Vettel gets grid drop for red-flag speeding

Sebastian Vettel will serve a three-place grid penalty at the United States Grand Prix, having been found guilty of speeding under red flags in FP1. The Ferrari driver's sanction raises the likelihood of Lewis Hamilton being crowned world champion for a fifth time at the Circuit of the Americas.

As the penalty is triggered by drivers' telemetry, Vettel did not have a case to argue.

FP1 was briefly halted when Vettel's 2019 Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc ran wide between turns eight and nine at the Circuit of the Americas, spilling gravel onto the circuit.

Vettel was only fifth quickest in the session, almost two whole seconds adrift of Lewis Hamilton, who set the pace in a rain-affected outing.

FP1 CLASSIFICATION (90/90 MINS)

The Mercedes pair lead the way, with the Red Bulls and Ferraris in tow#USGP ???????? #F1 pic.twitter.com/8reAoUczqR — Formula 1 (@F1) October 19, 2018

The German must avoid being outscored by Hamilton by eight points in Austin, Texas if he is to keep his flickering title hopes alive.

However, Hamilton's early marker is a suggestion that the Mercedes star's four-race winning streak could be set to go on – which would leave Vettel requiring a second-place finish.

Vettel was displaced on the grid last time out in Japan after Ferrari's gamble on intermediate tyres fell flat – the German starting from P8.

He fought back to fourth early on at Suzuka, but saw any hopes of chasing Hamilton down go up in smoke when he spun after making contact with Max Verstappen in a bold overtaking manoeuvre at Spoon Curve.