Formula 1 returned to Austin, Texas, and the Circuit of the Americas for the penultimate round of the 2013 season.
The high-speed, undulating circuit hosted its first F1 race 12 months earlier as the United States Grand Prix returned to the F1 calendar after a five year absence. With Vettel dominating the final half of the season and the two titles already wrapped up, attentions turned to the battles behind.
For a detailed look at the newest facility on the 2013 calendar, check out my race preview. To learn five new things about the race, see my preview piece for Car Throttle and relive last year's race with my One Year Rewind for RichlandF1. Look back at one of the most controversial races in recent times with my F1 Flashback and see the goings-on from the track on Thursday with my Snap Shot.
The race has become a firm favourite for fans, teams, drivers and the media thanks to Austin's laid back atmosphere and passion for racing. There was plenty of news ahead of the race weekend with Lotus confirming that Heikki Kovalainen would replace Kimi Raikkonen for the final two races of 2013. Sergio Perez announced that he would leave McLaren at the end of the season and the team swiftly confirmed Formula Renault 3.5 champion Kevin Magnussen as is replacement.
FP1
It was a rather unusual start to the United States Grand Prix weekend after first practice was delayed by 40 minutes due to heavy fog preventing the medical helicopter from flying. Rodolfo Gonzalez, Daniil Kvyat and Alexander Rossi replaced Jules Bianchi, Jean-Eric Vergne and Giedo van der Garde respectively in first practice.
However, 15 minutes after the session was started and with only five times on the board, it was red flagged once again due to "further problems" with the medical helicopter. The clock was stopped momentarily and the session was restarted with 30 minutes remaining. All 22 drivers took to the track to continue with their disrupted schedules.
Fernando Alonso immediately displaced Jenson Button's early benchmark. The majority of drivers completed medium fuel runs on the hard compound tyre, although four-time champion Vettel looked to be running with more fuel in the tank.
Rodolfo Gonzalez pulled off track with just over a minute remaining after an engine problem. Alonso best time of 1m38.343 was good enough to top the session, just 0.028 seconds ahead of Button. Bottas was slightly further behind with Gutierrez, Rosberg, Hamilton and Massa next up. The Red Bull duo of Webber and Vettel finished in eighth and 18th.
Kovalainen's first session in the Lotus E21 was positive. The Finn finished just two tenths behind team-mate Romain Grosjean. FP1 only runners Kvyat, Rossi and Gonzalez finished in 17th, 19th and 22nd.
FP2
What a difference a few hours makes. After the heavy fog of the morning session, drivers were welcomed by sunshine and increasing temperatures as they emerged from their pit garages for the second session.
It was a busy start to the 90 minute session as teams looked to make up for the time lost earlier on. Kovalainen was the first driver out on track and was also the first to get a time on the board, a 1m40.335. His time was swiftly beaten by Jenson Button, who was handed a three-place grid penalty after overtaking during a red flag in FP1.
Sebastian Vettel soon moved to the top of the time sheets as drivers completed short runs on the hard compound tyre. With one hour of the session remaining, Esteban Gutierrez was the first driver to move to the medium compound Pirelli's. Sebastian Vettel soon moved to the front despite aborting his first run.
With drivers moving to race runs in the final third of the session, Vettel remained at the top of the time sheets by the chequered flag with a best lap of 1m37.305. Mark Webber finished in second place for another Red Bull 1-2. The Mercedes pairing of Rosberg and Hamilton followed a few tenths further back with Kovalainen completing the top five.
Gutierrez, Hulkenberg, Grosjean and Button were next up with Alonso rounding out the top 10. Bottas, who finished in the top three in first practice, dropped to 16th in the second session. Pic and van der Garde finished ahead of the Marussia's of Chilton, who lost a few laps late on with a brake failure, and Bianchi.
FP3
The third and final practice session ahead of the US Grand Prix took place in warm but overcast conditions. Heikki Kovalainen was, like the two Friday sessions, the first driver out on track with team-mate Romain Grosjean and the Sauber of Esteban Gutierrez following shortly after.
Jules Bianchi was the first driver to set a lap time, a 1m44.983 that was bettered shortly after by Daniel Ricciardo. It was a slightly quiet start to the session with drivers opting for the hard compound tyre early on. By the half way stage of the 60 minute session, it was Vettel who returned to the top of the time sheets.
With 15 minutes of the session remaining, silence descended over the Circuit of the Americas as the 22 cars pitted to switch to the medium compound rubber for one final qualifying simulation. Bianchi was the first man out on track on the option tyre with Button and Perez swiftly following him out.
The times tumbled but by the chequered flag, it was a familiar face at the front. Vettel topped the session with a best time of 1m36.733. The four-time champion finished three tenths clear of team-mate Webber and Hamilton climbed to third with his final lap. Hulkenberg and Grosjean completed the top five.
Button, Rosberg, Perez and Bottas were next up and Sutil rounded out the top 10, which was separated by one second. Alonso and Massa set the 11th and 17th fastest times for Ferrari and Kovalainen was 13th fastest ahead of qualifying.
Qualifying
Q1
The sun was out and the grandstands were packed for the first qualifying session of the day, where the slowest six runners are eliminated from the fight for pole position.
The Marussia of Max Chilton was the first driver out on track. He was the first driver to get a time on the board, a 1m45.150. It was swiftly beaten by di Resta, Bottas and Hulkenberg who all briefly held the lead.
The two Red Bulls remained in the garage for the first half of the session. The times continued to fall as the Circuit of the Americas evolved lap by lap, but track conditions were very different in comparison to the morning practice session. Gutierrez narrowly avoided crashing into Maldonado after failing to spot the approaching Williams while warming his tyres on his out lap.
Mercedes and Ferrari were two of several teams to move on to the medium compound tyre for their final runs in Q1. The order changed dramatically in the final few minutes and by the chequered flag, Adrian Sutil - who went off at turn one on his final lap and stopped with a mechanical issue - and Pastor Maldonado found themselves in the drop-zone alongside van der Garde, Bianchi, Pic and Chilton.
Valtteri Bottas, in contrast to his team-mate, topped the session from Hamilton, Gutierrez, Webber and Hulkenberg.
Q2
The 15 minute second qualifying session got underway in a rather quiet fashion as drivers battled to make it through to the top 10 shoot-out. Jean-Eric Vergne was the first driver to return to the track and set a lap time, a 1m38.696 on the option tyre.
His time was swiftly beaten by Hamilton and Bottas, who impressed in the Williams FW35 throughout the qualifying hour. With five minutes remaining, Perez jumped up to second place with di Resta holding third. However, drivers returned to the pits for a fresh set of Pirelli tyres for one last chance to get into the Q3.
On new tyres and with the track evolving, the order changed considerably. With the chequered flag flying, Vettel and Webber topped the session for Red Bull ahead of Alonso and Bottas, who made it through to Q3 for the first time since the Canadian Grand Prix. Grosjean rounded out the top five, ahead of Hulkenberg and Hamilton.
Gutierrez and Perez also progressed and Kovalainen sneaked into the top 10 for Lotus. Rosberg and Massa surprisingly finished in the drop-zone after only managing 14th and 15th. Ricciardo, di Resta and Button - who has a three-place grid penalty - also failed to make it through and Vergne was the slowest of the Q2 runners.
Q3
The top 10 shoot-out arrived as the battle for pole position reached its climax. Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas were the first drivers to take to the track.
The Mexican driver was the first to set a lap time in the session, a 1m38.074, but was swiftly beaten by the Red Bull of Mark Webber. Surprisingly, Sebastian Vettel could only set the second fastest time on his first attempt.
Grosjean and Kovalainen also set lap times in the first half of the session before returning to prepare for their second and final runs. Bottas put in the third fastest time on his first lap before continuing for a second attempt.
Webber improved on his earlier benchmark but it wasn't enough to stop Sebastian Vettel from taking pole position by just one tenth of a second. The Aussie dropped to second with Grosjean, Hulkenberg and Hamilton rounding out the top five on the grid.
Fernando Alonso could only manage sixth with Perez in seventh. Kovalainen set the eighth fastest time in his first Q3 appearance since the 2009 Japanese Grand Prix. Bottas and Gutierrez completed the top 10.
The Race
Sunshine bathed the Circuit of the Americas for the penultimate round of the 2013 season. With plenty of cars out of position, it had all the ingredients to be a thrilling race.
There were plenty of unknowns ahead of the 56-lap race, largely with how the tyres would perform. Would it be a one-stop race or could the increased temperatures cause some to pit twice? More importantly, could anyone catch Sebastian Vettel?
The German driver, along with team-mate Mark Webber, dominated qualifying but the gap looked to be smaller in race trim. There were also concerns prior to the race with his gearbox, which was on its fifth race and had completed two sets of donuts in India and Abu Dhabi.
With the field on the grid and starring at the rise to turn one, the revs rose, the lights went out and we were racing in Austin, Texas. Off the line, pole-sitter Vettel had a clean start but Grosjean managed to move ahead of Webber. The Aussie also dropped behind Lewis Hamilton at the first corner.
There was minor contact in the midfield at turn one but no major issues. Felipe Massa was forced onto the run-off area at turn four. Alonso dropped behind Perez at turn one and Bottas moved into eighth after a cautious start for Heikki Kovalainen.
The safety car was deployed at the end of the first lap after Adrian Sutil crashed on the back straight. The German driver made contact with Pastor Maldonado which pitched him into the barrier. Gutierrez pitted with a puncture at the end of the first lap.
The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG pitted at the end of lap four, releasing Sebastian Vettel and the chasing speed. The German made his move at the exit of turn 15 and crossed the line to start lap five with a lead of just under one second.
Sergio Perez attempted to make a move on Nico Hulkenberg at turn 12 but he couldn't make the move stick. Max Chilton pitted at the end of lap five for a drive through penalty that was given to him for impeding in qualifying.
DRS was enabled on lap seven, helping Gutierrez to displace Bianchi into the second gear left-hander. By lap eight, Vettel had eked out a lead of three seconds to the chasing Lotus of Romain Grosjean. Hamilton was a further two seconds back and looked to be holding up Webber.
Pastor Maldonado pitted at the end of the lap for a new nosecone after being shown the black and orange flag. Fernando Alonso had a look at overtaking Sergio Perez at turn one but he proved to be too far back. The Mexican was stuck behind the Sauber of Nico Hulkenberg.
Mark Webber upped his pace and moved ahead of Hamilton into turn 12 on lap 16, with a little help from DRS. The 36-year-old had dropped 11 seconds behind team-mate Vettel by lap 17. Heikki Kovalainen was the first driver to pit for a scheduled stop at the end of the lap and moved on to the prime tyre.
Ricciardo lost out to Rosberg on the back straight after a late move under braking for turn 12 on lap 19. McLaren decided to pit Button at the end of lap 20 as he was previously stuck behind the Ferrari of Massa.
The Scuderia reacted and pitted the Brazilian driver on the following lap. He switched to the hard compound tyre and emerged just ahead of Button. Perez, di Resta, Rosberg and Ricciardo pitted at the end of lap 22. The final three all returned to the circuit behind Kovalainen's Lotus.
Lewis Hamilton pitted on lap 25 for a set of hard tyres. Fortunately, his Mercedes mechanics got him back out on track ahead of the battling Gutierrez, Vergne and Perez. Vettel, who had a 7.3 second lead, took to his pit box on lap 27. Hulkenberg also stopped for a fresh set of tyres and remained behind Hamilton.
Webber peeled into the pit lane on lap 29 for a fresh set of tyres. His Red Bull mechanics got him back out on track in an incredible 2.3 seconds. Grosjean, who briefly led the race, pitted on the following lap and returned to the circuit in second place.
The battle in the midfield intensified with di Resta and Kovalainen battling for 10th place. The Finn dropped behind the Scot and was displaced by Rosberg shortly after. Gutierrez, who was on old tyres after his lap one pit stop, lost out to Perez on the pit straight on lap 30.
Kovalainen pitted on lap 31 for a front wing change and dropped to 17th place. He moved onto the medium compound tyre but lost 33 seconds in the process. Moving focus to the front, Webber moved to within one second of Grosjean by lap 33 after a series of fastest lap times.
Valtteri Bottas moved ahead of Gutierrez on lap 35 after a stunning move around the outside of the Mexican at turn two. The battle between Grosjean and Webber died down after the Red Bull driver dropped back to save his tyres. Ferrari realised that they couldn't one-stop Massa and pitted him for medium Pirelli rubber.
A series of fast laps helped Alonso latch on to the back of Hulkenberg's Sauber C32. The Spaniard managed to get a cleaner exit out of turn one and powered around the outside at turn two to take fifth. Kovalainen's recovery from his unscheduled second stop wasn't helped by a KERS issue.
Webber was given the all clear to challenge Grosjean with eight laps to go and moved within DRS territory. Charles Pic was handed a drive-through penalty for ignoring blue flags. Paul di Resta couldn't make a one-stop strategy work and pitted for the option tyre on lap 49.
The scrap for second looked promising but a mistake at turn 11 and tyre wear problems dropped Webber back and he couldn't make up the time lost. However out front and despite concerns over tyre wear in the closing stages, Sebastian Vettel crossed the line at the Circuit of the Americas in first place to take his eighth consecutive victory and 12th of the season.
Sebastian Vettel wins the United States Grand Prix
It's incredible, isn't it? The dominance of Red Bull and Sebastian Vettel. He made his race debut in the 2007 United States Grand Prix and six years later, he is a four-time world champion and a 12-time race winner in 2013. It was a truly faultless drive from the German despite some tyre concerns late in the race. He made a clean start and was unchallenged, once again, to the chequered flag.
Romain Grosjean took a well-deserved second place - his best result of the season - after a great start and a mature run to the runner-up spot. Mark Webber couldn't maintain his pace mid-way through the second stint and crossed the line 2.1 seconds behind the Lotus driver. However, it was another good race for the Aussie in the penultimate round of his F1 career.
Hamilton had a decent race to fourth. The Brit didn't have the pace to challenge the Red Bulls and the Lotus of Grosjean but held off the challenge from Alonso and Hulkenberg. The Sauber driver came close but had to settle for sixth after another strong drive. Perez finished in seventh place after a feisty but largely uneventful race.
After starring in qualifying on Saturday, Valtteri Bottas showed that his pace wasn't all down to the track conditions and finished in eighth place to register his first points of the season. It was an impressive run to the flag for the Finn as he, once again, out-performed team-mate Maldonado.
Rosberg and Button rounded out the top 10, the latter hampered by front wing damage sustained on the first lap. He displaced Ricciardo late in the race to take his first point since Korea. Vergne finished just behind his team-mate in 12th and survived a late clash with Gutierrez. The Mexican dropped behind Massa to cross the line in 14th.
Kovalainen's recovery from an unscheduled pit stop was hampered by a KERS issue but he still managed to make progress en route to 15th place. Paul di Resta, who took the chequered flag in 16th, was the last driver on the lead lap. Maldonado, Bianchi, van der Garde, Pic and Chilton completed the runners and Sutil was the only retirement after his lap one crash.
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| (c) Octane Photographic |
For a detailed look at the newest facility on the 2013 calendar, check out my race preview. To learn five new things about the race, see my preview piece for Car Throttle and relive last year's race with my One Year Rewind for RichlandF1. Look back at one of the most controversial races in recent times with my F1 Flashback and see the goings-on from the track on Thursday with my Snap Shot.
The race has become a firm favourite for fans, teams, drivers and the media thanks to Austin's laid back atmosphere and passion for racing. There was plenty of news ahead of the race weekend with Lotus confirming that Heikki Kovalainen would replace Kimi Raikkonen for the final two races of 2013. Sergio Perez announced that he would leave McLaren at the end of the season and the team swiftly confirmed Formula Renault 3.5 champion Kevin Magnussen as is replacement.
FP1
It was a rather unusual start to the United States Grand Prix weekend after first practice was delayed by 40 minutes due to heavy fog preventing the medical helicopter from flying. Rodolfo Gonzalez, Daniil Kvyat and Alexander Rossi replaced Jules Bianchi, Jean-Eric Vergne and Giedo van der Garde respectively in first practice.
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| (c) Octane Photographic |
However, 15 minutes after the session was started and with only five times on the board, it was red flagged once again due to "further problems" with the medical helicopter. The clock was stopped momentarily and the session was restarted with 30 minutes remaining. All 22 drivers took to the track to continue with their disrupted schedules.
Fernando Alonso immediately displaced Jenson Button's early benchmark. The majority of drivers completed medium fuel runs on the hard compound tyre, although four-time champion Vettel looked to be running with more fuel in the tank.
Rodolfo Gonzalez pulled off track with just over a minute remaining after an engine problem. Alonso best time of 1m38.343 was good enough to top the session, just 0.028 seconds ahead of Button. Bottas was slightly further behind with Gutierrez, Rosberg, Hamilton and Massa next up. The Red Bull duo of Webber and Vettel finished in eighth and 18th.
Kovalainen's first session in the Lotus E21 was positive. The Finn finished just two tenths behind team-mate Romain Grosjean. FP1 only runners Kvyat, Rossi and Gonzalez finished in 17th, 19th and 22nd.
FP2
What a difference a few hours makes. After the heavy fog of the morning session, drivers were welcomed by sunshine and increasing temperatures as they emerged from their pit garages for the second session.
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| (c) Octane Photographic |
Sebastian Vettel soon moved to the top of the time sheets as drivers completed short runs on the hard compound tyre. With one hour of the session remaining, Esteban Gutierrez was the first driver to move to the medium compound Pirelli's. Sebastian Vettel soon moved to the front despite aborting his first run.
With drivers moving to race runs in the final third of the session, Vettel remained at the top of the time sheets by the chequered flag with a best lap of 1m37.305. Mark Webber finished in second place for another Red Bull 1-2. The Mercedes pairing of Rosberg and Hamilton followed a few tenths further back with Kovalainen completing the top five.
Gutierrez, Hulkenberg, Grosjean and Button were next up with Alonso rounding out the top 10. Bottas, who finished in the top three in first practice, dropped to 16th in the second session. Pic and van der Garde finished ahead of the Marussia's of Chilton, who lost a few laps late on with a brake failure, and Bianchi.
FP3
The third and final practice session ahead of the US Grand Prix took place in warm but overcast conditions. Heikki Kovalainen was, like the two Friday sessions, the first driver out on track with team-mate Romain Grosjean and the Sauber of Esteban Gutierrez following shortly after.
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| (c) Octane Photographic |
With 15 minutes of the session remaining, silence descended over the Circuit of the Americas as the 22 cars pitted to switch to the medium compound rubber for one final qualifying simulation. Bianchi was the first man out on track on the option tyre with Button and Perez swiftly following him out.
The times tumbled but by the chequered flag, it was a familiar face at the front. Vettel topped the session with a best time of 1m36.733. The four-time champion finished three tenths clear of team-mate Webber and Hamilton climbed to third with his final lap. Hulkenberg and Grosjean completed the top five.
Button, Rosberg, Perez and Bottas were next up and Sutil rounded out the top 10, which was separated by one second. Alonso and Massa set the 11th and 17th fastest times for Ferrari and Kovalainen was 13th fastest ahead of qualifying.
Qualifying
Q1
The sun was out and the grandstands were packed for the first qualifying session of the day, where the slowest six runners are eliminated from the fight for pole position.
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| (c) Octane Photographic |
The two Red Bulls remained in the garage for the first half of the session. The times continued to fall as the Circuit of the Americas evolved lap by lap, but track conditions were very different in comparison to the morning practice session. Gutierrez narrowly avoided crashing into Maldonado after failing to spot the approaching Williams while warming his tyres on his out lap.
Mercedes and Ferrari were two of several teams to move on to the medium compound tyre for their final runs in Q1. The order changed dramatically in the final few minutes and by the chequered flag, Adrian Sutil - who went off at turn one on his final lap and stopped with a mechanical issue - and Pastor Maldonado found themselves in the drop-zone alongside van der Garde, Bianchi, Pic and Chilton.
Valtteri Bottas, in contrast to his team-mate, topped the session from Hamilton, Gutierrez, Webber and Hulkenberg.
Q2
The 15 minute second qualifying session got underway in a rather quiet fashion as drivers battled to make it through to the top 10 shoot-out. Jean-Eric Vergne was the first driver to return to the track and set a lap time, a 1m38.696 on the option tyre.
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| (c) Octane Photographic |
His time was swiftly beaten by Hamilton and Bottas, who impressed in the Williams FW35 throughout the qualifying hour. With five minutes remaining, Perez jumped up to second place with di Resta holding third. However, drivers returned to the pits for a fresh set of Pirelli tyres for one last chance to get into the Q3.
On new tyres and with the track evolving, the order changed considerably. With the chequered flag flying, Vettel and Webber topped the session for Red Bull ahead of Alonso and Bottas, who made it through to Q3 for the first time since the Canadian Grand Prix. Grosjean rounded out the top five, ahead of Hulkenberg and Hamilton.
Gutierrez and Perez also progressed and Kovalainen sneaked into the top 10 for Lotus. Rosberg and Massa surprisingly finished in the drop-zone after only managing 14th and 15th. Ricciardo, di Resta and Button - who has a three-place grid penalty - also failed to make it through and Vergne was the slowest of the Q2 runners.
Q3
The top 10 shoot-out arrived as the battle for pole position reached its climax. Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas were the first drivers to take to the track.
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| (c) Octane Photographic |
Grosjean and Kovalainen also set lap times in the first half of the session before returning to prepare for their second and final runs. Bottas put in the third fastest time on his first lap before continuing for a second attempt.
Webber improved on his earlier benchmark but it wasn't enough to stop Sebastian Vettel from taking pole position by just one tenth of a second. The Aussie dropped to second with Grosjean, Hulkenberg and Hamilton rounding out the top five on the grid.
Fernando Alonso could only manage sixth with Perez in seventh. Kovalainen set the eighth fastest time in his first Q3 appearance since the 2009 Japanese Grand Prix. Bottas and Gutierrez completed the top 10.
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| (c) Octane Photographic |
Pos Driver Team Time Gap
1. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m36.338s
2. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m36.441s +0.103s
3. Romain Grosjean Lotus-Renault 1m37.155s +0.817s
4. Nico Hulkenberg Sauber-Ferrari 1m37.296s +0.958s
5. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1m37.345s +1.007s
6. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m37.376s +1.038s
7. Sergio Perez McLaren-Mercedes 1m37.452s +1.114s
8. Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Renault 1m37.715s +1.377s
9. Valtteri Bottas Williams-Renault 1m37.836s +1.498s
10. Esteban Gutierrez Sauber-Ferrari 1m38.034s +1.696s-
Q2 cut-off time: 1m38.078s Gap **
11. Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m38.131s +1.066s
12. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1m38.139s +1.074s
13. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m38.217s +1.152s+
14. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m38.364s +1.299s
15. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m38.592s +1.527s
16. Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m38.696s +1.631s
Q1 cut-off time: 1m39.094s Gap *
17. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1m39.250s +1.429s
18. Pastor Maldonado Williams-Renault 1m39.351s +1.530s
19. Giedo van der Garde Caterham-Renault 1m40.491s +2.670s
20. Jules Bianchi Marussia-Cosworth 1m40.528s +2.707s
21. Charles Pic Caterham-Renault 1m40.596s +2.775s++
22. Max Chilton Marussia-Cosworth 1m41.401s +3.580s=
* Gap to quickest in Q1
** Gap to quickest in Q2
+3-place grid penalty for ignoring red flags
++ 5-place grid penalty for gearbox change
- 10-place grid penalty for impeding in qualifying
= Drive-through penalty to be taken in the first 5 laps of the race for impeding in qualifying
The Race
Sunshine bathed the Circuit of the Americas for the penultimate round of the 2013 season. With plenty of cars out of position, it had all the ingredients to be a thrilling race.
There were plenty of unknowns ahead of the 56-lap race, largely with how the tyres would perform. Would it be a one-stop race or could the increased temperatures cause some to pit twice? More importantly, could anyone catch Sebastian Vettel?
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| (c) Octane Photographic |
With the field on the grid and starring at the rise to turn one, the revs rose, the lights went out and we were racing in Austin, Texas. Off the line, pole-sitter Vettel had a clean start but Grosjean managed to move ahead of Webber. The Aussie also dropped behind Lewis Hamilton at the first corner.
There was minor contact in the midfield at turn one but no major issues. Felipe Massa was forced onto the run-off area at turn four. Alonso dropped behind Perez at turn one and Bottas moved into eighth after a cautious start for Heikki Kovalainen.
The safety car was deployed at the end of the first lap after Adrian Sutil crashed on the back straight. The German driver made contact with Pastor Maldonado which pitched him into the barrier. Gutierrez pitted with a puncture at the end of the first lap.
The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG pitted at the end of lap four, releasing Sebastian Vettel and the chasing speed. The German made his move at the exit of turn 15 and crossed the line to start lap five with a lead of just under one second.
Sergio Perez attempted to make a move on Nico Hulkenberg at turn 12 but he couldn't make the move stick. Max Chilton pitted at the end of lap five for a drive through penalty that was given to him for impeding in qualifying.
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| (c) Octane Photographic |
Pastor Maldonado pitted at the end of the lap for a new nosecone after being shown the black and orange flag. Fernando Alonso had a look at overtaking Sergio Perez at turn one but he proved to be too far back. The Mexican was stuck behind the Sauber of Nico Hulkenberg.
Mark Webber upped his pace and moved ahead of Hamilton into turn 12 on lap 16, with a little help from DRS. The 36-year-old had dropped 11 seconds behind team-mate Vettel by lap 17. Heikki Kovalainen was the first driver to pit for a scheduled stop at the end of the lap and moved on to the prime tyre.
Ricciardo lost out to Rosberg on the back straight after a late move under braking for turn 12 on lap 19. McLaren decided to pit Button at the end of lap 20 as he was previously stuck behind the Ferrari of Massa.
The Scuderia reacted and pitted the Brazilian driver on the following lap. He switched to the hard compound tyre and emerged just ahead of Button. Perez, di Resta, Rosberg and Ricciardo pitted at the end of lap 22. The final three all returned to the circuit behind Kovalainen's Lotus.
Lewis Hamilton pitted on lap 25 for a set of hard tyres. Fortunately, his Mercedes mechanics got him back out on track ahead of the battling Gutierrez, Vergne and Perez. Vettel, who had a 7.3 second lead, took to his pit box on lap 27. Hulkenberg also stopped for a fresh set of tyres and remained behind Hamilton.
Webber peeled into the pit lane on lap 29 for a fresh set of tyres. His Red Bull mechanics got him back out on track in an incredible 2.3 seconds. Grosjean, who briefly led the race, pitted on the following lap and returned to the circuit in second place.
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| (c) Octane Photographic |
Kovalainen pitted on lap 31 for a front wing change and dropped to 17th place. He moved onto the medium compound tyre but lost 33 seconds in the process. Moving focus to the front, Webber moved to within one second of Grosjean by lap 33 after a series of fastest lap times.
Valtteri Bottas moved ahead of Gutierrez on lap 35 after a stunning move around the outside of the Mexican at turn two. The battle between Grosjean and Webber died down after the Red Bull driver dropped back to save his tyres. Ferrari realised that they couldn't one-stop Massa and pitted him for medium Pirelli rubber.
A series of fast laps helped Alonso latch on to the back of Hulkenberg's Sauber C32. The Spaniard managed to get a cleaner exit out of turn one and powered around the outside at turn two to take fifth. Kovalainen's recovery from his unscheduled second stop wasn't helped by a KERS issue.
Webber was given the all clear to challenge Grosjean with eight laps to go and moved within DRS territory. Charles Pic was handed a drive-through penalty for ignoring blue flags. Paul di Resta couldn't make a one-stop strategy work and pitted for the option tyre on lap 49.
The scrap for second looked promising but a mistake at turn 11 and tyre wear problems dropped Webber back and he couldn't make up the time lost. However out front and despite concerns over tyre wear in the closing stages, Sebastian Vettel crossed the line at the Circuit of the Americas in first place to take his eighth consecutive victory and 12th of the season.
Sebastian Vettel wins the United States Grand Prix
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| (c) Octane Photographic |
Romain Grosjean took a well-deserved second place - his best result of the season - after a great start and a mature run to the runner-up spot. Mark Webber couldn't maintain his pace mid-way through the second stint and crossed the line 2.1 seconds behind the Lotus driver. However, it was another good race for the Aussie in the penultimate round of his F1 career.
Hamilton had a decent race to fourth. The Brit didn't have the pace to challenge the Red Bulls and the Lotus of Grosjean but held off the challenge from Alonso and Hulkenberg. The Sauber driver came close but had to settle for sixth after another strong drive. Perez finished in seventh place after a feisty but largely uneventful race.
After starring in qualifying on Saturday, Valtteri Bottas showed that his pace wasn't all down to the track conditions and finished in eighth place to register his first points of the season. It was an impressive run to the flag for the Finn as he, once again, out-performed team-mate Maldonado.
Rosberg and Button rounded out the top 10, the latter hampered by front wing damage sustained on the first lap. He displaced Ricciardo late in the race to take his first point since Korea. Vergne finished just behind his team-mate in 12th and survived a late clash with Gutierrez. The Mexican dropped behind Massa to cross the line in 14th.
Kovalainen's recovery from an unscheduled pit stop was hampered by a KERS issue but he still managed to make progress en route to 15th place. Paul di Resta, who took the chequered flag in 16th, was the last driver on the lead lap. Maldonado, Bianchi, van der Garde, Pic and Chilton completed the runners and Sutil was the only retirement after his lap one crash.
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| (c) Octane Photographic |
Classified:
Pos Driver Team Time
1. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1h39;17.148
2. Grosjean Lotus-Renault + 6.2
3. Webber Red Bull-Renault + 8.3
4. Hamilton Mercedes + 27.3
5. Alonso Ferrari + 29.5
6. Hulkenberg Sauber-Ferrari + 30.4
7. Perez McLaren-Mercedes + 46.6
8. Bottas Williams-Renault + 54.5
9. Rosberg Mercedes + 59.1
10. Button McLaren-Mercedes + 1:17.2
11. Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 1:21.0
12. Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 1:24.5*
13. Massa Ferrari + 1:26.9
14. Gutierrez Sauber-Ferrari + 1:31.7
15. Kovalainen Lotus-Renault + 1:35.0
16. Di Resta Force India-Mercedes + 1:36.8
17. Maldonado Williams-Renault + 1 lap
18. Bianchi Marussia-Cosworth + 1 lap
19. van der Garde Caterham-Renault + 1 lap
20. Pic Caterham-Renault + 1 lap
21. Chilton Marussia-Cosworth + 1 lap
Fastest lap: Vettel, 1:39.856
Not classified/retirements:
Driver Team On lap
Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1
*20 second time penalty added to race time for hitting Gutierrez (race time: 1:44.5)
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