Image source, 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?

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.

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.

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."

Martin Thetford, external: 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, external: Bottas win would be amazing! Good race for Jenson as well please!

George Coutts, external: Got a feeling that Lewis LET Rosberg get pole yesterday. Would you want Rosberg starting behind you after what he has done before?

"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."

Image source, Getty Images

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.

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."

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.

Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer

Image source, Getty Images

"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."

Image source, Getty Images

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.

Image source, Getty Images

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.

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."

Image source, McLaren

McLaren on Twitter, external: Two of our guests this weekend - @GordonRamsay and @MissUSA. Hope you have a great day with us, guys!

"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."

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."

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."

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.

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.

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."