Daniel Ricciardo: "Hand on heart, this is probably the date on the calendar I look forward to the most. Ive loved every minute of being in Austin: when they picked this place for the US Grand Prix, they absolutely nailed it.

The city is awesome. I love listening to live music and this is a great place for that, plus Texas feels like real America, and thats something Ive really enjoyed just sinking into the last two seasons. And then, theres the important bit.

The Circuit of the Americas, in my opinion, is the best of the new breed of circuits. The nature of the corners is interesting. Its also a very busy track where you dont get much respite. The first sector is very special and that first turn, blind up the big hill is like nothing else in F1. Its also a good example of the excitement a late-apex can create: you can have a really good lunge there. Theyve done a very good job.

Sebastian Vettel: "Austin is a fun city where you get a real feel for the Texan lifestyle and traditions and get to race on a great track. The Circuit of the Americas is a track I like a lot; it has 20 corners and we drive it anti-clockwise. The start/finish straight has a steep incline up to the first corner and is the trademark of the track. For us that means the braking starts uphill, which is not easy and locking the front tyres could be a problem.

A lot of the corner combinations remind me of other famous circuits on the race calendar. For example the fast combination during the first part of the track feels like Silverstone and Suzuka. The famous Maggotts and Becketts passages were used as a model for this part of the track and the drivers enjoy the extremely fast turns, when the car is balanced right.

Also corners 12 and 15, this section was taken from the Motodrom in Hockenheim. It is a slower part of the track, and is designed to create more of a stadium atmosphere. The long bend also reminds of the famous turn 8 in Istanbul."

Youre from Michigan, which is just a bit to the north of Texas, so for a Yankee, whats the best thing to come out of Texas? I think its the Can do attitude of the people and the Dont mess with Texas spirit, which makes this city so special.

Austin dining delicacies: Tex Mex or BBQ? Definitely Tex Mex. Thats Mexican with a certain twist. I love Mexican food and in the UK, good Mexican food is not that easy to find. In Austin you can get the best Burritos.

Texas football: Dallas Cowboys (NFL) or Dallas FC (MLS)? (Or do the Detroit Lions top them all)? Its got to be the Dallas Cowboys. They are a great American Football team and have won multiple Superbowls. American Football definitely beats Soccer. Ive lived in the UK for 14 years now and I still prefer American Football. Where I grew up, Soccer was a girls sport.

Austins famous for its music culture - have you sampled it and whats your favourite place to see live music in the city? I have only been down there for races, so I didnt have a lot of free time. But the only place I saw was the Piano Bar on 6th Street. Really fun, interactive and good spirit.

Original post:

Red Bull ahead of the US Grand Prix