F1 LIVE | Second free practice for the 2021 United States GP

The Formula One weekend in Austin has now officially started. It's time for the second free practice for the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas. This second free practice gives an indication of the qualifying and race pace. So it's going to be hard to see how Max Verstappen and rival Lewis Hamilton perform. You can follow it all with this liveblog from GPblog.

LIVEBLOG | Second free practice for the 2021 United States Grand Prix

Also this weekend the drivers will have to show the utmost of themselves. The end of the season is slowly approaching, so it will be very important to get as many points as possible for the championship.

A chance for Verstappen?

Besides the fact that Mercedes have been very dominant on the Circuit of the Americas in recent years, it also looks like Red Bull have fallen further behind the German team. During the last few races, the Red Bull drivers have not been able to match the speed of Mercedes. This means that it will be quite a challenge for the Dutchman to get close to Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas.

The second free practice session can give us an indication of Verstappen's chances for qualifying and the race. He and his team will be looking for the best setup to give the Mercedes drivers a hard time.

Previously in the United States Grand Prix 

The United States Grand Prix restarted in the 2012 season after a five-year layoff. The fixture has been on the calendar every season since then, apart from the 2020 edition which was cancelled as a result of COVID-19. When the event returned in 2012, the venue changed. F1 used to visit Indianapolis where the famous Indy500 takes place every year. But in 2012, a deal was struck with the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. 

Lewis Hamilton has won the United States Grand Prix six times. His first win came in his debut season for McLaren in 2007. Aryton Senna and Michael Schumacher are both tied on five wins each. All of Schumacher's wins came at Indianapolis, whereas all of Senna's wins came at previous venues in Phoenix and Detriot. Most of the United States Grands Prix were held at Watkins Glen International Circuit (15 occasions) but the last F1 race took place there in 1975 when Niki Lauda took home the winners trophy. 

Just four drivers on the current grid have won races in America. Hamilton is joined by Kimi Raikkonen, Sebastian Vettel and Valtteri Bottas. In terms of the constructors, Lotus have won the most times with 10 victories. Ferrari sit second on eight wins.