01
Austin power
From the moment David Coulthard sent plumes of dirt and dust skywards as he powered a Red Bull Racing car up the barely carved-out run to Turn 1 in 2011, becoming the first man to drive the Circuit of the Americas, we’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for Austin.
This is where Sebastian Vettel delivered a pole-to-flag masterclass to give us our first US win. It was at COTA in 2021 that Max beat Mercedes to victory with a mixture of strategic smarts and electrifying pace. And it was here, in 2022, that the Team mourned the death of founder Dietrich Mateschitz and paid tribute to him by winning its fifth Constructors’ Championship title and its first since 2013.
On current form, it looks like we can head to Austin with high hopes. Wins for Max on the flowing sequences and long straights of Sepang and the tight, technically demanding streets of Singapore, along with podium finishes at every race since the summer break, indicate that we’ve got a car capable of competing on any surface and in any conditions. Will the home of the world’s biggest cowboy hat tip it our way this year? Let’s take a look…
02
Memorable moments
03
Through the years at Austin
Sebastian Vettel ready for the 2014 United States Grand Prix
© Getty
Daniel Ricciardo ready in Austin in 2014
© Getty
Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat making the most of rainy Austin in 2015
© Getty
All smiles from Daniel Ricciardo ahead of the 2015 United States Grand Prix
© Getty
04
What makes the Circuit of the Americas unique
The first thing that strikes you about COTA is that, even though it’s been the home of the national race for almost a decade and a half, it’s not like a typical US F1 track. Indianapolis was monolithic, Miami is glossier than the yachts moored in the fake marina, and Vegas is F1’s vast, shining glitterball. By contrast, COTA feels like it’s been airlifted from the outskirts of a European second city. Its pit buildings have a distinctly old-school vibe, its paddock is compact and designed for work rather than glamour, and the track has been designed for racing rather than merely snaking between hospitality suites.
Not that it doesn’t deliver big-bang entertainment in the style only US tracks can manage. For years, COTA has thrived by bringing in big stars such as Taylor Swift and Justin Timberlake for concerts. Now, COTA has upped the game considerably with the opening of its very own theme park.
Cotaland has been built down by Turns 19 and 20 and covers 30 acres of kart tracks, flumes and roller coasters, including Texas’ only tilt coaster, Circuit Breaker.
If that’s not a big enough thrill, how about this: a 75-foot-wide fibreglass cowboy hat, reckoned to be the biggest in the world (though, to be fair, we can’t imagine that field is overcrowded with too many rivals, especially outside the US). Still, it’s pretty impressive, and we definitely here for it. Yeehaw!
05
Circuit characteristics
From the first laps in 2012, it was clear that COTA’s designers had got it right. It’s a really good track, with significant changes in elevation, sweeping, fast corners and long straights ending in prime overtaking spots. In short, it’s a bit of a banger, and loved by drivers and fans alike.
At the start of the lap, the signature feature is the steep climb from the start-finish straight to Turn 1, where the track rises 41 metres before sweeping into a tight left-hander. It’s a prime overtaking opportunity, with drivers jostling for position as the field funnels through the corner. Once through the opening two corners, drivers power into a series of rapid changes of direction from Turn 3 to Turn 9, inspired by Silverstone’s Maggotts-Becketts complex. Further passing opportunities come at Turns 12 and 13, at the end of the long back straight. The final sector features a technically tricky series of slower corners that eventually feed back onto the pit straight, where the Overtake Mode zone lies.
06
Key overtaking zones
We’ve already mentioned them, but the key spots are Turns 1 and 12. Following drivers can use Overtake Mode on the run to Turn 1, and with multiple lines available on entry, there’s always plenty of action. Turn 12 comes at the end of the 1.2km-long back straight. It’s one of two Straight Mode zones, and a good exit from Turn 11, combined with a slipstream, should get the job done on the straight. If not, the braking zone is epic. Drivers hit the anchors hard, slowing from more than 300km/h to less than 100km/h for the second-gear left-hander, making it a great spot to pull off a move.
07
Strategy watch
At COTA this year, the compounds will be C2 as Hard, C3 as Medium and C4 as Soft. That’s a return to a more traditional allocation after Pirelli opted last year to spread the selection, with C1 acting as the Hard and C3 and C4 retained as the yellow and red tyres.
The idea was to introduce some strategic variation, with some teams opting for a one-stop using the slower C1 and others going for two stops based around the C3 and C4 compounds. In the end, the C1 proved too slow, while the other two compounds proved very durable on the recently resurfaced track. Max romped to victory with a one-stop strategy that saw him switch from Mediums to used Softs on Lap 33. With this year’s Soft also proving to be a very racy tyre, a C3/C4 one-stop strategy again looks like the way to go.
08
What else should fans look out for?
Bumps. It’s always a rough ride in Austin, sometimes uncomfortably so. COTA sits on a flood plain with soft, clay-like soil, so the surface expands and contracts frequently, leading to some big ol’ bumps. Major resurfacing projects in 2022 and 2024 made for a comfier ride, and more work has been done this year, with the section from Turn 9 to Turn 11 resurfaced and bumps ground down ahead of Turns 12 and 19. However, as Max commented in Singapore, the World Endurance Championship’s recent visit to the track has once again shown it to be a bone-jarring lap.
“From what I saw in WEC, the track is incredibly bumpy,” said the Dutchman. “I’ll probably need to order a new spine, I think, after the weekend! I’ll become like RoboCop.”
09
Recent race results
Circuit of the Americas
Driver
Grid
Race
2021
Max Verstappen
1
1
Sergio Pérez
3
3
2022
Max Verstappen
2
1
Sergio Pérez
4
4
2023
Max Verstappen
6
1
Sergio Pérez
9
4
2024
Max Verstappen
2
3
Sergio Pérez
9
7
2025
Max Verstappen
1
1
Yuki Tsunoda
13
7