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The United States Grand Prix is the 18th round of the 2018 Formula One Championship and will be held at the Circuit de Americas for the seventh consecutive year. Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton holds a comfortable lead over his German adversary Sebastian Vettel and with the dominating form that he has shown at Austin in the past, it increasingly looks like another victory for the Briton, who is on the brink of a fifth drivers’ championship.
In the last seven years, the track at Austin has been home to some spectacular racing moments, and some of them have managed to etch themselves into the memory of every Formula One fan.
Without further ado, let us dive down the memory lane and look closer at the five most memorable moments from the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas.
#5 The drama between the Mercedes teammates - Capgate
After a hotly contested 2015 United States Grand Prix that saw Nico Rosberg lose out to Lewis Hamilton, the German’s frustration was clearly visible post-race.
Nico Rosberg started the race from pole while Lewis Hamilton started the race from the second spot. An aggressive manoeuvre from the Briton on lap one of the race forced Nico Rosberg to run wide and ultimately, surrender the lead to his teammate.
An inspired drive by the German ensured an interesting battle between the duo in the later stages of the race despite losing places at the start of the race. Rosberg took the lead for a short amount of time before losing the lead to Hamilton once again.
After the race, Rosberg was clearly upset with his teammate, which was showcased when he threw the second-place cap back at Hamilton after the latter threw it to him while collecting his own cap. This incident between the two demonstrated the tensions between the drivers despite being on the same team.
#4 Verstappen’s brilliant fourth place
The 2015 rain-hit United States Grand Prix was a very exciting affair as it had tonnes of memorable moments that are permanently etched in everyone’s history. One of those moments includes Max Verstappen’s brilliant fourth place finish.
The Dutch driver started the race from the eight spot, two places higher than his qualifying position, thanks to a couple of grid penalties.
A strong drive by Verstappen saw him compete for places at the top of the grid for most of the race. A couple of instances of virtual safety cars did help his cause. Verstappen was in the fray for a podium finish for the better part of the race before surrendering the position to Sebastian Vettel due to an unforced error.
The Dutchman finished the race in the fourth place, which showcased the glimpses of potential the young driver possesses and set up his promotion to the Red Bull senior team.
#3 Hamilton’s last race win for McLaren
The 2012 United States Grand Prix was the inaugural race at the Circuit of the Americas and was also the penultimate race of the 2012 Formula One season.
The brand-new circuit saw McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton start the race from the second spot, splitting Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber. A swift start to the race saw Vettel and Hamilton retaining their positions during the initial stages.
The Briton trailed the German for most of the race until his moment of magic that came on lap 42. Using the DRS, Hamilton timed his move to perfection and slipped past Sebastian Vettel and held onto the lead to claim his last victory with McLaren before moving to Mercedes in 2013.
Sebastian Vettel’s second place ensured that the 2012 F1 drivers’ championship would reach a dramatic finish at the last race of the season at Sao Paulo. The German eventually won the championship, finishing the season three points ahead of Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso.
#2 Mercedes winning their fourth F1 constructors' championship
Another dominating Formula One season saw Mercedes dominate the 2017 constructors’ championship right from the start. The German team secured their fourth title at Austin after their divers managed to secure 35 points in total.
Lewis Hamilton started the race from pole, while his teammate started the race from the third spot, over 0.2 seconds behind Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel. The German’s fast start to eventually take the lead was quickly washed away as the Briton managed to reclaim the lead in the initial stages of the race. From then on, Lewis Hamilton was hardly challenged as he cruised towards a comfortable victory, crossing the chequered flag 10.143 seconds ahead of Sebastian Vettel.
Valtteri Bottas, on the other hand, struggled and dropped places to Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen in the closing stages of the race before securing a hard-fought fifth place. In the end, it didn’t matter as the Silver Arrows managed to secure a fourth consecutive championship.
#1 Lewis Hamilton clinching the 2015 F1 drivers’ championship
Lewis Hamilton’s victory at the 2015 United States Grand Prix under difficult track conditions secured his third drivers’ championship.
The British driver started the race from the second place, trailing his teammate, Nico Rosberg, by less than 0.150 seconds. Under wet conditions, Hamilton got off to a better start than Rosberg and forced his way into the lead with an aggressive move on the first lap itself. While the Briton took the lead, the move cost Rosberg a slew of race positions as he had run wide on the track.
A brilliant comeback drive by the German ensured that Hamilton would not get away with an easy race win. The duo battled for the race lead for the better part of the race; however, an error in judgement on lap 48 forced Rosberg to surrender the lead to Lewis Hamilton. The Briton held his ground and took the chequered flag to secure a memorable race win under difficult conditions.
