Formula One Preview: US Grand Prix
- Peter Johnson
- 2 minutes ago
- 6 min read
Written by Peter Johnson, Edited by Meghana Sree
McLaren sealed their second straight Constructors’ Championship despite in-fighting in Singapore, so expect the gloves to be off between Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris as Formula One heads to Texas.
Circuit guide
The Circuit of the Americas (COTA) became the sixth circuit to host the US Grand Prix, and the tenth American venue to host a World Championship race, when it joined the calendar in 2012.
It was also the first circuit on US soil to be purpose-built for Formula One, drawing inspiration from a number of great corners on other tracks on the calendar.
The Sector 1 Esses section was inspired by Maggots and Becketts at Silverstone, while the stadium section at Hockenheim, the Turn 9-10 complex in Bahrain and Istanbul Park’s iconic Turn 8 all inspired corners throughout Sector 3.
The track also borrowed characteristics from Interlagos and the Buddh International Circuit in India.
COTA has, however, forged an identity in its own right, with the 41-metre elevation change from the start line to Turn 1 and the observation tower overlooking Turns 16-18, two of the track’s most iconic features.
The circuit has generally been positively received by drivers, who can regularly be seen frequenting the paddock sporting bold moustaches and cowboy hats, or, in the case of Daniel Ricciardo, atop a horse.
Weekend format
The 2025 US Grand Prix hosts the fourth of six sprint races this season, and the first since the Belgian Grand Prix in July.
Session times (BST)
Free Practice 1: Fri 18:30 - 19:30
Sprint Qualifying: Fri 22:30 - 23:14
Sprint: Sat 18:00 - 18:30
Qualifying: Sat 22:00 - 23:00
Race: Sun 20:00
Weather forecast
The weather forecast looks much more stable than two weeks ago in Singapore, but no cooler for the drivers.
While rain is not expected to impact the sessions (although there might be light showers on Saturday night), temperatures could peak at as high as 34 degrees Celsius on Saturday afternoon.
If this transpires, expect to see another “heat hazard” declared, as we did at Marina Bay.
Major talking points
Gloves off in the title battle: McLaren teammates and title protagonists Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris made contact again in Singapore, with the team’s controversial ‘Papaya Rules’ only serving to increase the friction. Now the Constructors’ Championship is in the bag, will the pair be free to race unencumbered by team orders?
The return of the sprint: Once upon a time in the not-too-distant past, Max Verstappen won six consecutive sprint races across two seasons. While he may also have won the last one in Belgium, he has not had things all his own way recently, with Piastri, Norris and Lewis Hamilton all also recent sprint victors. Will COTA give us a fifth winner in five sprint races?
Practice makes perfect: Of course, one of the features of the sprint weekend is the removal of two practice sessions to allow room in the schedule for sprint qualifying and the sprint race itself. With just one hour to tinker set-ups before the first racing action of the weekend, it will be a frantic Friday morning for all of the teams and drivers.
FIA President to stand unopposed: It is fair to say that Mohammed Ben Sulayem has been something of a controversial figure since he took office as FIA President in 2021. It looks like he will be sticking around for the foreseeable future, too, as he looks set to stand unopposed in this December’s Presidential election.
All eyes on the TV: Carlos Sainz echoed the thoughts of many fans following the Singapore Grand Prix when he questioned the coverage of on-track action during races. The Spaniard suggested that F1’s global feed dwells too much on drivers’ partners watching on in the garage, while his multiple overtakes and Fernando Alonso’s pursuit of Hamilton were not broadcast. Will we see more on-track action from now on?
Past US Grands Prix
The US Grand Prix has been held on 45 previous occasions, making it the tenth most regular event in F1 history. The race has previously been held at Sebring (1959), Riverside (1960), Watkins Glen (1961-80), Phoenix (1989-91), and Indianapolis (2000-07), before finding its current home at the Circuit of the Americas in 2012.
Confusingly, the US Grand Prix West also ran eight times from 1976-83 at Long Beach, while the Caesar’s Palace, Detroit, Dallas, Miami and Las Vegas Grands Prix have also taken place on American soil.
The Indy 500 also counted towards the F1 World Championship from 1950 to 1960.
Of the current crop of drivers, only Hamilton and Alonso were around for the pre-COTA days, with the two of them famously engaging in a fierce battle as McLaren teammates at Indianapolis in 2007.
The 2005 race, also at Indianapolis, remains to this day one of the most controversial in history, when just six cars took to the start line amidst a protest against the safety of Michelin tyres, which were used by seven of the ten teams.
Since its move to COTA, for many years the race was a Hamilton show. The seven-time world champion won five of the first six Grands Prix in Austin, the most memorable moments from which included a pass on Sebastian Vettel for the win in 2012 and his title-deciding victory in 2015.
The 2015 edition is best remembered for a string of incidents between the Briton and teammate Nico Rosberg, which culminated in the German famously throwing his runners’ up cap at Hamilton in the cooldown room.
Other memorable COTA moments include Kimi Räikönnen’s final career victory in 2018 and one of Hamilton and Verstappen’s many titanic title tussles in 2021.
Charles Leclerc won last year’s race for Ferrari, after he and his now-teammate Hamilton were disqualified in 2023 for excessive skid block wear.
Last race recap
George Russell dominated proceedings last time out in Singapore, breaking the Marina Bay lap record twice on Saturday before taking a commanding victory on Sunday, despite pressure from Verstappen.
McLaren sealed the Constructors’ Championship for a second straight season, despite a rather robust exchange between Norris and Piastri on the opening lap.
The Australian felt Norris’ pass, which was completed after a fairly hefty side-to-side contact, breached the now-infamous ‘Papaya Rules’. The Briton kept position, though, much to the championship leader’s chagrin, and closed the gap at the top of the table to 22 points.
It was another tough day, or rather night, at the office, for Ferrari, with Leclerc tormented by another race of “lift and coast” and Hamilton experiencing brake failure in the closing laps.
Kimi Antonelli’s fifth place boosted Mercedes’ charge for second in the teams’ standings, while Alonso (P7) and Sainz (P10, after starting 18th) both performed impressively.
Drivers to watch
Oscar Piastri: It seems an obvious call to pick the championship leader as a potential winner, but Piastri has shown levels of emotion and, it must be said, struggled with pressure in a way that he never previously has in his short F1 career. The Australian won the last time F1 was stateside for the Miami Grand Prix - can he claim his eighth victory of the season on Sunday?
Lando Norris: Again, it is stating the obvious somewhat, but the Briton has outscored Piastri in six of the previous eight rounds. If he can continue that trend, the 22-point lead that Piastri holds most likely won’t hold out for another six races until the end of the season.
Charles Leclerc: The Monégasque driver won the 2024 race at COTA, and with other teams, most notably Mercedes, likely to struggle with the forecast high temperatures, it could be an opportunity to claim a strong result for Ferrari.
Peter’s prediction
It is such a fickle season, with McLaren having won the Constructors’ Championship already but neither driver seeming to have any particular momentum. Both Piastri and Norris have personally struggled for points and performance in recent races, and neither have won any of the last three Grands Prix.
However, the high temperatures expected in Texas this weekend should eliminate any of the team’s nearest rivals from contention.
If it is to be a shootout between the pair, I fancy Norris to have the edge.
