Image source, Getty Images

If Lewis Hamilton does win the world championship Sir Jackie Stewart - the only Briton to have won three titles - believes he could dominate the sport for years to come.

"He could do,"he said., external "He’s 30 years of age, no longer a boy but a fully grown man. It’s a wonderful age, your strongest years to be a racing driver.

“Lewis will carry on improving with experience. He will find what he’s doing not so well. You might not know he’s not doing something as well as he might but he will. And improving those things will make him stronger.”

Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer in Austin

Image source, Reuters

“Toro Rosso have faced a frantic four hours or so since qualifying, after Carlos Sainz crashed at Turn Four and extensively damaged his car. 

"Can they get it ready for the race? ‘We will see,’ the Spaniard said. ‘I hope so. I really hope so, because I want to give back the team all the effort and all the good pace we have had with a good race and I hope we can solve the car and go out in the race.’ 

"Team-mate Max Verstappen starts eighth after qualifying 10th. Both men will be worth watching in the race.”

Is Lewis Hamilton feeling the nerves? If he is, you wouldn't be able to tell judging by this selfie...

Agree with Nigel? At 30, how many more years do you think Lewis Hamilton has at the top of Formula 1 and how many titles do you think he will win?

How do you see today's race going? Let us know via #bbcf1,, external text in on 81111 (UK only) or post a comment on the BBC Sport Facebook page.

Image source, Getty Images

Lewis Hamilton is on the verge of a third world title but Nigel Mansell reckons he could well go on to win even more.

"I think with the might of Mercedes they are in control of their own destiny," he told BBC Radio 5 live.  "Lewis is having a blast of a time at the moment, nothing is going to stop him taking the championship this year. He will be the favourite for next year too.

"Mercedes are not standing still. Lewis has a fantastic opportunity to scoop the title this year, next year, the year after that and possibly the year after that one too."

Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer in Austin

“If it’s wet for the race, the challenge for the drivers is extreme. And Jenson Button explained that if they do lose the car and it spins, then it makes it even worse. ‘There is water all around the circuit but it’s deeper in some areas than others and you can’t see it until you’re off,’ he said. ‘I heard a lot of drivers spun off and went backwards and their tyres didn’t work again. It was exactly the same for me it was just a shame I did it on the first lap of the run.

“‘I lost the rear at Turn 11 and was going backwards for a while and then suddenly you have no rear grip after that. It’s like the tread moves in a funny direction and then it doesn’t work again.

“Low-speed corners you don’t mind aquaplaning but in a high-speed corner like Turn 10 it’s proper scary. The last right-hander as well (Turn 18) the quick one, you don’t know when it’s going to break away.”

Ironically, after a weekend of wet weather that left my colleague Chris Osborne resorting to describing Ainsley Harriet's cookery-themed jiving on Strictly Come Dancing last night, we could actually have some dry weather for the race itself.

The rain appears to be moving away from Austin at the moment, so while it could be a wet start to the race, it should dry out as it progresses.

Get the full forecast here.

Image source, _

Right then, here's how Lewis Hamilton can be crowned the 2015 world champion today:

• If Hamilton wins, Vettel must finish second to prevent Hamilton winning the title at the US GP
• If Hamilton finishes second, Vettel must finish fifth or Nico Rosberg must win the race to prevent Hamilton winning the title
• If Hamilton finishes third, Vettel must finish sixth or Rosberg must finish second
• If Hamilton finishes fourth, Vettel must finish eighth or Rosberg must finish third
• If Hamilton finishes fifth, Vettel must finish ninth or Rosberg must finish fourth
• If Hamilton finishes sixth, the title battle will continue to the next race in Mexico, even if Vettel does not finish or collects no points. Rosberg would need to come fifth to still be in contention.

If you are not watching it already, you can catch the last 20 minutes or so of qualifying highlights on BBC Two and at the top of this page right now.

As for the race itself, it is scheduled to start at 19:00 GMT, with BBC Radio 5 live coverage getting under way half-an-hour before. 

Highlights will then be on BBC One and online at 22:30.

Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer in Austin

“Lewis Hamilton could win the world title in this race - he needs to put just two points on Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg, who starts on pole one place ahead of the championship leader, and nine on Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, who is down in 14th after a grid penalty for using too many engines.

“But he says he will not be going all out to clinch it this weekend. ‘Qualifying was cut short, so we didn't get to battle it out on the last few laps,’ said Hamilton. ‘But the race is a long battle and it will be hard out there today, with those conditions varying throughout the race. I think today I still need to be sensible, and I don't need to take risks. I have more races - it is not do or die this weekend.’

“That may be so. But we all know Hamilton will not give up a sniff of victory if he can see one. Outpaced in qualifying, he will want to turn the tables on Rosberg in the race, championship lead to protect or not.”

Image source, Getty Images

Howdy and welcome to our coverage of the United States Grand Prix.

Much of this weekend has been spent staring at drops of the wet stuff as rain played havoc with the schedule, so much so that qualifying had to take place earlier today.

Even then we only got to see the first two sessions of qualifying, something that worked to Nico Rosberg's advantage because it means he will be the man who will be starting on pole after finishing fastest in Q2.

That means Hamilton has a little bit of work to do if he is to win the world championship in Austin...

Image source, Getty Images

History beckons for Lewis Hamilton, with the Briton on the verge of joining some of the greats of F1.

It has been far from smooth sailing at a very wet Austin but, after plenty of waiting around this weekend, a third world title could be his in just a few short hours...

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Nico Rosberg has to beat his Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton today to stay in title contention. And he's put himself in the perfect position, clinching pole on a soggy Austin track ahead of the British driver.

Sebastian Vettel, the only other man who can stop Hamilton, will start 15th with his 10-place penalty.

Can Hamilton become only the second British driver to win three titles after Sir Jackie Stewart?

Find out when we return at 17:30 GMT (race at 19:00 GMT). In the mean time, read Andrew Benson's report from a riveting qualifying.

Image source, AFP

Rosberg has a third consecutive pole. Mercedes have a 12th front-row lockout of the season.

Rosberg has converted two of his last nine poles into wins.

Hamilton's two previous Austin wins came from second on the grid.

That's the top 10 after Q2 and the result of qualifying. Vettel, in fifth, and Raikkonen, in eighth, both have 10-place grid penalties remember.

David Coulthard
BBC F1 co-commentator

"We have a grand prix. We have all the cars on circuit. It's a sound decision. Rosberg can take pleasure in that pole position."