Formula One Vault

PRIXVIEW – United States Grand Prix

Round seventeen sees F1 return to the Americas for the first time since the start of the pandemic for the three races in the US, Mexico, and Brazil, starting in the lone star state of Texas and the capital Austin. Since making it’s debut in 2012 the Circuit of the Americas, also known as COTA, has become the home of F1 in America.

The was the first purpose-built F1 circuit in America, however, the United States Grand Prix is one of the oldest Grands Prix and first outside Europe, in the world being held for the first time in 1908. The circuit built between 2010-12 grew into one of the biggest events of the season with scenes equal to that of Silverstone and Monza.

The 3.426mi circuit fourteen miles from the city centre is one of the best circuits of the modern era and one of the best designed by Hermann Tilke. It features corners we will find familiar, Maggots and Becketts at Silverstone, Hockenheim’s Hairpin and Stadium, Diabolia in Istanbul, as well as the Red Bull Ring and Interlagos.

It may seem like the circuit is knitting together, but the layout of COTA is one which drivers obviously enjoy as it has some of the best corners in the world from other circuits, creating opportunities for close racing and overtaking. However following the MotoGP races earlier in the month, there may be concerns about the track becoming bumpy with riders complaining the surface has deteriorated since 2019.

The first race took place in Georgia and attracted the big European manufacturers Benz (now Mercedes), Fiat (Ferrari’s owners) and Renault (rebranded as Alpine this season).

Those early races were discontinued in 1916 due to WWI and the popularity of oval racing in America. The race being revived for the first time in 1959 as the second race in the States briefly becoming the first country to host two world championship rounds.

The first race saw McLaren founder Bruce McLaren driving a Cooper, taking victory when his team-mate, Jack Brabham, ran out of fuel. Brabham had to push his car over the line to finish fourth. With Ferrari’s Tony Brooks finishing third, Brabham and Cooper took the Drivers’ and Constructors’ championships, respectively.

For most of its history the race titled ‘United States Grand Prix’ was held at Watkins Glenn in New York state. The first race in 1961 saw British driver Innes Ireland take victory and the first for Team Lotus after finishing over four seconds ahead of Dan Gurney.

The early 1960s saw domination by the Brits with Jim Clark winning in 1962 followed by Graham Hill for the next three years. Hill’s 1964 win gave him the advantage going to the final race in Mexico City. Clark dominated the 1967 event, leading comfortably from his teammate Hill and Denny Hulme in a Brabham.

The 1970 race was key in making Jochen Rindt the only posthumous champion, he had been killed in FP2 at Monza, Jacky Ickx had to pit from the lead because of a broken fuel line. While he rejoined the race he finished fourth scoring three points taking himself out of championship contention with two races to go.

1971 was the first running on the completed full circuit and it saw popular Frenchman François Cevert win his only Grand Prix for Tyrrell, and the biggest cash prize in Formula One- $267,000.

The 1974 race was the title decider between Emerson Fittipaldi and Clay Regazzoni, both tied on points, whoever finished higher would seal the title. Regazzoni had issues with his Ferrari and dropped out of the points, allowing Fittipaldi finished fifth which won him his second Drivers’ Championship.

1976 was a key race in deciding the championship between James Hunt and Nikki Lauda, the McLaren driver took the victory and closed the gap to two points going to Fuji. Lauda withdrew from that race in Japan allowing Hunt to take the championship. Hunt again took victory again the following season holding off Mario Andretti by two seconds.

Alan Jones won the 1980 race for Williams after he went off at the first corner on the first lap and charged through the field into second place from 17th, and he ended up taking the chequered flag after pole-sitter Bruno Giacomelli retired with electrical problems near the Chute

The race titled the US GP dropped off the calendar in the 1980s and 1990’s, while various races were held under either the city or state name. However the race didn’t last long proving unpopular with drivers as many American cities were designed on the grid system, the circuit was made up entirely of 2nd gear 90-degree corners and provided nearly no driving challenge or exciting corners to watch cars go around.

The race only lasted three years all dominated by the rivalry between Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost, The 1989 race saw Prost win his only Grand Prix in the United States by taking advantage of Senna’s engine electronics problems. The 1990 race saw Jean Alesi harrying Senna for several laps; the Tyrrell driver went on to finish second behind Senna.

The circuit had to be changed for the 1991 race due to the construction of a new Phoenix Suns basketball arena, and the revised circuit was generally seen to be an improvement. Senna won the race from pole position.

After a nine-year absence, the race returned to Indianapolis after four decades on a newly built road course inside the oval. Michael Schumacher retook the lead of the championship and would go on to win his third world title.

The 2001 race, was overshadowed by 9/11, with  many teams and drivers featured special tributes to the USA on their cars and helmets and saw McLaren driver Häkkinen take his last Grand Prix win.

2005 saw the most controversial ace weekends known as ‘IndyGate’ all the Michelin supplied teams were forced to withdraw after a series of tyre failures through the final corner because of tyre failures. Of the six starters, Schumacher was the eventual winner, with his teammate Rubens Barrichello finishing second.

Two more races at Indianapolis with Schumacher winning for the fifth time in 2006. Lewis Hamilton would win the final race at the Brickyard, and after a five year absence would take back to back wins with the first at the Circuit of the Americas in 2012.

COTA was designed to be one of the “most challenging and spectacular in the world” and that it would include a selection of corner sequences inspired by “the very best circuits” in the world. Hamilton took back-to-back wins in America and his final for McLaren, after pasting Sebastian Vettel on lap forty-two.

The German would go on to win the following years race by forty seconds, taking his eighth consecutive win, a new F1 record for consecutive wins within a single season.

The beginning of the hybrid era in 2014 saw Mercedes start a run of four consecutive wins. Hamilton winning four times between 2014 and 2017, the 2015 win saw him clinch his third championship after passing teammate Nico Rosberg in the closing stages. The race fill of incidents only saw twelve cars reach the finish line, with Max Verstappen repeating his best result of the season in fourth.

What is likely to be Kimi Raikkonen’s final race win came in 2018 after he made a one-stop strategy work. The Finn holding the record for longest gap between race wins and his first for Ferrari since 2009.

Last time out, Valtteri Bottas took victory ahead of Hamilton, who wrapped his sixth title up here in 2019. Hamilton’s current title rival Max Verstappen had put pressure on him in the closing stages, but his charge was halted when Kevin Magnussen had a brake failure on the final lap.

Facts and figures

Fast facts

• No American has ever won the US GP since it has been a round of the World Championship. However, a total of six American drivers have won the United States Grand Prix, all except one when it was known as the American Grand Prize. Mario Andretti won the 1977 United States Grand Prix West
• In 2019, Lewis Hamilton became the first driver to clinch the Drivers’ Championship in the United States twice. He previous won the 2015 title at the Circuit of the Americas.
• Mercedes is the only team to have won more than once at Circuit of the Americas. They’ve won five of the past six races here.
• Pole position for Lewis Hamilton this year would see him equal Ayrton Senna’s pole record in America.
• Construction of the Circuit of The Americas cost approximately $400 million in private investment and created approximately 1,700 construction jobs. Sixteen Texas-based companies were contracted to work on the project with participation by minority- and women-owned businesses totalling an estimated $50 million.

Event timetable

What happened in 2019?

Valtteri Bottas took pole going a hundredth faster than Sebastian Vettel, that could be key as he needed a win to keep his championship alive and ensure that his teammate Lewis Hamilton drops out of the points. Vettel led the top four of Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc, who were covered by just over a tenth.

Hamilton was forced to abandon his final run, after losing time in the second sector, meaning he ended up fifth and two tenths down. Kevin Magnussen was the highest place Haas going twelfth fastest for the teams home race. He was a hundred ahead of the Toro Rosso of Daniil Kvyat.

Bottas made a brilliant start to hold the lead from a charging Verstappen, who passed Vettel. Hamilton played it safe avoiding drama into the first corner and dropped to fifth. The champion-elect ran a very long opening stint allowing him to deep into the race.

Hamilton slowly started to build pressure on Verstappen, who had picked up minor front wing damage at the first corner. He knew that the victory wasn’t his but still fought the Dutchman as hard as ever and knew he could have yielded position and still won the title, too easy for him.

Hamilton did get past Verstappen, finishing the race in second and that was enough for him to be world champion for the sixth time.

Albon recovered from damage on the opening lap with Carlos Sainz, the Red Bull was squeezed between Leclerc and the McLaren. The British Thai driver was forced to recover from the back, charged back through with two strong stints.

Ricciardo finished sixth for Renault after overhauling the two McLarens. Lando Norris had a later second stop that allowed him to pick off his midfield rivals and clinch seventh, ahead of his teammate Carlos Sainz

Race Result – 1) V. Botas, Mercedes, 01:33:55.653, 2) L. Hamilton, Mercedes, +4.148, 3) M. Verstappen, Red Bull – Honda, +5.002

What to watch for?

The return to Austin after a years break I think is going to be one where we should see a lot of track action the circuit is one that favours close wheel to wheel racing and overtaking. The battle remains between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, in my view it’s one where you need to be aggressive and go for moves, but the question in like the Hockenheim section (Turn Fourteen to Seventeen) how close the cars can be.

The circuit rewards I think drivers who really attack the corners meaning that the midfield battle could be tight. But I think this is another circuit that favours Mercedes on paper, but we know that this weekend COTA is a drivers circuit and one where we see a lot of overtaking if they can get close enough.

This midfield battle as we had said at almost every race this season are very tightly packed, mainly McLaren and Ferrari. I feel in Austin we will need to wait until practice to start concluding, but McLaren might edge it after looking quick and winning at Monza.

Alpine you can’t count out either though this is a very different circuit to where they had the win in Budapest. Williams as well has been good at these types of circuits so don’t discount a surprise from them. We have been saying though all season we can’t really predict which team will have the advantage.

During the MotoGP race three weeks ago, the riders were complaining that the track has got really bumpy and they appeared to struggle and make mistakes. The concern here will be drivers bottoming out and crashing. I think we need to wait and see what the drivers say.

Having missed last years race some drivers may need to get used to the circuit again, but the likes of Nikita Mazepin, Nicolas Latifi and Mick Schumacher haven’t driven in single seaters at COTA. I think however it will not take them long to get used to the circuit.

2019 vs 2018 Race Data

Tyres