10 Things You Might Have Missed From The US Grand Prix Weekend

1. Helmet swap

Image source: @GvanderGarde

Several F1 drivers changed their helmet designs for the United States grand prix. Giedo van der Garde's was inspired by a pinball machine, Lewis Hamilton had a Michael Jackson-inspired design and Sergio Perez added Mexican colours to his helmet at his 'home' race.

Image source: @Lewis Hamilton

2. Happy Birthday, Horner

Image source: Getty Images

Christian Horner celebrated his 40th birthday over the grand prix weekend. During the celebrations after qualifying on Saturday, Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel surprised their boss with cake.

3. Fog delay

Image source: Crash.net

From the smog delay of India, first practice for the race weekend was delayed on Friday morning due to heavy fog. Drivers had to wait 40 minutes for it to be cleared and when it did, the session was red flagged just 15 minutes later after problems with the medical helicopter.

4. Abandon ship!

Jenson Button had to abandon the classic car that was scheduled to take him on the drivers' parade after it couldn't handle the 130 foot rise to turn one. It rolled backwards down the hill, as did Nico Rosberg's when he stopped to help. The German had to jump out mid-roll.

5. Sabotage at Williams?

Image source: Williams F1 Team

Pastor Maldonado accused his Williams team of sabotaging his car after being eliminated from the first qualifying session of the US GP weekend. He lined up on the grid in 17th place, eight positions behind his rookie team-mate Valtteri Bottas. He told media on Saturday afternoon:

"I never got 100 per cent from the tyres, I think somebody is playing with the pressure or temperature, it’s not that clear"

The Venezuelan will leave the team at the end of the year after being replaced by Felipe Massa.

6. Record breakers

Image source: Getty Images

Sebastian Vettel broke a new record on Sunday for the most consecutive race victories in one season. His Red Bull team also broke records during the race after registering the fastest ever F1 pit stop. Mark Webber's one and only trip to the pit lane during the 56-lap race was recorded by the team at just 1.9 seconds.

7. More tasty donuts

Sebastian Vettel knew exactly what would entertain the packed crowds at the Circuit of the Americas after winning Sunday's race: more donuts. The German, who has recently perfected the celebration, completed them on his lap back to the pits after learning his lesson in India.

8. Silly McLaren

After dropping Sergio Perez from their 2014 line-up a few days prior to his 'home' race weekend, McLaren continued to annoy Mexican fans by flying the country's flag over one of their merchandise stands bearing a marijuana leaf. The Woking-based team issued a public apology to the Mexican government and ordered the flag to be taken down after complaints. The stands were being run by a third-party subcontractor.

9. Embracing Austin

Image source: Getty Images

The city of Austin is a popular place in the F1 paddock. Daniel Ricciardo embraced the state of Texas at the autograph session on Saturday, even trying his hand with a lasso.

10. Kovalainen's troublesome debut

Image source: Lotus F1 Team

Heikki Kovalainen's first race for the Lotus F1 Team didn't quite go to plan after several problems caused the Finn, who is standing in for Kimi Raikkonen, to to drop from eighth on the grid to 16th by the chequered flag. KERS and downforce issues caused him to pit for a second time, which plagued his race.