Formula 1 arrives at Austin\u2019s Circuit of The Americas this weekend for Round 19 on the 2025 calendar, the United States Grand Prix.<\/p>\n
With the Sprint format in play, Free Practice 1 and Sprint Qualifying will take place on Friday, October 17, followed by the Sprint and Qualifying on Saturday, October 18, and the Grand Prix itself on Sunday, October 19.<\/p>\n
The driver\u2019s verdict<\/p>\n
Jolyon Palmer, former Renault F1 driver: The Circuit of The Americas is a great track that takes inspiration from parts of other legendary corners on the calendar.<\/p>\n
The uphill Turn 1 is difficult at the race start as there are loads of different lines that can be taken, then you sweep through the first sector, which is a bit like Silverstone, where you\u2019re trying to find your rhythm.<\/p>\n
After that, it\u2019s the long back straight and you\u2019ve got to get your braking point right at the end of it\u2026<\/p>\n
Probably the hardest section on the circuit is Turn 13 through to Turn 15, which feels like an odd complex of corners behind the wheel. Turn 13 is conventional, but finding your line through to 15 is not easy, while that Turn 14 area puts a lot of load on the tyres.<\/p>\n
You go through the quadruple right-hander after that, followed by Turn 19, which is a really nice corner \u2013 though track limits are an issue.<\/p>\n
Finally, you stop for Turn 20, then it\u2019s a short burst to the line, but drivers need to be careful not to light things up as it\u2019s easy to break traction.<\/p>\n
There are also plenty of overtaking opportunities during the race with DRS on the run to Turn 12 and Turn 1.<\/p>\n
Tyre and strategy insight<\/p>\n
\u201cThe United States Grand Prix will be the second race of the season for which Pirelli is bringing three non-consecutive compounds, the last time being Spa-Francorchamps, and the available tyres will once again be the C1 as hard, the C3 as medium and the C4 as soft,\u201d reads Pirelli\u2019s weekend preview.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn Belgium, bad weather meant it was not possible to find out how this choice might have affected strategy, and so the event in COTA could be the first real test of this choice, which sees the use of a harder hard than last year at the American track, while the medium and soft are the same.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe increased performance difference between the hardest compound and the middle one should, theoretically, give rise to two scenarios.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf drivers prefer the C1, the slowest but also the most consistent of the three, then they could run a one-stop race combining it with the C3. On the other hand, using the latter along with the C4, with its improved resistance to degradation, would produce quicker lap times but would almost certainly require two stops.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnother similarity with the Belgian round is that Austin is also running to the Sprint format, which means teams only have one hour to try the various options over long and short runs, which could add to the uncertainty as to how the weekend might pan out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Current form<\/p>\n
While McLaren wrapped up back-to-back Teams\u2019 Championships at the Singapore Grand Prix, the race for the Drivers\u2019 title is far from settled.<\/p>\n