Google+ Jack Leslie F1: 2014 United States Grand Prix in pictures

3 November 2014

2014 United States Grand Prix in pictures

The Circuit of the Americas hosted round 17 of the 2014 Formula 1 season last weekend, with Lewis Hamilton taking his fifth consecutive victory.
© Octane Photographic
The track, located near Austin in Texas, produced both stunning racing and photography. Here is the United States Grand Prix weekend in pictures.

The images featured in this piece are courtesy of Octane Photographic.

Friday
© Octane Photographic
Lewis Hamilton set the pace in first practice on Friday, finishing three tenths clear of Nico Rosberg.
© Octane Photographic
The Lotus drivers struggled in practice, with Pastor Maldonado spending plenty of time drifting around corners.
© Octane Photographic
McLaren's initial pace on Friday looked promising, but the Woking-based outfit dropped back as the weekend progressed.
© Octane Photographic
Hamilton remained at the front of the field in second practice, with drivers sampling the soft compound tyre for the first time.
© Octane Photographic
Jean-Eric Vergne sat out of FP1 after being replaced by 2015 Toro Rosso driver Max Verstappen. However, he was back behind the wheel of his STR9 in the afternoon session.
© Octane Photographic
The Circuit of the Americas observation tower provides fans with a spectacular view, as Octane Photographic's Leanne Boon found out in practice two.

Saturday
© Octane Photographic
Hamilton topped third practice, while Sebastian Vettel focused on long runs, as he already knew that he would start from the pit lane due to a power-unit change.
© Octane Photographic
With no Marussia and Caterham, just four drivers were eliminated in the first segment of qualifying - Vergne, Esteban Gutierrez, Vettel and Romain Grosjean.
© Octane Photographic
Maldonado just missed out on a space in Q3, but started 10th anyway thanks to Jenson Button's gearbox penalty. He was eliminated in Q2 alongside Sergio Perez, Nico Hulkenberg and Daniil Kvyat.
© Octane Photographic
Daniel Ricciardo secured fifth on the grid in Q3, finishing ahead of Fernando Alonso, Button, Kevin Magnussen, Kimi Raikkonen and Adrian Sutil (Sauber's first appearance in the top 10 shoot-out in 2014).
© Octane Photographic
Rosberg put in a stunning lap to take pole position, with Hamilton in second, Valtteri Bottas in third and Felipe Massa in fourth.

Sunday
© Octane Photographic
Despite a slight drop in attendance figures, the fans were out in force at the Circuit of the Americas on Sunday for the main event.
© Octane Photographic
Rosberg had a strong start, retaining his lead into turn one. Bottas dropped to fourth, with Ricciardo falling to seventh.
© Octane Photographic
It was a clean first corner, but later in the lap Sergio Perez hit Kimi Raikkonen and Adrian Sutil. The Mexican eventually retired, with Sutil also exiting the race.
© Octane Photographic
With debris scattered across the circuit and Sutil's car stranded at turn 15, the safety car was deployed.
© Octane Photographic
On the restart, Bottas failed to overtake Massa into turn one, while Ricciardo successfully displaced Alonso for fifth.
© Octane Photographic
The race produced some fantastic battles, with the two McLaren drivers fighting early on.
© Octane Photographic
Hamilton took the lead at turn 12 on lap 24 and controlled the rest of the race.
© Octane Photographic
Vergne and Grosjean came together in the closing stages, with the Toro Rosso driver eventually being handed a five-second time penalty after the race.
© Octane Photographic
It was a rather frustrating run to 15th for Kvyat. He showed strong pace, but a vibration late in the race caused an unscheduled pit stop. 
© Octane Photographic
At the front, Hamilton crossed the line 4.6 seconds clear of Rosberg to take his 10th win of the season, his third in the USA and the 32nd of his career - meaning he now holds the British record for most F1 victories.
© Octane Photographic
Rosberg held on to second, with Ricciardo in third. Hamilton now has a 24-point lead in the drivers' standings heading to Brazil, meaning the title will go down to the season finale in Abu Dhabi.

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