United States: A rodeo on four wheels in Austin

« Among all the new tracks, COTA is the one I enjoy the most. It’s a really nice layout to drive because it has everything: high and low-speed corners, long straights, which make overtaking easier. I also like Austin, it’s a really nice city with great restaurants and an amazing atmosphere throughout the race weekend. »

Bernie Ecclestone did not expect anything less than these statements from Felipe Massa when he brought Formula 1 back to American soil. However, the love story between the premier European motorsport discipline and the United States has not been very easy in recent years.

After the failure in Indianapolis in the early 2000s, Formula 1 had to make a strong comeback in the US, and Texas couldn’t have been a better place for that. The atmosphere in the city of Austin and around the circuit also contributes to this popular success, which even has Ecclestone dreaming of another meeting in the “New World.”

Six circuits for a Grand Prix

Could you name the 6 tracks that have hosted the United States Grand Prix in the history of Formula 1? Here, we’ll give you the answer: Sebring (1959), Riverside (1960), Watkins Glen (1961-80), Phoenix (1989-91), Indianapolis (2000-07), and of course Austin since 2012.

Other venues such as Long Beach (1976-83), Las Vegas (1981-82), Detroit (1982-88), and Dallas (1984) also hosted Formula 1, but never under the name “United States Grand Prix”.

In four editions, only two currently active drivers have won at COTA. They are Lewis Hamilton, in 2012, 2014, and 2015, and Sebastian Vettel in 2013. It is noteworthy that the 2007 United States Grand Prix was the German driver’s first race in Formula 1. He scored his first point in a race by finishing in 8th place driving a BMW-Sauber, replacing an injured Robert Kubica after his dramatic accident in the previous round in Canada.

Issues: The 10th for Rosberg?

If 33 points now separate the Mercedes teammates and also rivals, the fight for the title should keep us on the edge of our seats until the last lap in Abu Dhabi, at least we hope so for the spectacle. Nico Rosberg has been in remarkable form and competitiveness since the restart in Belgium and the German driver has only let one of the last five victories slip away in Malaysia, against his will. Conversely, there seems to be something lacking for Lewis Hamilton since the return from the summer break, as he hasn’t won since Hockenheim, in addition to the bad luck that struck him in Sepang while leading comfortably in Malaysia. The Briton is somewhat on home turf in Austin, having won three out of the four editions on the Circuit of the Americas since the return of a U.S. race to the calendar, but he’ll need to overcome his weaknesses at the start. However, Nico Rosberg has been defying the statistics in recent rounds, winning for the first time in his career in Singapore and Japan, and now a tenth victory of the season is shining for the German.

Behind the reigning champion team, Red Bull has pulled ahead of Ferrari and is 50 points ahead, due to the Scuderia’s lack of competitiveness in this second part of the season, while the Austrian team has managed to close in and even take advantage of a new setback for Mercedes to win the Malaysian Grand Prix. Daniel Ricciardo is mathematically out of the title race but remains the most performant of the four men. Kimi Räikkönen is only 5 points ahead of Vettel and Verstappen in the championship, but the Finn has been the most consistent since Italy with four podium finishes and a 5th place in Japan. Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen are neck and neck in the championship and seem to be feeling the pressure in recent weeks, with the German making an error in Sepang, and the Dutchman returning to the fight for the podium after a few weeks on the back foot following his antics in Belgium.

A true litmus test, the Suzuka circuit saw Force India take the lead over Williams, and the Indian team now has a 10-point advantage over the British team. In the Drivers’ Championship, Bottas and Pérez are battling for 7th place behind the frontrunners, while Hülkenberg and Massa are focusing on 9th place. At Suzuka, Nico Hülkenberg passed Valtteri Bottas at the Casio chicane, dropping a sarcastic “See you later” over the radio aimed at the Finn. The Circuit of the Americas favors the chassis and aerodynamics more, with a winding first and last sector, suggesting that Williams should face more difficulty than Force India.

After a period of utmost anonymity despite a Japanese Grand Prix at home for Honda, McLaren must find its way back to the top 10 if it wants to continue to hope for an upswing for next season. The engine evolution glimpsed in Malaysia and installed in Japan seemed to provide satisfaction, the Woking team should be in the running in Austin. Last year, Jenson Button secured 6th place thanks to the rainy conditions.

At the door of points every weekend, Haas, Toro Rosso, and now Renault compete to capture the potential point for the 10th place. In this game, Renault emerged victorious in Malaysia while Haas always finishes in the dreaded 11th place. Toro Rosso shows less competitiveness, but Kvyat’s 9th place in Singapore should not be forgotten, especially since the American team Haas is experiencing reliability issues which hinder its chances of being a serious contender for breakthroughs in the top 10.

On the side of our French drivers, Romain Grosjean will be eager to make a good showing at his team’s home Grand Prix after a good weekend in Japan, which he said he was very happy with despite not scoring any points. After several difficult weekends for the Swiss, the clouds seem to be parting over his head now. Haas should do everything this weekend to give him the opportunity to fight for points. Esteban Ocon, meanwhile, is increasingly settling in at Manor, and although the Asian tour was not easy for him, he emerged overall victorious against Pascal Wehrlein. After a mishap in Singapore, the Frenchman qualified ahead of his teammate in Malaysia and Japan and finished ahead in Japan. The opportunity was missed in Malaysia due to two penalties for speeding in the pit lane (it is unclear if they were attributable to the Frenchman or his speed limiter).

To (really) know everything…

How to talk about the United States Grand Prix without mentioning the 2005 edition on the Indianapolis track? Resurfaced for the occasion, the famous banking had been the scene of a crash involving Ralf Schumacher’s Toyota during practice, following the blowout of one of its Michelin tires. Unable to guarantee driver safety after this accident, the French tire manufacturer had urged teams equipped by Bibendum to withdraw from the race if a makeshift chicane was not installed at this corner.

The FIA and the race management not wanting to comply with these demands, the 7 concerned teams entered the pits at the end of the formation lap, leaving the Ferraris, Jordans, and Minardis to finish, in that order, at the end of a race that remains to this day one of Formula 1’s biggest blunders.

Accustomed to the role, Mark Blundell will serve as the driver steward this weekend at COTA. The Briton raced in F1 from 1991 to 1995, driving for Brabham, Ligier, Tyrrell, and McLaren, and he tasted podium champagne three times during his stint in the premier category. In 1992, he did not race in F1 and participated in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, winning the edition behind the wheel of the Peugeot 905 Evo 1B, and in the 2003 edition, he finished 2nd driving the Bentley Speed 8. He first took on the role of driver steward in Spain during the 2011 season, a Grand Prix that saw a nail-biting victory for Vettel over Hamilton by six-tenths.

On the tire side, the super-softs with red bands make their return alongside the softs and mediums. Tire wear is not expected to be excessive on the Texan track, and strategies will involve 2 or 3 pit stops to complete the 56 laps of the Grand Prix, as was the case on a dry track during the 2014 season.

You can find the individual choices of the drivers below

#TiresAndStripes! We’re off to the @circuitamericas for the #USGP! https://t.co/NLU1GsdhBn. #F1 pic.twitter.com/FQ5bIA3wrM

— Pirelli Motorsport (@pirellisport) 17 octobre 2016

Regarding the DRS zones, they are placed on the straight line connecting turns 11 and 12 with a detection zone before the hairpin at turn 11, as well as on the start-finish line with a detection zone at the exit of turn 19, the second-to-last of the loop.

On the weather front, the rain from the 2015 edition is expected to be far away this weekend. The sun will dominate the scene, and temperatures will hover between 25-30°C throughout the weekend, allowing for the smooth conduct of the sessions.

Don’t forget the TV schedule!

As is customary on the other side of the Atlantic, the session times will be in the late afternoon for us European spectators.

Canal+ also offers a slightly more complicated schedule than usual to follow all the sessions. Be sure to note all the changes on your calendars: the race will not be on Canal+ but on Canal+Sport!