Formula 1 - US Grand Prix 2013

by Bruno Fleckenstein

The parade girls in their fringe look were the highlight of Austin alongside a rather unspectacular race, which the fans got to see. In America, too, the track was given an aesthetic makeover. In contrast to Abu Dhabi, red, blue and white colors adorned the track and the run-off areas. Heikki Kovalainen, ex-Formula 1 driver, replaced compatriot Kimi Räikkönen at the Lotus team, who took early leave from the racing season due to back surgery. Heikki's 8th place on the grid gave him the respect he needed from the competition before the race. Nico Rosberg only reached 14th place in qualifying and that was an unexpected and unsatisfactory situation for Mercedes. But behind him Felipe Massa had qualified in 15th place. And when Ferrari performs so poorly, it's a small consolation for Mercedes. The surprise of the qualifying session was Valtteri Bottas on Williams, who made everyone wonder with 9th place on the grid.

Vettel's 8th win in a row
Despite a mixed starting lineup, Red Bull pulled together as usual and outpaced the competition with their exceptional driver Sebastian Vettel. The latter secured his 8th consecutive victory with a one-stop race. The only driver to give him a headache was Romain Grosjean, who took on the Red Bull duo from 3rd on the grid and got off to a good start. It was Grosjean who was then able to celebrate on the podium alongside Red Bull drivers Vettel and Webber after the race, this time in second place, thus improving his position slightly again. Valtteri Bottas scored his first points and confirmed the performance in qualifying with a solid race. Nico Rosberg, unlike Felipe Massa, managed to score points and push Mercedes in the Constructors' Championship. All in all, there was a lack of racing action and all the world was now looking towards Sao Paulo for the next and last race of the season in Brazil.

Ranking GP USA 2013

1 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing 1:39:17.148
2 Romain Grosjean Lotus +6.2 sec.
3 Mark Webber Red Bull Racing +8.3 sec.
4 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes +27.3 sec.
5 Fernando Alonso Ferrari +29.5 sec.
6 Nico Hülkenberg Sauber +30.4 sec.
7 Sergio Perez McLaren +46.6 sec.
8 Valtteri Bottas Williams +54.5 sec.
9 Nico Rosberg Mercedes +59.1 sec.
10 Jenson Button McLaren +77.2 sec.
11 Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso +81.0 sec.
12 Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso +84.5 sec.
13 Felipe Massa Ferrari +86.9 sec.
14 Esteban Gutierrez Sauber +91.7 sec.
15 Heikki Kovalainen Lotus +95.0 sec.
16 Paul di Resta Force India +96.8 sec.
17 Pastor Maldonado Williams +1 lap
18 Jules Bianchi Marussia +1 lap
19 Giedo van der Garde Caterham +1 lap
20 Charles Pic Caterham +1 lap
21 Max Chilton Marussia +2 laps
Out of service
Adrian Sutil Force India 0 Accident