Formula 1 United States Grand Prix 2018: Standings, session times, key stats

The Formula 1 circus returns to Austin, Texas for the eighteenth round of the 2018 season - the United States Grand Prix.

Formula 1 first raced at the Circuit of The Americas in 2012, which hosted the first United States Grand Prix since the 2007 race at Indianapolis.

Over 100,000 spectators packed into the venue to watch Lewis Hamilton take his last win for McLaren, beating Sebastian Vettel in his world championship-winning Red Bull.

This classic move on Sebastian Vettel sealed a second #USGP win for Lewis Hamilton in 2012 💪

You can watch the race in full + many other perks on #F1TV >> https://t.co/Y5ZojrG3G5 💻📱 pic.twitter.com/2ckgmJAs9E

— Formula 1 (@F1) October 15, 2018

Both drivers have switched teams since, but six years down the track, they are still the top battlers for the championship crown.

However, should Hamilton win in Austin and Vettel fail to finish second, the British driver will seal an unprecedented fifth world title.

There's every chance that will happen - Hamilton has won five of the last six grands prix at the Circuit of The Americas, including the last four. Only Vettel (2013) has stopped the Briton's dominance in Texas.

Ayrton Senna is the only #F1 driver to win the same Grand Prix five years in a row 🤩

1989, 1990, 1991, 1992 and 1993 at Monaco 🇲🇨 @LewisHamilton won the #USGP in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 🇺🇸

Next Sunday, he can equal a record that has stood for a quarter of a century 🏆 pic.twitter.com/Iu95joqOrW

— Formula 1 (@F1) October 14, 2018

The circuit itself is a ripper - turns three through six mirror Silverstone's high-speed run through Maggotts and Becketts, while Hockenheim's stadium section is reflected turns 12 through 15.

However, that massive run up the hill to turn one? Yep, it's wild. Everything’s bigger in Texas!

KEY STATS

- If Lewis Hamilton wins & Sebastian Vettel fails to finish second, the British driver will become a F1 five-time World Champion; equalling Juan Manuel Fangio as the second driver to have most F1 World Championship titles (Michael Schumacher - seven).

- If Lewis Hamilton becomes F1 World Champion, the USA would be the first country where the British driver will have celebrated the World Championship title on more than one occasion (2015 & 2018).

- If Lewis Hamilton becomes F1 World Champion, USA would become the fourth GP most decisive in the F1 ever (five): Jack Brabham (1959), Jochen Rindt (1970), Emerson Fittipaldi (1974) and Hamilton (2015).

- USA has used more circuits than any another country in F1 (10).

- USA has had more F1 drivers than any other nation (152) but only two of them have been racing in the last 25 years (Scott Speed and Alexander Rossi).

- Lewis Hamilton is the F1 driver with the most USA GP victories (six). In fact, if Lewis Hamilton wins, this would become his most successful GP (it would be seven).

- If Lewis Hamilton becomes F1 World Champion, a Mercedes’ driver would win the World Championship title for the seventh time; equalling Williams’ drivers. Only drivers for Ferrari (15) and for McLaren (12) were World Champion more often in F1 history.

- Ferrari have failed to win any of the last four GP; their joint-worst run this season (four between Chinese – Monaco).

- Haas are the only US team to have earned points in their country. It was thanks to Romain Grosjean’s 10th place in Austin 2016 (one point).

- Only Michael Schumacher has won more races across the American continent (17) than Lewis Hamilton (14) in F1 history.

- Sebastian Vettel made his F1 debut in the United States; in Indianapolis (June 17, 2007) which was Lewis Hamilton’s first win in the country.

- Fernando Alonso (World Champion in 2005 and 2006) and Kimi Raikkonen (in 2007) are both enduring their longest winless streaks in Formula 1. The Spaniard has failed to win any of his last 106 races while the Finn is winless in 111. The longest gap between two wins in F1 history is 99 races (set by Riccardo Patrese between 1983-90).

- Daniel Ricciardo is one race away from surpassing his worst run for Red Bull without reaching the podium: 12 Grands Prix in a row.

- Max Verstappen is one podium away from his best campaign (currently on seven - level with 2016).

- Romain Grosjean secured his two best places in F1 in the North American continent: second in Canada 2012 and US 2013.

All stats powered by Opta.

TYRE COMPOUNDS

The 2018 United States Grand Prix will see Pirelli's yellow-walled  soft , red-walled supersoft and  purple-walled ultrasoft   compounds used.

Cowboys and Formula 1! Time to strap on those #Fit4F1 boots because it's #USGP Race Week! https://t.co/lVNyCnRUdF pic.twitter.com/czUd0N6oiJ

— Pirelli Motorsport (@pirellisport) October 15, 2018

SESSION TIMES

FP1:  Saturday, October 21, 2:00am

FP2:  Saturday, October 21, 6:00am

FP3: Sunday, October 22, 5:10am

Qualifying:  Sunday, October 22, 8:00am

Race: Monday, October 22, 5:10am

All times shown AEST.

F1 DRIVER STANDINGS

AFTER ROUND 17 (JAPAN)

F1 CONSTRUCTOR STANDINGS

AFTER ROUND 17 (JAPAN)