Formula 1 News:

What a week it has been, everything appears to have happened at once. This is all the news you need to know ahead of the US Grand Prix this weekend.

Massa to Williams:
Felipe Massa has officially been confirmed at Williams for 2014 alongside Valtteri Bottas. It was rumoured for some time and the Brazilian was also linked to Lotus or Sauber, but Massa said on Monday it was the right decision. “Williams is one of the most successful and important teams of all time in Formula 1, when I was a kid, I always dreamed about racing for Williams, Ferrari or McLaren and I'm glad to be signing with another icon of the sport following my time at Ferrari.” Sources in the paddock also believe that his current race engineer Rob Smedley is likely to be joining the legendary British team. The relationship between Massa and Smedley has been publically very close; it would be a great asset for Williams to have this unique partnership to help drive them back to glory.

Kovalainen replaces Raikkonen:
Heikki Kovalainen will step into the Lotus for the final two races of the season. The popular Finnish driver will replace countryman Kimi Raikkonen, after needing back surgery on Tuesday. Lotus approached several drivers including Nico Hulkenberg who turned down the offer for apparent contractual reasons. Werner Heinz told Germanys Bild newspaper, “We had an offer from Lotus and have discussed it. But we decided that Nico will drive the last two races with Sauber.” The teams reserve driver Davide Valsecchi was ruled our early on as Lotus said they needed a driver with experience. With their position in the championship, points are the aim in the final races. Heikki is a popular character in Formula 1 and many fans are happy to see him back racing.

Perez confirms McLaren exit:
Sergio Perez has officially announced he will be leaving McLaren at the end of the season. The popular Mexican sent a message out via Twitter on Wednesday evening confirming his exit. It has come as no surprise, but many do feel he deserves another season at McLaren. In his official statement he said, “It has been an honour for me to have been in one of the most competitive teams in the sport and I do not regret even a bit having joined them. I have always given the best of me for the team and still despite this I could not achieve what I aimed for in this historic team”. He went on to thank his many fans around the world. “I would like to say to every single one of my fans around the world and in my country that I am eternally grateful to them. They have never let me down, especially in difficult moments like these. I truly appreciate their support, they have never forgotten me”.

McLaren quickly responded, “Checo has made many friends during his time at McLaren and, together, as a team, we intend to do our utmost to help him finish his year with us with two good results, especially here in Austin, where he has so many fans. “We wish him well for the future, and are sure that he will have many successes ahead of him. As regards our driver line-up for next year, no 2014 deal has yet been signed with any driver except Jenson, and we therefore have nothing further to announce at this time. As and when that situation progresses, we will make a further announcement accordingly.”

Magnussen confirmed at McLaren:
Kevin Magnussen is confirmed at McLaren for 2014 alongside Jenson Button. The official announcement came on Thursday, the 21 year old Dane said, “I have an enormous amount of respect for everyone at McLaren. I won't let you down guys”. He is described by McLaren as lightning quick, is he the new Lewis Hamilton? He has impressed throughout his racing career, in 2008 he dominated the Danish Formula Ford series with 11 victories in 15 races. The following year he moved up to Formula Renault 2.0 and contested a dual campaign of the Eurocup and North European Cup. He finished second to Antonio Felix da Costa in the NEC with 12 podiums from 14 races, and seventh overall in the Eurocup series. He is fast and very capable of handling a racing car in anger, but McLaren's aim I believe is to get his rookie season over and done with before the return of Honda in 2015. He is one to watch in 2014 that is for sure; once he gets into the season I suspect he could be a serious challenge to Jenson Button.
TW

You can follow every step of the United States Grand Prix this weekend with F1 Live right here at Driving For Pleasure. I'll have my usual roundup features and driver reaction throughout. Follow me on Twitter TomWilkinsonF1 for live updates from the paddock.