Will Sebastian Vettel be crowned at Austin? Or can Fernando Alonso keep his hopes alive from eighth on the grid? And will the race be a hit for the American public? Edd Straw looks at the main storylines ahead of the US GP

Vettel's crowning glory

Sebastian Vettel is short-odds favourite to win the United States Grand Prix from pole position. But the real question is whether title rival Fernando Alonso can take the battle for the world championship down to the wire in Brazil. If Vettel does win, the Spaniard needs to finish in the top four to stay in the hunt.

The Ferrari driver starts down in eighth place so has a lot of work to do if he is to deny Vettel a third world championship. And if he doesn't make the top four, his only chance is for something to go wrong for Vettel in the race.

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