There is good news, Formula One fans, as the weekend nears for the United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, this weekend. F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone could not have written a better script than the one that has left the door open for the 2012 world championship to be decided at COTA's very first USGP.

Even without the battle for the title between Red Bull Racing's Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, the race has caught lots of attention, given that it is F1's first visit to the U.S. since the final race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in June 2007. Interest has grown steadily in recent months, and the novelty value plus the welcome knowledge that COTA is expected to be a real test of both man and machine has apparently helped to sell a lot of tickets.

With other contenders having dropped by the wayside over the past couple of races, the championship battle is clear cut. Two-time defending champion Vettel leads his Spanish rival by 10 points, the equivalent these days of just a fifth-place finish. If the Red Bull driver is 25 or more ahead by the end of the weekend, then he will be crowned champion. If Alonso can keep the margin down to 24 or less, then he will take the fight to the final race in Brazil the following Sunday.