The United States Grand Prix takes place this weekend as Formula 1 heads to the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.

The air miles are set to rack up again as the sport runs through the Americas and then the Middle East to finish this epic season, and both Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen will be eager to seize the advantage in the US this weekend.

What are the big questions that need answers ahead of this one, though? We take a look...

How fast actually are Mercedes?

Lewis Hamilton has played down recent races that have appeared to show Mercedes are currently on top in terms of the pace of their car, with them winning the last two in both Sochi and Istanbul.

Were the tracks just favourable to the Silver Arrows' set-up? Or have they found a genuine extra bit of pace to put Red Bull on the backfoot at a crucial time? This weekend will give us a better indicator.

Can Red Bull strike back?

At the same time as the point about Mercedes, this weekend is also a chance for Red Bull to get back to winning ways.

Max Verstappen has been positive about his chances this weekend and it seems as though it could be a close-run thing this weekend between the two title contenders.

The Dutchman has gone well here before and will be eager to do so again.

bottas verstappen

Can Aston Martin pick up?

Since the summer break Aston Martin have had some real struggles for performance and they'll be eager to try and get things back on track as soon as they can.

Sebastian Vettel has a grid penalty for component changes ahead of this weekend and so he'll be aiming to charge through the field as much as he can.

A dry race in store?

Both races in Sochi and in Istanbul were impacted by wet weather and so the drivers might well be looking forward to a run in drier conditions this weekend.

Currently, it looks as though the weekend will be warm and settled but there is a 40% chance of rain for raceday on Sunday. 

Even so, highs of around 30C for the whole weekend suggest it'll be a hot, dry affair.

us grand prix