The Circuit of the Americas predates the F1 increase in America, which suggests a deal with “actual” followers somewhat than VIPs. With 430,000 contributors within the 2024 occasion, it is among the most attended races on the calendar and might make a powerful case for being a real standout among the many dozens of American venues visited by F1 over the previous 70 years. It is a difficult and diversified circuit, with numerous spectacular viewing factors for followers and a high-speed sweep from Flip 3 to Flip 9 for drivers. Drivers hardly ever checklist this automotive as an outright favourite, however it’s proper up there.
This truck has all the things, together with what Miami and Las Vegas lack. There may be simply over 130 toes of elevation change. It might not sound like an enormous deal, however this nook is well-used, and the 11 % climb into gradual Flip 1 that Lando Norris climbed in first gear on his 2024 pole lap is a signature nook at this observe. The big selection of nook speeds and undulations make it tough to arrange with the present technology of automobiles, as there’s a threat of bottoming out. Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes will subsequently be dominated out after the 2023 race.
The following sweep begins quick and is flat till Flip 3, round 275km/h (170mph) till Flip 4, dropping to round 160km/h (100mph) at Flip 8. This is among the greatest nook combos on the calendar and might result in extra errors and drained time. It is virtually a hybrid of Suzuka’s well-known “snake” part early within the lap and Silverstone’s Maggots/Becketts advanced. It will likely be a real spectacle each trackside and on tv.
Nobody talks a lot concerning the hairpin that follows, a standard first-speed left-hand drive, however it may be a time-suck, particularly in fashionable automobiles the place low-speed front-end downforce is at a premium. This places the automobiles again on the lengthy drag to Flip 12, then into the switchback part to Flip 15, a tough method that requires drivers to mix braking and turning. After the seemingly quick triple right-handers in turns 16-18 run at full throttle, the six-speed flip 19 left-handers draw back from their followers, pulling the automobiles again to the slower left-handers on the beginning/end straight.
What makes COTA tough is the number of corners. Excessive-speed corners put an amazing quantity of vitality into the tires, and whereas final 12 months’s race was a one-stopper, some administration was required to make sure the steadiness of grip across the lap, even on the qualifying lap. Nonetheless, this trajectory is consistently altering and is constructed on delicate soil that’s topic to limitless motion as a result of water erosion. This implies the observe is consistently altering barely, which has led to the necessity for resurfacing work, particularly after criticism from MotoGP riders.
So Circuit of the Americas is a throwback. Though it’s a fashionable facility, it feels extra natural and rough-hewn than Miami or Las Vegas. It additionally gives drivers with wonderful racing, overtaking, and pure enjoyable.
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