Ten of the best pictures which tell the story of the United States Grand Prix.

Mark Webber, Friday practice

The Circuit of the Americas caught driver after driver out on Friday with is slippery surface. Among them was Mark Webber, who had this harmless spin off the track.

Michael Schumacher, Friday practice

Michael Schumacher explored the new track but this was his one and only appearance at the Circuit of the Americas as he retires after the next race in Brazil.

The track’s run-off areas originally featured a patriotic combinations of stars and stripes, but the stars were removed prior to the race weekend after broadcasters said they would be distracting.

Romain Grosjean, Saturday

Romain Grosjean was back on form in qualifying, beating team mate Kimi Raikkonen to fourth on the grid.

Unfortunately his hard work was undone by a gearbox change penalty and then a spin during the race. He finished seventh.

Felipe Massa, Saturday

After conducting practice starts with both cars Ferrari concluded they did not want Fernando Alonso starting from the dirty side of the grid in his eighth position.

The team took the controversial decision to deliberately incur a gearbox penalty for Felipe Massa, dropping him from sixth to eleventh, promoting Alonso to seventh place and the clean side of the grid.

Fan, Circuit of the Americas

Just one of the hundreds of thousands of Formula One fans who turned up to see the return of Grand Prix racing in America. His headgear reveals he’s been to a few previous F1 races in America and the Indianapolis 500, and made visits to Ferrari’s home grounds at Monza and Imola.

Start, United States Grand Prix

The effect of starting on the dirty side of the grid was immediately apparent. As the cars headed to turn one those who started on the left already had the drivers who had lined up behind and to their right alongside them. However Grosjean made a decent start from the eighth position Alonso had vacated.

Pastor Maldonado and Bruno Senna, United States Grand Prix

Williams team mates Pastor Maldonado and Bruno Senna diced for position at turn one.

Leiws Hamilton, United States Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton seized his opportunity to win the United States Grand Prix when Sebastian Vettel was briefly delayed by the lapped Narain Kathikeyan.

Like Mika Hakkinen before him, Hamilton won his penultimate race for McLaren in the USA before leaving the team.

Mario Andretti, United States Grand Prix

Fittingly, 1978 world champion and Circuit of the Americas ambassador Mario Andretti joined the all-champions podium after the race. And he donned one of Pirelli’s Stetson hats as well.

Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso, United States Grand Prix

Red Bull clinched the constructors’ championship in America but the drivers’ championship shootout is set for next Sunday in the Brazilian Grand Prix.

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2012 United States Grand Prix

Images ?�?� Red Bull/Getty images, Mercedes/Hoch Zwei, Lotus F1 Team/LAT, Ferrari/Ercole Colombo, COTA, Pirelli/LAT, Williams/LAT, McLaren/Hoch Zwei, COTA, Red Bull/Getty images