Weather forecast: HOT and dry
A hot and sunny weekend is expected with temperatures above 30°C (86°F). Saturday is forecast to reach 34°C, which will be another heat test for the drivers after Singapore, although with less humidity.
This week’s highlights
PAPAYA RULES: McLaren boss Zak Brown has said that the looming threat of Max Verstappen will keep the racing rules in place despite the team securing the constructors’ title in Singapore.FAVORITE TO WIN THE TITLE?: What sets Oscar Piastri apart from the other drivers? Emotional intelligence, perhaps? If the pressure of fighting for this year’s title is affecting the Australian driver, he doesn’t show it in his interactions with the media.MERCEDES RENEWAL: George Russell’s long wait for a 2026 contract is over after Mercedes confirmed he will continue with the team next year alongside teammate Kimi Antonelli.FAITH IN FERRARI: Lewis Hamilton has reaffirmed his belief that Ferrari can be a title contender, saying that the media only focuses on the negative aspects of the team’s 2025 season. For more analysis, listen to the latest episode of Alofoke Deportes’ F1 podcast with F1 writers Nate Saunders and Laurence Edmondson.
Circuit statistics and history
The history of the United States with F1 dates back to the origin of the sport in 1950, when Indianapolis hosted the event between 1950 and 1960. In 1959, Sebring hosted the first United States Grand Prix, and since then the race has been held at five other circuits. The Circuit of the Americas (COTA) took on the role of host in 2012, when the track was inaugurated by Mario Andretti, after a four-year absence of F1 in the United States. During the popularity of F1 in the eighties, in the era of Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost and Niki Lauda, the United States hosted other Grand Prix, including Long Beach from 1976 to the early eighties, as well as Dallas, Las Vegas and Detroit in the same period. Now, the United States has Miami, Austin, and Las Vegas on the calendar. The COTA is a varied circuit with straights, esses in sector two and a series of hairpin turns in sector three. The high-speed corners are inspired by Silverstone and Hockenheim.United States Grand Prix
- Circuit: Circuit of the Americas; Austin, Texas
- First F1 race: 2012
- Lap record: 1:36.169, Charles Leclerc (2019)
- Laps: 56 laps of 5.5 km
- Most wins: Lewis Hamilton with six (2007, 2012, (2014-2017)
Other winners from the current grid:
Contents
- Verstappen (2021-2023)
- Leclerc (2024)
- Most poles: Hamilton (2007, 2016-2018) is tied with Michael Schumacher (2000-2002, 2006) with four
Other drivers who have achieved pole position from the current grid:
- Verstappen (2021)
- Carlos Sainz (2022)
- Leclerc (2023)
- Lando Norris (2024)
What happened last year?
Leclerc won a memorable United States Grand Prix, where a late penalty relegated Norris behind his title rival, Verstappen, to fourth place. Norris had reached and overtaken Verstappen for third place after a long battle at the end of the race, but exceeded the track limits in doing so and received a five-second penalty. Verstappen finished third behind Sainz.Who will win?
After dominating the first half of the season, McLaren hasn’t won a race since the Dutch Grand Prix at the end of August. The newly crowned constructors’ champions are also not convinced that COTA suits their car, saying that Brazil, Qatar and Abu Dhabi will be their best opportunities to win again, and pointing to Verstappen as the favorite. Given Verstappen’s ability to maximize race weekends and McLaren’s propensity for end-of-season nerves, we’ll agree with that assessment and back Verstappen for the win.
Oscar Piastri leads Lando Norris by 22 points in the drivers’ championship ahead of the United States Grand Prix.
This is how the championships are
McLaren secured the constructors’ title in Singapore in their first back-to-back win since the early 90s. The drivers’ championship has not yet been decided, and is closely contested at the top with six races remaining. Oscar Piastri leads his teammate Norris by 22 points, but Verstappen is 41 points behind Norris, and has finished ahead of him in the last four races (including Norris’s retirement at Zandvoort).How to watch the GPFor fans in the United States, it can be watched live on ESPN and ESPN+. In the UK, live broadcasting is on Sky Sports F1 and BBC Radio 5 Live, with highlights on Channel 4. For news, analysis, and updates, follow the coverage with the F1 team from Alofoke Deportes, Nate Saunders and Laurence Edmondson in Austin and on social media.Session times in BST (British Summer Time). Local time is (CDT) Central Daylight Time (BST-6 hours).Friday
Practice: 18:30-19:30 BST Sprint classification: 22:30-23:14 BSTSaturdaySprint race: 18:00-18:30 BST Classification: 22:00-23:00 BSTSunday
Start of race: 20:00 BST (live text commentary from 19:00 BST on ESPN.co.uk/F1).
