Formula 1: United States GP Overview

Lewis Hamilton crosses the line first at COTA.

Lewis Hamilton gave it his all and drove a determined race at the brand new Circuit of the Americas to snatch victory from Sebastian Vettel after a tense race-long stand-off for the lead. Meanwhile, Fernando Alonso and Ferrari pushed the limits of what is considered sporting in order to ensure the title fight goes down to the wire in Brazil in seven days time. 

Champagne and Stetsons: Lewis Hamilton
on the podium

It has been five years since F1 last visited America; the 2007 GP was won by none other than young gun Lewis Hamilton in only his eighth F1 race. For this reason then, it seems extremely apt that it be an older and racier Lewis Hamilton who won last night at the impressive COTA.

Starting from second position, Lewis didn't get the best of starts, dropping behind Mark Webber into the steep turn one. Behind him, the pack kept it relatively clean with everyone making it through the first bend cleanly. Lewis wasn't alone in dropping back at the start; practically everyone who started on the dirty side of the grid lost places due to lack of traction and grip.

By lap 4, Lewis dived past Mark Webber and set off in pursuit of Sebastian Vettel. Unlike so many times before, Seb hadn't managed to streak away at the start, the gap between him and Lewis between 2 and 3 seconds. By lap 15, this gap was reduced to a few car lengths, the tension racking up lap after lap as the two champions traded fastest sector times and laps. It was a showdown befitting of the Western setting; two lone gunslingers trying to outwit and out-gun the other.

Michael Schumacher's penultimate F1 race was
unspectacular to say the least.

Lewis finally found his way past Sebastian on lap 42 after the German fell afoul of a dawdling HRT. From there, the Briton kept the German at arms length, the duo finally crossing the finish line with less than a second between them. They had been in a class of their own all afternoon, eventual third place finisher Fernando Alonso lagging behind by over half a minute.

Felipe Massa had a hugely positive afternoon after starting 11th (more on this later) to finish 4th. Likewise, Jenson Button did well to bring home his McLaren 5th after starting a lowly 12th. It was another good race for Lotus, Raikkonen and Grosjean finishing 6th and 7th. Meanwhile, Hulkenberg, Maldonado and Senna endured some on track scuffles to round off the points paying places with 8th, 9th and 10th respectively. Mark Webber's afternoon ended early, an alternator failure on his Red Bull dropping him out of the race. This didn't hinder his team from sealing their third successive Constructors' crown however, the Austrian outfit now only the

One of the most notable conclusions from COTA was Mercedes GP's continued slide into obscurity. The team have now failed to rack up any points since Singapore, a disastrous run of form for the manufacturer. Trailing home in 13th and 16th, Rosberg and Schumacher's afternoon was disastrous  It may be a while off, but this is the team Hamilton is entering next season; will his win today be tinged with an ounce of regret? Or are Mercedes just going through the motions and focusing on next season?

Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen race into
Turn One

For Alonso, it was a relaxed afternoon after what had been a fairly contentious start. Ferrari made the bold decision to tamper with Felipe Massa's gearbox, thus dropping him back five places on the grid with a penalty. This subsequently promoted Alonso to seventh, and most importantly the clean side of the grid. He used his advantage to great effect, making up three places on the opening lap.

Many may argue that Ferrari's decision was un-sporting and not in poor taste. Perhaps, but remember that Formula One is a team sport and the team must come first. Alonso is Ferrari's only chance to taste glory this year and thus they must improve his chances however they can. You can be absolutely sure that if Red Bull and McLaren had been in the same situation, they would have done exactly the same thing. As it stands, the move allowed Fernando to mitigate the damage Vettel inflicted in the title standings, the gap between them 13 points before Brazil next weekend.

On the whole, it had been a hugely impressive debut for COTA with no-one anticipating such a closely contested and tense race. The title challenge carries onto towards Interlagos, Brazil, the scene of many dramatic deciders in the past. Vettel, armed with a 13 point advantage will be out to lead from the front, whilst Alonso will need to employ more guerilla tactics and jump at every opportunity to clinch victory from the jaws of defeat. Without a doubt, it'll be an appropriately close finale to such a dramatic season.