Here’s how to check it out, the full schedule and what to expect

For the second time this season, Formula 1 comes to the United States as drivers descend on Austin and the famed Circuit of the Americas for the United States Grand Prix this weekend.

Red Bull driver and three-time reigning champion Max Verstappen leads McLaren’s Lando Norris by 52 points with six races to go, making it the closest title fight since the 2021 season. However, Norris has made great progress in the second half of the season, gaining 28 points in the last four races since the summer break.

The famous Circuit of the Americas will host the latest chapter of the championship fight this weekend, culminating in the Grand Prix on Sunday afternoon. Here’s what you need to know before the race, including how to watch every second of the F1 action in Austin.

Verstappen, who had already won his third consecutive championship in the previous race in Qatar, arrived in Austin and dominated the field in Saturday’s sprint race. However, he qualified sixth for the Grand Prix and had to fight his way up the grid – and that’s what he did. Verstappen struggled with his brakes in the latter stages of the race, but managed to hold off Lewis Hamilton and Norris to secure his 15th win of the season and the 50th win of his F1 career.

Hamilton, who initially finished just 2.2 seconds behind Verstappen, was later disqualified for violating the plank under his Mercedes. Norris moved up to second and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz completed the podium in third.

Similar to last year, the 2024 United States Grand Prix will have a unique schedule, with a sprint race scheduled on the Saturday before the main event on Sunday. This means teams and riders will only have one practice session on Friday to work out the details before starting qualifying for the sprint race later on Friday afternoon.

On Saturday, the drivers have their first opportunity of the weekend to collect points in the sprint race, which only lasts 19 laps. (The total race distance for the Grand Prix is ​​56 laps.) Later in the evening, teams will focus on the actual race, starting with a qualifying session to set the starting grid for Sunday.

The starting signal for the Grand Prix finally takes place on Sunday afternoon. You can find the full schedule for the weekend here.

It’s a busy weekend in Austin as the No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs arrive Saturday to take on the No. 1 Texas Longhorns in football. Due to this and a number of other matchups, ESPN will not be able to broadcast every session on its flagship channel. However, every single session will be available across the network’s various other channels, including ESPN2 and ESPNews. Additionally, the entire session will be broadcast live on ESPN+ on Saturday and Sunday.

Here you can find out exactly where and when you can watch each session.

After two consecutive seasons of Verstappen dominance, the 2024 F1 season has delivered (and then some) from an entertainment perspective. Although after the first few races it looked as if Verstappen and Red Bull would take another clear victory in both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships, Norris suddenly emerged and took his first F1 victory of his career at the Miami Grand Prix .

Verstappen responded with three wins in the next four races, but Norris remained competitive until the summer break at the end of July. After the paddock reconvened in August, the 24-year-old McLaren driver shone brilliantly, winning in both the Netherlands and Singapore, reducing the gap to the current gap of 52 points. With six races still to go, the battle for the championship is in full swing.

While it was a two-driver battle at the top, a total of seven drivers won races in 2024. Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton won the British Grand Prix for a record eighth time. Charles Leclerc finally managed to take victory in his home race in Monaco. Carlos Sainz and George Russell took first place in Australia and Austria respectively. And Norris’ teammate Oscar Piastri also celebrated his first career victory in Hungary before crossing the finish line first again five races later in Azerbaijan.

All in all, the 2024 season has been one of the most competitive in recent memory and there is reason to believe this will continue through the final six races and into next year.

The battle between Verstappen and Norris has dominated the headlines in Formula 1 this season and there is little reason to believe that will be any different in Austin. However, with so many different drivers winning races in 2024, anyone lined up behind the wheel of a Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari or Mercedes on the grid could have a shot at victory. Many teams are expected to make improvements to COTA, making the race an interesting battle – both technically and strategically.

McLaren has had a clear lead in the field in the last four races since the summer break and overtook Red Bull in the constructors’ championship. With six races to go, the team now leads by 41 points and, assuming there are no mid-season overhauls by another team, should be well positioned for a win in Austin. Keep an eye on Piastri, who was one of Norris’ biggest challengers in the second half of the season.