The title rumbles on the US gp after Bottas grabbed that podium and managed to hold Hamilton off from taking it in Mexico. It's more than likely going to be won here, all Hamilton has to do is finish 7th and he's the champion no matter what Bottas does as I understand it. We can all likely expect some yeehaws if that happens!
In the 48 times the USA grand prix has been raced it's been done over 10 different locations, the current one being Austin in Texas. Well, the track isn't actually in Austin, it's like with those budget airlines that promise to take you to places and dump you in a smaller airport miles away. The track is actually 12 miles outside of the city to the south of it. Whether the good people of Austin are happy about having an F1 race in their back yard I can't tell you, but that is where the race is currently held.
As the capital of the Lone Star State, Austin is a busy place with lots of attractions to offer. They have everything from museums, cinemas, bowling alleys, shopping, music festivals, fabulous buildings to admire and lots of sports along with some open topped double decker buses that wouldn't look out of place on a London street giving you tours around the city. They even have a museum of weird things and a graffiti park. But what is the one thing Austin is also famous for that links it to F1? Liquid gold, a.k.a. Oil.
Austin has had it's share of the oil boom. There have been over 300 companies attracted to the area which employ a lot of local residents that is obviously very good news for them, indeed one oil company worked with The University Of Texas in Austin as part of a fellowship program and invested $5 million in their graduate students. It's big business, so you could say that having an F1 race there is a perfect fit. As times change and oil is increasingly seen as a dirty product, part of the old way of doing things and people move to cleaner and greener energy choices, how much longer will the oil they have made their fortunes on be a viable option there or anywhere else you have to wonder?
Of the seven times the race has been run here Hamilton has won five with Vettel and Raikkonen takings the honours on the other two occasions. Austin is known for being one of the friendliest cities around and the atmosphere there is apparently second to none. However the US gp has struggled with funding, much like many other races in the series. Funding cuts by the government have hit hard, attendance figures dropped and the race was reportedly teetering on the edge of being off the calendar altogether. Then in 2016 they had a good battle between Hamilton and Rosberg for the title, great weather and Taylor Swift, attendance numbers were up and they had their second best ever crowd of just shy of 270,000 people through the turnstiles. In 2017 numbers were up again, this time Bill Clinton handed over the winner's trophy and Justin Timberlake (or as he's known in our house Justin Trousersnake) performed and drew in the crowds. In 2018 it was Justin's ex Britney Spears along with Bruno Mars who headlined. This year if the racing isn't your thing you can enjoy concerts by P!nk and Imagine Dragons or if you do like the racing but can't be there in person, US fans will be treated to free Sky Sports coverage on ESPN and ABC.
In 2018 your pole sitter was Hamilton and your podium was 1st Raikkonen, 2nd Vertsappen, 3rd Hamilton.
In the 48 times the USA grand prix has been raced it's been done over 10 different locations, the current one being Austin in Texas. Well, the track isn't actually in Austin, it's like with those budget airlines that promise to take you to places and dump you in a smaller airport miles away. The track is actually 12 miles outside of the city to the south of it. Whether the good people of Austin are happy about having an F1 race in their back yard I can't tell you, but that is where the race is currently held.
As the capital of the Lone Star State, Austin is a busy place with lots of attractions to offer. They have everything from museums, cinemas, bowling alleys, shopping, music festivals, fabulous buildings to admire and lots of sports along with some open topped double decker buses that wouldn't look out of place on a London street giving you tours around the city. They even have a museum of weird things and a graffiti park. But what is the one thing Austin is also famous for that links it to F1? Liquid gold, a.k.a. Oil.
Austin has had it's share of the oil boom. There have been over 300 companies attracted to the area which employ a lot of local residents that is obviously very good news for them, indeed one oil company worked with The University Of Texas in Austin as part of a fellowship program and invested $5 million in their graduate students. It's big business, so you could say that having an F1 race there is a perfect fit. As times change and oil is increasingly seen as a dirty product, part of the old way of doing things and people move to cleaner and greener energy choices, how much longer will the oil they have made their fortunes on be a viable option there or anywhere else you have to wonder?
Of the seven times the race has been run here Hamilton has won five with Vettel and Raikkonen takings the honours on the other two occasions. Austin is known for being one of the friendliest cities around and the atmosphere there is apparently second to none. However the US gp has struggled with funding, much like many other races in the series. Funding cuts by the government have hit hard, attendance figures dropped and the race was reportedly teetering on the edge of being off the calendar altogether. Then in 2016 they had a good battle between Hamilton and Rosberg for the title, great weather and Taylor Swift, attendance numbers were up and they had their second best ever crowd of just shy of 270,000 people through the turnstiles. In 2017 numbers were up again, this time Bill Clinton handed over the winner's trophy and Justin Timberlake (or as he's known in our house Justin Trousersnake) performed and drew in the crowds. In 2018 it was Justin's ex Britney Spears along with Bruno Mars who headlined. This year if the racing isn't your thing you can enjoy concerts by P!nk and Imagine Dragons or if you do like the racing but can't be there in person, US fans will be treated to free Sky Sports coverage on ESPN and ABC.
In 2018 your pole sitter was Hamilton and your podium was 1st Raikkonen, 2nd Vertsappen, 3rd Hamilton.
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