Lewis Hamilton can be crowned Formula 1 World Champion for a sixth time with the US Grand Prix the backdrop for his coronation. It wasn't to be for Mercedes in FP1 but surely they'll respond in FP2?
Hamilton's crowning?
Where better place for Hamilton to take the title? He loves this circuit and has taken five wins out of seven since it first appeared on the calendar in 2012.
Hamilton doesn't even need to finish to win, such is his margin at the top. As long as Valtteri Bottas fails to take victory, Hamilton will be champion.
Last season saw a surprise winner as Kimi Raikkonen took his first victory since his return to Ferrari, breaking a 113-race long duck since the 2013 Australian Grand Prix.
What happened in FP1?
Max Verstappen topped the timesheets in the first session of the weekend, beating Sebastian Vettel and Alex Albon. Mercedes finished further back as they got used to their surroundings and tested the 2020 Pirelli tyres.
Verstappen set a time of 1:34.057 to beat Sebastian Vettel to top spot. Albon had a positive session in his first time racing the COTA circuit as he finished P3 having led large spells of FP1.
Mercedes were well of the pace as they tested the Pirelli 2020 prototype with next season in mind.