and Jean-Eric Vergne decides to have a piece of the action, too, following the Lotus through.
Lap 19
The order has changed following a flurry of pit stops. Here's a snapshot of the top 10:
1) Ros 2) Ham 3) Mas 4) Ric 5) Bot 6) Kvy 7) Mag 8) But 9) Alo 10) Vet
Lap 18
Force India's presence in this race is over as Nico Hulkenberg pulls off to the side of the track. The German was running outside of the points.
Lewis Hamilton lost out during the stops and now trails team-mate Nico Rosberg by 2.4 seconds as they battle for the lead.
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David Coulthard
BBC F1 co-commentator
On Ricciardo's battle with Bottas: "That Williams has such good straight-line speed it is going to be so difficult to keep him behind.
"Bottas is on the option tyre so he has the pace advantage on the rubber and he has the better straight-line speed.
"He will be hoping to get down the inside and make that pass stick into Turn 12."
Get involved #bbcf1
Brian Condron: US Grand Prix really has a great track. Reckon I need to pay a visit to Austin, Texas.
Sydney River: Superb aggressive driving will get Hamilton the win, Go Lewis!
Edson: Hamilton just needs to keep pressure on Rosberg, he will crack sooner or later.
Lap 17
Lewis Hamilton pits and rejoins in second, behind Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg. Valtteri Bottas is all over the back of Daniel Ricciardo's Red Bull. That Williams has so much more straight-line speed, but Ricciardo is defending his position well at the moment.
Lap 16
Williams' Valtteri Bottas pits and rejoins just ahead of Daniel Ricciardo. But the Red Bull driver has the momentum and sweeps around the outside of Bottas for fourth place.
Lap 15
Nico Rosberg pits from the lead, releasing Lewis Hamilton. Can the 2008 world champion pump in he lap time to jump his team-mate when he makes his own stop?
Team radio
Lewis Hamilton's race engineer: "You're doing a great job here Lewis, just keep the pressure on."
Lap 14
Daniel Ricciardo is flying and is now just 0.7 seconds behind the Williams of Valtteri Bottas, in fourth. Ricciardo and third-placed Felipe Massa pit.
Lap 13
Lewis Hamilton has drifted to one second out behind Nico Rosberg, with Felipe Massa 6.2 seconds adrift in third.
Team radio
Nico Rosberg: "Front left [tyre] is finished."
That'll be music to the ears of Lewis Hamilton.
Lap 12
Pastor Maldonado, Jean-Eric Vergne and Esteban Gutierrez are given five-second stop-go penalties for speeding behind the safety car. That's a shame for Maldonado who is running eighth. Both Lotuses are currently in the points and showing their best form of the season.
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David Coulthard
BBC F1 co-commentator
On Jean-Eric Vergne squeezing out Romain Grosjean as he attempts to pass: "That is the racing driver equivalent of a slap in the face there. Vergne making it clear if Romain wants to make his way past he has to be a bit more decisive and make the move stick."
Reaction
"So disappointing and unnecessary," says Sauber's Adrian Sutil of Force India's Sergio Perez on 5 live after their coming together on lap one ended both of their races
Lap 11
Lewis Hamilton closes once more, the Briton now just 0.6 seconds behind his Mercedes team-mate and title rival Nico Rosberg.
Lap 10
Jenson Button has been cleared by the stewards with regards potentially speeding behind the safety car. Nico Rosberg still leads Lewis Hamilton by one second. Still 46 laps to go.
Meanwhile, Jean-Eric Vergne firmly shuts the door on an attempted pass by Romain Grosjean. They're battling over ninth.
Lap nine
Nico Rosberg responds to pressure from Lewis Hamilton to extend his lead over Lewis Hamilton to one second. Felipe Massa, meanwhile, is 3.9 seconds further back, 0.8 ahead of Williams team-mate Valtteri Bottas.
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David Coulthard
BBC F1 co-commentator
"Hamilton is applying the pressure on Rosberg, who may well be trying to manage the tyres. If they are doing a two-stop strategy they will have to get into the lap 20 or mid-teens.
"Hamilton won't be able to spend a lot of time in the gearbox of Rosberg without eating into those tyres."
Lap eight
The McLarens of Jenson Button and Kevin Magnussen are having a shocker, having shown good pace earlier in the weekend. Button is down in 13th and under investigation for speeding behind the safety with Kevin Magnussen 0.8 seconds up the road in 12th. Sauber's Gutierrez and Lotus's Maldonado are also under investigation.
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David Coulthard
BBC F1 co-commentator
"If Sebastian Vettel is attempting to do a one stop this afternoon he is going to have to be so gentle on these tyres. That is not conducive to overtakes. So this is going to be fairly gentle racing to start with."
Sebastian Vettel is currently 15th, 1.3 seconds behind Nico Hulkenberg.
Get involved #bbcf1
Ashley Wilkinson: Not many have the fortitude to pull that move off on Fernando Alonso, of all people. Kudos, Danny!
Jay: It's amazing how drivers are still buying the same dummy Ricciardo's been selling for so many races now!
ML Shelton: Looks like Perez has scuppered his chances of renewing his drive next year.
Lap seven
Lewis Hamilton is told that he is safe on fuel - which means he doesn't currently need to drive conservatively to fuel save to get to the end of the race. The Briton immediately picks up the pace, pumping in the fastest lap of the race and closing to within just 0.6 seconds. Game on.
Lap six
Nico Rosberg sets the fastest lap of the race to move 1.1 seconds clear of Lewis Hamilton in this 56-lap race. Here's the top 10 as it stands:
1) Ros 2) Ham 3) Mas 4) Bot 5) Ric 6) Alo 7) Rai 8) Mal 9) Ver 10) Gro
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David Coulthard
BBC F1 co-commentator
On Ricciardo's move on Alonso: "That is why they practice the long runs with fuel on Friday. It's all about getting your confidence. It has won him back some of those places he lost off the start."
Lap five
Nico Rosberg opens up a 0.7 second lead over Lewis Hamilton with Felipe Massa holding off an attack from Valtteri Bottas at Turn One to retain third. Fernando Alonso isn't so lucky, though, with Daniel Ricciardo steaming through to take fifth. Good recovery from the Australian who had a bad start and dropped back.
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David Coulthard
BBC F1 co-commentator
"Hamilton got good reaction off the line at the start but you can see there is more traction on the right of the track. He might be surprised not to out-launch his team-mate Rosberg. But he will be relieved he wasn't out-launched by one of the Williams into Turn One."
Lap four
Good news, folks. The safety car will come in at the end of this lap. Nico Rosberg starts to back the field up, with Lewis Hamilton pulling alongside to remind his team-mate he's there. But the German then puts the hammer down and slightly catches Hamilton out.
Lap three
The marshals are doing a good job of clearing the debris which means this race should be back under way shortly.
Get involved #bbcf1
Jeremiah Kariuki: The only chance Sutil had to impress and probably score some points for the team are gone with that collision with Perez!
Sean Richardson: Shocking driving by Perez.
Jacques: Good start from the dirty side by Lewis, didn't lose any places, hope he repeats his performance from 2012.
Lap two
Kevin Magnussen and Sebastian Vettel are among the cars to pit under the safety car. Nico Rosberg leads from Lewis Hamilton.
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David Coulthard
BBC F1 co-commentator
"It was contact with Raikkonen that did it. He just misjudged the speed of the car in front of him. The safety car plays into the hands of Sebastian Vettel, who doesn't have to catch up to the back of the field. It increases his chances of getting points this afternoon."
Lap One
So Nico Rosberg leads from Lewis Hamilton with Felipe Massa third and Valtteri Bottas fourth. Further back, there's contact - and lots of it, with Sergio Perez tapping the back of Kimi Raikkonen, which slings him into the unsuspecting Adrian Sutil. Sutil is out instantly, which is hugely disappointing considering his very strong qualifying performance.
Perez manages to get back to the pits, but his Force India is too badly damaged to continue. There's a lot of debris so the safety car is coming out.
Start
Nico Rosberg makes a clean getaway with Lewis Hamilton tucking into his Mercedes team-mate's slipstream before having a look up the inside. He's not close enough to make a pass, though, and it's as you were. Behind them, Felipe Massa gets past his Williams team-mate Valtteri Bottas for third.
Go! Go! Go!
The grid is set. One light, two lights, three lights, four lights, five lights - it's go, go, go!
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Sebastian Vettel pulls out of the garage and crawls down to the end of the pit lane, where he'll start the race.
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Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer
"The US Grand Prix is looking like a two-stop race for the first time - it was an easy one-stop in both 2012 and 2013. Three stops are not much slower but it's believed most won't need to go that way. First stop timing is not critical but they are expected around laps 12-16 - and if someone is on a three-stop, it will only become apparent at their second stop, which would then be in the mid-20s rather than the early to mid-30s. Red Bull's strategy will be interesting.
"Might Daniel Ricciardo try to get ahead of the faster Williams cars by stopping early, trying to force them to respond and risk running into excessive tyre wear? And could Sebastian Vettel start on the harder 'medium' tyre from his pit lane position? Some strategists believe the world champion might even try a one-stop. There is a definite advantage for the drivers on the right-hand side of the grid, in the odd-numbered positions, but at four to five metres it is not quite enough to guarantee a place gain in the event of comparable starts for both drivers."
Go! Go! Go!
Nico Rosberg blasts away from pole position to lead the field away for the formation lap. The grandstands look pretty packed - let's hope they get to witness a cracker of a race. Could we see Mercedes-coloured fireworks at Turn One?
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This is your five-minute warning. The grid is clearing, the drivers are getting in the zone and the sun is shining. Let's do this.
Vote
The results are from the vote are in, folks, and 61.3% of you are against the idea of three-car Formula 1 teams, with 38.7% of you supporting it. Thanks for voting.
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Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer
"It has been a tough year for Pastor Maldonado, who engineered his and his sponsor's exit from the final two years of their Williams contract last year to join race-winning Lotus, only to see the two teams' fortunes reverse. The Venezuelan has had a torrid time trying to force the recalcitrant Lotus to do what he wants, and has fully earned his nickname 'Crashtor' in the process. But finally in Austin it has all come together.
"Maldonado put in his best performance of the year and qualified 11th, and will line up 10th as a result of Jenson Button's grid penalty. 'The car feels more solid and together than it has for the last few races which meant I was able to push more than usual,' he said. 'We know we work better in the faster corners - just as we saw in Barcelona - and I think there is still more pace in the car. On my Q2 lap I made a small mistake in the second to last corner which would have been worth another tenth and then we'd have been in Q3. I think we have a great chance to score points and that will be the main focus."
Get involved #bbcf1
Martin Thetford: Yes to three-car teams as the spread of the field would be reduced, and it's better than 18 cars. Revenues must be spread more evenly.
Kayleigh Gray: Bottas win would be amazing! Good race for Jenson as well please!
George Coutts: Got a feeling that Lewis LET Rosberg get pole yesterday. Would you want Rosberg starting behind you after what he has done before?
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"I like to predict we will finish on the podium, so that is my goal," Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo, who starts fifth, tells BBC F1 co-commentator David Coulthard. "I want to try and get ahead of these Williams and stay there. The wind is going to make strategy a bit more interesting so that might be good for us. But I'm going to need a mega tow to stay with them down the straight."
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Lewis Hamilton won the inaugural Austin race in 2012, which incidentally was his final victory for McLaren, while Sebastian Vettel was triumphant last year. Who will stand on the top step this time around? Not long until we find out.
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Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer
"Is time running out on Jenson Button's Formula 1 career? It certainly feels that way. There has been an air of resignation about Button in the last couple of races and although it has been confirmed neither that Fernando Alonso is joining McLaren nor that they would retain Kevin Magnussen instead of Button if he does, it looks a bit like that is what will probably happen. Button has been talking all weekend about 'just enjoying my racing', and admitted on Thursday that he had stopped worrying about his future.
"Sources close to him say that unless something dramatic changes in the next few days, these will be the last three races in F1 for Button. A switch to endurance racing, following in his friend Mark Webber's footsteps of a year ago, seems the most likely option - he has noticeably shifted on his previously expressed distaste for Le Mans this weekend after BBC Sport broke the story that he was considering exactly that. Button qualified seventh, pipping Magnussen by just 0.051secs, but starts 12th because of a penalty for changing a gearbox before it had done the mandatory five races."
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With 16 minutes remaining, here's a reminder of how they line up. It's pretty busy on the grid, with drivers, team members, media and VIP guests. However, they all fall silent as the United States national anthem is belted out. F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone has a front row seat, alongside 1978 Formula 1 world champion Mario Andretti and, er, Pamela Anderson.
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Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer
"A bit of non-sporting Lewis Hamilton news. The Mercedes driver is to split at the end of this season with his management group - Simon Fuller's XIX, which also represents David Beckham and Andy Murray. Hamilton has said in Austin he was going to 'do something different. I don't know what yet but I will decide at the end of the year'. It is all very amicable, apparently, but the move comes at a crucial time, for through the winter and into the early part of next year is when Hamilton will be negotiating a new contract with Mercedes. His current one, in the setting up of which XIX were heavily involved, runs out at the end of next season."
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If Lewis Hamilton takes victory in Austin, he will clinch the record for Formula 1 race wins by a British driver. The Briton currently shares the accolade with 1992 world champion Nigel Mansell, with 31 wins.
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Mercedes can beat the record of 15 wins for a constructor in a single season, which set by McLaren in 1988, and equalled by Ferrari in 2002 and 2004 with victory in today's race.
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Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer
"The stand-out performance of qualifying came from Sauber's Adrian Sutil, who got the troublesome Swiss car into the top 10 shoot-out for the first time this season. Sutil was 0.7secs faster than team-mate Esteban Gutierrez, who was 16th fastest and was knocked out in Q1. 'Where did it come from?' he asked rhetorically. 'The temperatures, the circumstances, were just perfect for us, the weather in general, the track layout maybe suited us better than others. We were also a little surprised to be eighth in the third practice and always in the top 10 in qualifying but for some reason the car felt more predictable, the tyres lasted much better than usual over one lap and I could feel the grip you need to do a decent lap time. I had more confidence in the car so we made it.'
"The German has a great chance to score Sauber's first points of the season - either he or Gutierrez has spun or crashed each time they have been close before, to the intense frustration of the team. 'Especially in this moment in the situation we are it is super-important,' he said. 'I will do my best to try to secure a better position in the constructors for the team.' The stakes are potentially very high, and not just for the extra millions the team would earn if they moved up a place in the championship. With only one Sauber seat available following the team's signing of Marcus Ericsson for 2015, Sutil could even secure his F1 future on Sunday. Or kill it."
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McLaren on Twitter: Two of our guests this weekend - @GordonRamsay and @MissUSA. Hope you have a great day with us, guys!
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"Nico has to fightback here," says Mercedes non-executive chairman Niki Lauda. "If he cannot beat Lewis now it will be difficult for [him to win] the championship in two races. He has to turn it around here."
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David Coulthard
BBC F1 co-commentator
"Nico Rosberg still needs to prove he can beat Lewis Hamilton in a wheel-to-wheel battle. He has a real chance here."
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Eddie Jordan
BBC F1 chief analyst
"Nico has to grab himself and the car and bring the grand prix to Lewis. I wouldn't rule out Nico at all. I think he has got some real talent. Nico is strutting about with an air of confidence and I think he is going to win this race. He is a different man, previously he was down in the dumps."
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We've got 25 minutes until the lights go out, with Nico Rosberg starting on pole and Lewis Hamilton in second. What a run up to Turn One this could be. We'll have commentary from the BBC Radio 5 live team, which will be available by clicking the 'live coverage' tab or the 'play' symbol at the top. While you're up there, give the highlights tab a click to find all the best video from the race weekend so far.
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Who do you think has completed the most racing laps this season?
No, it's not a Mercedes but a Red Bull, which is impressive considering their problems in pre-season testing. Daniel Ricciardo has completed 945 laps this year, more than anyone else. The only laps he failed to complete were the final seven in Malaysia.
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Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer
"Expect some action from Sebastian Vettel as he fights to make his way through the field from his pit-lane start for taking a sixth engine. The world champion spent practice and qualifying working on race set-up, and the car will have none of the compromises inherent in the set-up of one that had to do both qualifying and race. 'I think we can move up, our race pace seems OK, but it will be tight,' Vettel said. 'It will be difficult to overtake, as we don't have the ideal straight-line speed.' In that, he's not joking - he is 15th in the speed trap on the long straight and although he is no more than 1km/h slower than any of the Ferrari and Renault-engined cars, the Mercedes-powered ones are well ahead. Passing them will take some work."
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Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel, winner of this race last year, has never gone a complete season in his career without either a pole or a victory.
He led 684 laps last year, but has managed just one this season, which was in Singapore. His chances of ending his victory drought look bleak as he start's today's race from the pit-lane.
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The Red Bull drivers were in demand on Saturday with Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo getting a basketball lesson from San Antonio Spur point guard Tony Parker.
Get involved #bbcf1
Bill Mahar: I say no to the idea of three-car Formula 1 teams... it's going to destroy the mojo of #F1.
Justin Bayliss: Everything else in the world is shrinking , so why not the number of teams? Just get rid of team tactics!!!
Vampire Echidna: No, it's not a good idea to have three cars. It would lessen the chance of teams getting on the podium if one team dominates.
Post update
Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer
"Fernando Alonso is sixth, one place behind the fifth he seems to have made his own grid slot over the last few years with Ferrari. Alonso explained that the team have had to tune down his engine a little to try to ensure it lasts and avoid the sort of penalty that has led to Sebastian Vettel starting this race from the pit lane for taking a sixth engine. 'We were a couple of tenths down on the engine because we have some limitations there after the Monza engine failure,' Alonso said. 'In fact we were discussing last week using the sixth engine and starting from the pit lane like Red Bull will, or using a very old engine with a little bit less power but at least we wouldn't need to recover places. We chose the second option, so probably we are missing a little bit of performance here and there.'
"Alonso said the aim was to ensure he used the best available engine in the final race in Abu Dhabi. 'If we can manage here and Brazil, then we must not have a penalty in Abu Dhabi because it is double points. We have a better engine available. We need to put the better one in Abu Dhabi, so we'll manage these races the best we can. I think we'll be OK. I'd prefer to start sixth, a couple of tenths down because of power, rather than at the back and try to recover because it is difficult to overtake.'"
The US GP grid
With Marussia and Caterham in administration. There will only be 18 cars at this race, the fewest at any event since the 2005 Monaco GP (when BAR were excluded for 2 races for an illegal fuel tank).
It means that of all the three new teams given entries for the 2010 season (HRT were the third), all of them will have disappeared in less than five years.
Here's today's grid with McLaren's Jenson Button dropping five places from fifth to 12th after picking up a penalty for changing his gearbox.
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"I think we have to target at least the Williams in front of us and give it the best fight we can," says Daniel Ricciardo, who was donning a Red Bull liveried Stetson. "I'm ready for it."
Celeb spot!
Talking of Daniel Ricciardo, here's a shot of the Australian posing with the latest VIP guest to enjoy Red Bull hospitality this weekend. Yesterday actor Keanu Reeves and Pamela Anderson of Baywatch fame popped in. Today, it's American hurdler Lolo Jones.
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Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer
"On performance so far, the US Grand Prix looks as if it will split fairly quickly into three races for the leading positions - the one between the Mercedes drivers, the one between the two Williams drivers behind them and then the one between Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren. But perhaps Daniel Ricciardo in fifth place can mix it with the Williams drivers, especially Felipe Massa, who qualified only 0.039secs ahead of him. 'Generally we're pretty happy with that,' the Red Bull driver said. 'We're really close to Felipe and it's encouraging for the race.'"
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Nico Rosberg has finished second nine times this season, more than any F1 driver ever before in any year. To put that into context, two-time world champion Jim Clark only finished second once in his whole career.
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Nico Rosberg is definitely the happier of the two Mercedes drivers - and sounds like he has the bit between his teeth. "It was a great day yesterday and I look forward to today," he said. "It should be good."
With the constructors' championship won by Mercedes, Rosberg added: "The shift is thinking about myself now. The battle between us two has always been aggressive and that is not going to change."
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The drivers' parade is done and dusted, with some cool vintage cars providing the transport.
Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton, in ripped jeans and chunky gold chain, said: "I'm hoping my brakes will be OK. It's going to be a good race and I hope we can put a show on for people."
On starting second on the grid, Hamilton added: "From history here I know for the last two races that the left hand side is slightly worse."
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Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer
"Quite often, when Lewis Hamilton has had a disappointment, he slips into an uncommunicative mood and his Saturday evening news conference is short and monosyllabic. But in Austin, despite the brake problems that afflicted his qualifying and led to him being nearly 0.4secs off team-mate Nico Rosberg, he was relaxed and chatty. Hamilton had looked quicker than Rosberg all weekend until the second part of qualifying and he seems confident that if the team can solve the front brake temperature imbalance that led to lock-ups in qualifying he can take the fight to Rosberg in the race. 'I'm going out to try to win the race,' he said. 'The true gap if neither of us have issues is not going to be that big. I just hope we are able to fight and we get to have a battle, that it's not Turn One and then it's decided."
Vote
Alongside that question, we're also running a vote this evening. We want to know if you support the idea of three-car Formula 1 teams?
Voting is simple. Head to the top-right side of the page and make your choice or tweet #Yes or #No to @bbcsport.
The vote will close at 19:50 GMT and results will appear on this page shortly after. Terms and conditions are available here.
Get involved
So can this man pull it out of the bag and win his fifth successive race to further stretch his lead over Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg? Or will Rosberg show us what he is made of and defend robustly from Lewis Hamilton at the front?
Fire over your race predictions, with reasons why, using the #bbcf1 hashtag, texting 81111 (UK only) or by leaving a comment on the BBC Sport Facebook page.
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Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer
"The US Grand Prix has been a weekend dominated by matters other than the world championship battle between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, with the financial state of the sport at the forefront of discussions and tempers beginning to fray following the collapse of the Marussia and Caterham teams.
But for the next two hours or so that will be put to the back of people's minds, and it will be Hamilton v Rosberg again. Rosberg, 17 points behind Hamilton, has one thing in mind only. How vital is it for you to win, Eddie Jordan asked him on Saturday afternoon? 'Rather vital,' he said with a smile. 'How would you see it, Eddie? It veers towards the vital side, wouldn't you say?'"
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With Antiques Roadshow and The X Factor results your options on the telly this evening, Monday morning and the sight of your desk probably couldn't come soon enough. But this Sunday evening is different, because we've got some racing to get stuck into.
Yep, I've got live text and audio coverage of the United States Grand Prix from the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. And with Lewis Hamilton leading Nico Rosberg by 17 points, with 100 remaining, the championship battle is very much on.
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Brake issues halted Lewis Hamilton's charge to pole position for today's United States Grand Prix as title rival Nico Rosberg clinched the best starting spot on the grid.
However, it wasn't all bad as Hamilton qualified second, which is where he started in 2012 before going on to pass Sebastian Vettel and win the race.
If the team have found a solution to his brake troubles overnight, we will have an almighty battle for victory on our hands...