This was the debut race of the future four time world champion Sebastian Vettel with BMW Sauber F1 Team.

The event was removed from the 2008 calendar a few months later and Formula One did not return to the United States until November 2012, at the Circuit of the Americas.

Robert Kubica's massive crash at the Canadian Grand Prix resulted in the season's first driver change.

[4] Friday's morning practice was dominated by McLaren and BMW Sauber, with Fernando Alonso putting in the fastest time.

Ferrari, who expected that their pace would return at Indianapolis,[6] found themselves on either side of Williams driver Nico Rosberg with the fifth and seventh fastest times.

David Coulthard's Red Bull-Renault was the first car to leave the pit lane in part one of the qualifying session.

Scott Speed failed to make it out of Q1 in his native country, along with team-mate Vitantonio Liuzzi, Adrian Sutil, Takuma Sato, Alexander Wurz, and Christijan Albers.

Webber made it to the next session, although his team-mate Coulthard was relegated along with 2002 United States Grand Prix winner Rubens Barrichello.

Barrichello's partner Jenson Button was also relegated, along with Nico Rosberg, Anthony Davidson, and Ralf Schumacher.

Despite a mid-race challenge from team-mate Fernando Alonso, in which the two McLaren drivers were racing side-by-side for the lead down the main straight, Hamilton maintained the lead to win his second-ever Formula One Grand Prix race, the other victory being in the previous event at Montreal.