Verstappen wins his battle with Hamilton

Hello everyone and welcome along to this Formula 1 live blog, where we'll be covering this Sunday's US Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas. Max Verstappen leads the 2021 F1 championship and he is also on pole for this one, but Lewis Hamilton is just behind. It should be a fascinating one and we'll be covering it right here.

F1 Circuit of the Americas GP 2021 - US Grand Prix LIVE - Latest updates

This is the start of our US Grand Prix live blog. Here, we'll have all the latest updates ahead of the race and once the lights go out. As always, the entries nearest the top are the most recent.

22:45 CEST: Stressful for Red Bull

That ending had the Red Bull pit wall on edge. "I think I've aged about 25 years in that race," says Red Bull boss Christian Horner. "I really didn't think we were going to hang on."

The 2021 United States Grand Prix Top Ten

1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
3. Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
5. Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren)
6. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)
7. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
8. Lando Norris (McLaren)
9. Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri)
10. Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin)

VERSTAPPEN WINS THE UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX

VERSTAPPEN HOLDS ON! Red Bull are delighted as Verstappen takes the chequered flag first and extend his championship lead. Hamilton has to settle for second with Sergio Perez third for Red Bull, taking them to 200 F1 podiums.

Lap 56: Last lap and it's under a second

This is it, Hamilton is within a second of Verstappen into turn one but can he stay close enough to have a chance? It's looking more and more likely that Verstappen will hold on. Bottas finally passes Sainz for sixth but he won't go any further.

Lap 54: Tense times

Bottas has a go at Sainz but he still can't get ahead of the Prancing Horse. Verstappen and Hamilton are still close, but not enough for a fight just yet while Raikkonen spins in the first sector and that promotes Vettel into tenth and the final point paying position.

Lap 52: Five to go

The chequered flag is nearing and Hamilton has almost stalled at one and a half seconds behind the Red Bull of Verstappen. Bottas meanwhile has cooled his tyres and pushed again to the rear of Sainz but he can't find a way through. Alonso reports rear wing damage and pulls into the pits to retire the car and end a miserable day for Alpine.

Lap 49: Hamilton within two seconds

Everyone's attention is on the gap at the front which Hamilton has reduced to two seconds with seven laps to go and the fresher tyres should give the Brit an edge when they go wheel to wheel. Another flashpoint could be imminent, don't turn away from this one!

Lap 45: Damage for Sainz

That contact with Ricciardo has damaged the front wing of the Ferrari as it sparks down the back straight. Bottas is now right on the gearbox of the Spaniard but the dirty air through sector one hampers his chances of overtaking on this lap. Charles Leclerc has been unseen all race but he is having a very good day in the sister car, less than ten seconds off Perez in the Red Bull and over 20 seconds clear of Ricciardo in fifth.

Lap 42: Ocon retires

Alpine reluctantly call Esteban Ocon into the pits to retire the car, although they don't tell him specifically why other than it's at the rear of the car. Ocon joins his countryman Gasly as the retirements for the day. Verstappen has been stuck in traffic for a while and the gap has been halved by a flying Lewis Hamilton. Ricciardo and Sainz touch as they battle over fifth which only brings Bottas closer to the duo.

Lap 40: We're going the distance

Everyone has now pitted twice in this race and there's no more pit stops planned. Mercedes tell Hamilton "It's all about the last three laps" with the gap at 8.5 seconds. Sainz is still close to the back of Ricciardo but he needs to make a move soon as Bottas begins to loom large in the mirrors of the Ferrari. Tsunoda and Raikkonen now run ninth and tenth after Vettel's final stop.

Lap 37: Hamilton pits

Mercedes bring Lewis Hamilton in for the second time, eight laps after Verstappen's last stop but the Red Bull goes by and then some. Nine seconds the gap for the reigning seven-time champion to close with just under 20 laps to go, this should go to the wire.

Lap 35: Close for the minor points

Stroll, Tsunoda and Raikkonen are all lapped by Lewis Hamilton as they fight over the final point on the road, Tsunoda gets past the Aston Martin which opens the door for the Alfa Romeo to follow him through as Bottas pits and jumps Norris for seventh. The Mercedes could be on for a late race charge towards fifth which should be the best he can manage today.

Lap 31: McLaren double stack

McLaren sense a chance and they bring both drivers into pit but while Ricciardo maintains the position, Norris can't take advantage of Sainz's slow stop and comes out behind the Ferrari. Bottas may come into this battle too having closed right in on Norris before the Brit boxed.

Lap 29: Verstappen pits again

As he did on the first stop, it's Max Verstappen who is first to pit and it should be his last with 26 laps to go. Another set of hard tyres for the Dutchman. Sainz also pits but it's not a good one, which relieves pressure on Ricciardo and maybe opens the door for Norris who has Bottas closing in on him.

Lap 28: Virtual Safety Car

Brief relaxation as a brave marshall runs out to collect some debris that had found it's way onto the track. The virtual safety car is deployed and quickly retracted, so we're back at racing speed.

Lap 25: Alonso in the thick of it again

Alpine tell Alonso to give the place back to Giovinazzi which he does but they renew acquaintances the following lap where they get close to contact again. This time it's Giovinazzi who is forced wide to keep the place but he's then instructed to give it up by his team. Hamilton meanwhile is clawing into the gap between himself and race leader Max Verstappen, now down to three seconds and closing with every lap.

Lap 23: Sassy Alpine

A broadcast radio message between the FIA and Alpine who believe that overtaking off the track is now accepted after Raikkonen was let off for that at turn one before Alonso did so at turn 12. The difference being Raikkonen was pushed wide by the Spaniard, while Alonso dived to the inside and overshot the corner. That doesn't stop Alpine trying to twist the arm of Michael Masi, but he's having none of it.

Lap 22: Bottas finally through

He took his time but Valtteri Bottas is finally clear of the rear wing of Tsunoda. Alonso and Giovinazzi have a tight battle into turn 12 which will please the sell-out crowd. With 400,000 people present over the three days, which is a ridiculous total, F1 has surely cracked the States now.

Lap 19: Tsunoda and Bottas in battle

Vltteri Bottas is just one overtake away from getting some handy clean air but Yuki Tsunoda is a stubborn driver today. They both pass Lance Stroll (yet to stop) into turn 12 but the Finn needs to get through quickly to chase down the Ferrari-McLaren fight.

Lap 16: Old boys at it

Kimi Raikkonen may only have a handful of F1 races left but he's showing no signs of taking it easy. He and his old rival Fernando Alonso go wheel to wheel into turn one and the Finn gets through, but maybe off the track. Alonso is straight on the radio letting everyone know his point of view.

Lap 15: Gasly has a problem

Pierre Gasly had late engine issues before the start but it's a different problem now. The Frenchman says over the radio he has suspension damage and is very slow on the back straight and the bumps have claimed their first victim.

Lap 14: Hamilton pits and Verstappen leads

Lewis Hamilton could go no further on his medium tyres and because of the undercut, Verstappen is by his rival with ease, six seconds to be exact. Perez's slightly slow stop means he's not as close to the Brit as he'd have hoped but there's a long way to go yet.

Lap 12: Sainz and Ricciardo pit

Norris' stop triggers his only two teammates in his F1 career to follow suit and they both stay ahead of the Brit. Perez pits next time by as does Leclerc and they all remain in position.

Lap 10: Verstappen blinks first

Red Bull pull the trigger at the front and bring Verstappen into the pit for hard tyres in the hope they can jump Hamilton on the undercut. Norris and Gasly also head for pit lane as did Tsunoda on the lap before.

Lap 8: Alonso pits early

Those Alpine mechanics have been busy early on here, Fernando Alonso makes a routine pit stop for new hard tyres very early on as he was stuck behind George Russell and Sebastian Vettel. The undercut is expected to be extremely powerful here.

Lap 6: Lap one replays

There was plenty happening on that first lap other than the lead battle. Nicholas Latifi was sandwiched by Mick Schumacher and Lance Stroll which ended with both Canadians in trouble, but still running. Esteban Ocon also picked up front wing damage and has pitted for a new nose. Verstappen is not letting Hamilton get away out front but the leading trio have gapped Leclerc in fourth.

Lap 3: Bottas down to 10th

A great start for Yuki Tsunoda has the Japanese racer up to eighth. Valtteri Bottas had been between the two AlphaTauris but Pierre Gasly is now past the Finn.

Lap 1: Hamilton leads

We're racing in Austin! Lewis Hamilton gets the best start and takes the lead from Verstappen with Perez holding third. Sainz and Ricciardo go at it and the Aussie gets ahead. Russell is up to 14th from the back in the Williams.

20:55 CEST: Problems for Gasly

AlphaTauri mechanics are swarming round the rear of Pierre Gasly's car with what seems to be a power unit problem. The Honda engine (branded as Acura this weekend) is fired up eventually and the covers are going back on the car, panic over.

20:50 CEST: Perez to spoil the party?

While all eyes will be on Verstappen and Hamilton on the front row, Red Bull will be quietly confident of a one-two finish today. Sergio Perez has been matching his teammate all weekend long and starts up in third, without the need to battle with the Ferraris or McLarens. His tyre saving capabilities are well-known by now so he is a major contender today. Mercedes will need to keep their eyes on both Bulls all race long.

20:35 CEST: Lap one chaos?

We've seen many incidents on lap one at COTA and we should expect the same again today. The first corner has a very wide entry, inviting someone to dive down the inside but you can also make the outside work if you brake late enough as the track tightens on the exit. The third sector hairpins could also see plenty of action as the late apex of the natural racing line draws a following car into making a dive to the inside. Survival may be the aim for some in the opening exchanges.

20:20 CEST: Pit lane open

The roar of Formula 1 engines echoes around the Texas sky as the cars make their way round to the grid for today's Grand Prix, and it's a race with plenty of questions to answer. What will happen next in the Hamilton-Verstappen saga? Can Ferrari or McLaren get amongst the front runners? Can Bottas recover from starting in ninth? And not to forget the three drivers starting at the rear of the field after engine changes - Fernando Alonso in particular is always one to watch on the opening lap!

20:00 CEST: One hour until showtime - The Grid

The excitement is building at Circuit of the Americas with a record crowd anticipating another enthralling chapter of this year's title fight. Here's how they will line up for this evening's American Grand Prix:

1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
3. Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
5. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
6. Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren)
7. Lando Norris (McLaren)
8. Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri)
9. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)*
10. Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri)
11. Esteban Ocon (Alpine)
12. Antonio Giovinazzi (Alfa Romeo)
13. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
14. Nicholas Latifi (Williams)
15. Kimi Raikkonen (Alfa Romeo)
16. Mick Schumacher (Haas)
17. Nikita Mazepin (Haas)
18. Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin)
19. Fernando Alonso (Alpine)
20. George Russell (Williams)

19:45 CEST: Texas vibe to this Grand Prix

Daniel Ricciardo is one of the drivers that has got into the Texas spirit ahead of today's Grand Prix in Austin. Not only with his facial hair but also by wearing a cowboy's hat.

19:10 CEST: It'll be Max Verstappen on pole

Max Verstappen edged Lewis Hamilton in a thrilling qualifying session and the Dutchman will start at the front of this race. For Hamilton, he is in a Red Bull sandwich since Sergio Perez is starting in third. It could be a tough first corner for the Brit.

19:00 CEST: What time does the US Grand Prix start?

With this race in the USA, the start time is a little different to what F1 fans are used to. This race gets going at 14:00 local time in Texas. That's 23:00 CEST in central Europe or 22:00 BST in the UK. You can see more F1 start times in the graphic below.

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