With three races left of the season and one championship sewn up already, Formula One moves on to the United States. Two teams are set to be missing this weekend, with both Caterham and Marussia succumbing to their financial difficulties. The show must go on, though, and it's up to the remaining nine teams to provide the entertainment - thankfully on a much better circuit than the previous weekend offered up!

Event schedule

Mercedes managed to wrap up the constructor's championship in Russia, leaving their two drivers open to fight for the title for the last three rounds without fear of upsetting the bosses. That could spice things up even more than we've seen already, and there's not exactly been a lot of love lost there so far!

Elsewhere, we have drivers still fighting for their careers as Jean-Éric Vergne searches for a second chance at Toro Rosso, and Romain Grosjean eyes up his prospects for the future. We're also still in limbo at the big teams, waiting and wondering who will be moving where when next season rolls around. With drivers keen to impress and the new Circuit of the Americas track under their tyres, we should be in for a treat this weekend.

Support racing for this event includes Ferrari Challenge and Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup.

Expected conditions

The sun is due to be shining in Austin, if you believe the weather forecasts. Looking from this early vantage point, we've got some pretty consistent temperatures in the mid 20s, and a bit of sunshine here and there but with the occasional cloud thrown in for good measure. There's not much hint of rain at the moment, and the weekend should be able to continue without precipitation getting in the way.

Track information

The Circuit of the Americas enters its third year of hosting a round of the Formula One season, and so far it has appealed as one of the few brand new circuits not to be completely dull and boring. Although the 2013 round was dominated by Sebastian Vettel, it still had something to keep the fans interested. The track has cherry picked some of the best features of other popular race destinations, including Brazil and Hockenheim plus that dastardly turn 8 in Istanbul.

With some great elevation changes, including that impressive first corner lift leading to a blind left hander, the track is a breath of fresh air in what can be a difficult part of the season to get through.

Circuit history

Naturally, there have only been two other races at the Circuit of the Americas to compare notes with, with Lewis Hamilton winning the first and Sebastian Vettel scooping victory in the second.

Formula One has a far longer history in the US, with Indianapolis hosting the first and last race before we headed down to Austin, Texas.

The track is intended for more than just motorsport, with a vast acreage being built up to include museums and training centres, a driving academy and a research facility. There's always something going on at COTA!

Tyre compounds

The two previous race victories around this track have been via a one-stop strategy, which may not be what fans want to hear after the disappointing Russian race. However, Pirelli motorsport boss Paul Hembery reckons the track will be different now, and their choice of mediums and softs will offer up something a little more interesting.

With the track surface now three years old, it has become more mature and should theoretically offer better grip than previous years. The medium and soft tyres are expected to put us on track for a two-stop race, although we will have to confirm our projected data after free practice. A lot will depend on the weather.

- Paul Hembery

Press conference schedule

Official press conferences are organised by the FIA and happen four times during the weekend. The qualifying and post race press conferences will take place after the television unilateral interviews.

Race stewards

The FIA stewarding process includes a former F1 driver to offer added insight. These stewards are overseeing the weekend's action.