USA F1 Grand Prix 2014: Start Time, Lineup, TV Schedule and More
A reduced field of just 18 cars will make its way to Austin, Texas, for the 2014 USA Formula One Grand Prix, as the battle for the world title looks like it will come down to the final handful of races.
Lewis Hamilton leads Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg by 17 points, and while the title can't be decided in Austin, a bad result for the German challenger will all but doom his chances.
Marussia and Caterham will not be joining the rest of the constructors, having been forced into administration, meaning the final two rows on the starting grid will stay empty.
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The Circuit of the Americas has only hosted two grands prix so far, so the drivers will have to be on their toes as they explore a relatively new (and magnificent) track.
TV Schedule
Sky Sports F1 will provide live coverage of the entire event in the UK, with the full coverage information provided below. It's important to note the USA will undergo a time zone shift; on Sunday morning, the time difference will shift from UTC-5 to UTC-6.
All times GMT:
| Practice One | Friday | 3 p.m. | 2:45 p.m. |
| Practice Two | Friday | 7 p.m. | 6:45 p.m. |
| Practice Three | Saturday | 3 p.m. | 2:45 p.m. |
| Qualifying | Saturday | 6 p.m. | 5 p.m. |
| Race | Sunday | 8 p.m. | 6:30 p.m. |
NBC will provide coverage of the race for American viewers, with broadcast starting at 2 p.m. on NBCSN before switching to NBC at 2.30 p.m.
Lineup
| Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | Kevin Magnussen | McLaren |
| Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | Jean-Eric Vergne | Toro Rosso |
| Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull | Romain Grosjean | Lotus |
| Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull | Daniil Kvyat | Toro Rosso |
| Fernando Alonso | Ferrari | Adrian Sutil | Sauber |
| Valtteri Bottas | Williams | Sergio Perez | Force India |
| Jenson Button | McLaren | Pastor Maldonado | Lotus |
| Nico Hulkenberg | Force India | Esteban Gutierrez | Sauber |
| Felipe Massa | Williams | Kimi Raikkonen | Ferrari |
Double-Points Rule to Decide Championship?
Hamilton's lead may be 17 points strong, but team-mate Nico Rosberg remains adamant he can still wrestle the world title away from the Brit. As he told SID (h/t planetf1.com), the new double-points rule could have a massive impact:
"I will not give up in the Championship and will fight until the checkered flag in Abu Dhabi. I love this rule. I know I can win every race. My tactic has not really changed. I want to try to win every grand prix and attack all out.
"
In a normal year, a 17-point gap with three races left on the schedule would seem like a foregone conclusion. Mercedes have dominated the pack all season—as long as the car doesn't abandon Hamilton, he should comfortably finish each race at or near the top, even if he drives safely.
The new double-points rule changes everything, however, and we could already see it in play in Austin. Quite literally, the final race of the season (in Abu Dhabi) will see the riders receive double points for their efforts, enhancing the chance the title will come down to one final head-to-head battle.
As a result, Rosberg will be his usual, attacking self, but he won't have to take things over the top on Sunday. The track in Austin features a ton of long, winding corners that will take their toll on the tyres, the perfect breeding ground for fierce battles and controversy similar to what we saw in Belgium.
Mercedes and the sport in general don't need another race filled with (near) collisions and pit-lane drama, and the double-points rule will likely take some of the edge off Sunday's race.
Loss of Marussia and Caterham a Painful Reality Check for F1
Just as the F1 circus touches down in the USA, one of the markets the sport wants to expand into most, it does so with 18 cars instead of 22. Marussia and Caterham became the latest victims of F1's incredible economic imbalance.
As reported by BBC Sport, Sebastian Vettel was not surprised:
"It is worrying to see teams are not managing until the end of the year. It is not a total surprise. The last couple of years we have seen it is extremely tight for the smaller teams to find the budget and in particular this year with more costs and different regulations it made it probably too difficult. It is shocking to see they are not here. But unfortunately it is not a surprise.
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It's a sad reality that during one of the most exciting championship races we've seen in the past decade, F1's biggest storyline over this last few weeks is how the smaller teams simply can't survive in the current climate.
Whether you're in favour of splitting the current proceeds fairly between all teams or not, it's undeniable the current system is broken. If teams can't even finish the season, something is wrong, and glossing over that fact because fans only watch the sport for the big teams is not helpful.
The FIA seems to think the same, as detailed in the statement they released on the subject, via Fox Sports' Adam Cooper:
"Looking beyond the end of the 2014 season, these failings once again acutely raise the question of the economic balance of the FIA Formula One Championship and justify the position, expressed many times by the FIA, in favor of any initiative that will help reduce costs in order to ensure the survival of the existing grid or attract potential new entrants.
As such, the FIA, in close cooperation with FOM and the different stakeholders in F1, will continue to work towards maintaining the attraction of the championship and the equitable participation of the teams in it in the years to come.
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When the pack lines up to start Sunday's race in one of the biggest media markets on the planet, those two empty rows at the back will serve as a painful that reminder change is sorely needed.
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