The one horse title race is over, however it’s all to play for behind Pink Bull and Verstappen…
Two weeks after Max Verstappen sealed his third straight world title, F1 rocks up in Austin, Texas for the primary of 5 lifeless rubbers that can certainly cross with out incident.
Kidding. Though Pink Bull stays on the right track for probably the most dominant season F1 has ever seen, the battle behind the all-conquering RB19 is shaping up very properly certainly.
Mercedes and Ferrari are separated by simply 28 factors (it’d’ve been extra had Hamilton and Russell not collided final day trip) within the race for second within the constructors’ championship, whereas simply 11 factors separate Aston Martin and McLaren of their tussle for fourth.
Alpine are the one crew with nearly nothing to play for – embedded as they’re in sixth – however Williams, Alfa Romeo and Haas all nonetheless have a shot at ‘Better of the backmarkers’ standing. Not a lot of a brag, however bear in mind it’s the distinction in hundreds of thousands of {dollars} in prize cash on the finish of the season, which may make or break a crew’s possibilities in 2024.
Some drivers are combating for his or her careers too: Sergio Perez’s future appears to be like unsure because of a string of poor performances in what’s undoubtedly the very best automobile on the grid. Might Daniel Ricciardo be a shock alternative? The Aussie is again for AlphaTauri this weekend after recovering from the accidents he sustained at Zandvoort in August.
And what about Logan Sargeant? The rookie has had a troublesome time of it of late and his 2024 drive with Williams remains to be TBC. The US GP is his dwelling race (properly, certainly one of three dwelling races really), and he may actually do with a lift from the followers.
Want extra data on the US GP? We’ve acquired you coated…
What time is the US GP? And what time is qualifying?
The US Grand Prix begins at 8pm UK time on Sunday 22 October, whereas qualifying will get underway at 6.30pm on Friday 20 October. That may solely imply one factor…
Yep, it’s a dash weekend. The motion on Saturday is solely devoted to the dash race, with the dash shootout starting at 6.30pm and the dash itself commencing at 11pm.
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri took pole and received the final dash race in Qatar, so Pink Bull is beatable over the shorter format…
What’s the climate going to be like?
Not a lot to report right here: the present climate forecast suggests it’s going to be scorching (with peak temps reaching as excessive as 36 levels Celsius over the weekend) and dry. The brollies and ponchos can in all probability keep at dwelling, in different phrases.
The place is the US GP happening?
The US Grand Prix is being held at Circuit of the Americas, or COTA for brief. It took over from Indianapolis after a five-year absence in 2012 and has welcomed F1 again yearly since, aside from 2020. Due to the pandemic, d’uh.
In its early days the circuit struggled to make ends meet, however because of Drive to Survive F1 is now in excessive demand within the US, and ticket gross sales are via the roof. Final 12 months a record-breaking 440,000 folks attended the race, and 2023 may elevate the bar even larger.
What number of laps is the US GP?
The US GP will encompass 56 laps of COTA, which quantities to only over the 300km that makes up a grand prix race distance lately.
The observe options 20 corners, with a number of high-speed sections and a closing sector that’s ripe for switchbacks and good overtaking. Tyre degradation allowing, in fact. We reckon it’s top-of-the-line circuits on the F1 calendar proper now.
Who’s going to win the US GP?
Properly, Max Verstappen has solely been overwhelmed at three grands prix all season, and all of these have been on avenue tracks… so the sensible, boring cash is on him.
If for no matter motive he DNFs, you’d often anticipate his teammate Sergio Perez to be second in line, however his type has been erratic and he’s solely scored 5 factors within the final three races. Oops. The observe ought to go well with McLaren, so don’t be shocked if Oscar Piastri or Lando Norris seem on the rostrum on Sunday.
How can I watch the US GP?
Within the UK you’ll be able to both subscribe to Sky Sports activities, or get your self a NowTV membership with a purpose to stream Sky’s devoted F1 channel that manner. The third possibility in fact is to purchase a ticket and constitution a last-minute flight to Texas…
Due to the time distinction, Channel 4’s highlights present doesn’t really air on the identical day because the race: race highlights will probably be proven from 12.30am on Monday morning (you’re simply going to go to mattress, aren’t you?) whereas qualifying and dash highlights will probably be proven at 8am on Sunday.
BBC Radio 5 Reside and Radio 5 Sports activities Additional could have stay commentary of all classes this weekend. Simply sayin’.
What’s the High Gear view on the US GP?
COTA has been an awesome addition to the F1 calendar because it joined over a decade in the past. The structure is a problem for the drivers and the sequence of corners from flip 12 to show 19 often delivers a number of the greatest wheel-to-wheel motion we’ll see all season. It’s additionally nice to see that F1 has lastly clicked in America after actually a long time of making an attempt: it’s new-found recognition over there’s wholesome for the game, and of the three races now happening there (whats up Miami and Vegas), COTA has the benefit of being the one one held on a purpose-built observe…
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