Man, finally… lesh go!
The Chrome is back!
2024 United States Grand Prix 
Circuit of the Americas | Austin | Texas | USA | Sunday, 20 October
2024 F1 Season: Round 19 (Sprint Race 4/6 | Grand Prix 19/24)
The weird third quarter season break is over! F1 is back-to-back-to-back! Yip, a triple header of North American races for us to enjoy - USA, Mexico, and Brazil. (Don’t get too excited by the F1 overload though. There’s another 3 week gap after Brazil before the Vegas GP.) Austin is always a well supported and entertaining Grand Prix venue. There’s another sell crowd of local fans expected over the weekend - with well over 400,000 fans for both the previous two events, it’s possible that another record will be broken this weekend.
Those fans will get a front row view of special liveries for Haas in their home race, an Indiana Jones inspired paint job on the Alpines, and the McLaren boys who are bringing back their fan favourite chrome livery for the weekend. On the driver front, in another upset of Kiwi over Wallaby, Liam Lawson brings the number of F1 drivers for 2024 to 23 as he replaces Daniel Ricciardo in the VCARB for the rest of the season. The big brother team at Red Bull will be hoping for a return to form this weekend, especially Max Verstappen who finds himself in a genuine title race with the McLaren upstart Lando Norris. The Constructors’ title has already swung over to the papaya pack, and RBR will need not only Max but also Sergio Perez to come to the party and put points on the board. With both Sprint Race and Grand Prix points available this weekend, there’s a lot to play for.
Just the Facts
- First Grand Prix – 1959 (Sebring)
- Track Length – 5.513km
- Lap Record – 1m 36.169s, Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, 2019
- Most Pole Positions – Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton (4)
- Most Wins – Lewis Hamilton (6)
- Pole Run to Turn 1 Braking Point – 250 metres
- Overtakes Completed in 2023 – 78
- Safety Car probability – 14%
- Virtual Safety Car probability – 43%
- Pit Stop Time Loss – 20.3 seconds
- Trivia – Austin set a new F1 record in 2022 with a three-day attendance of around 440,000 fans
Last Five Pole-sitters
- 2023 – Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
- 2022 – Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
- 2021 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
- 2019 – Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)
- 2018 – Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
Last Five Winners
- 2023 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
- 2022 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
- 2021 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
- 2019 – Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)
- 2018 – Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
The Schedule
With the Sprint format in play, FP1 and Sprint Qualifying will take place on Friday, followed by the Sprint and Qualifying on Saturday, and the Grand Prix itself on Sunday. And with Austin, Texas sitting in the US Central Time zone, the action all happens 7 hours earlier on the clock face. That means some late night viewing is on the cards for us, with a potential for the post-race chat after Sunday’s GP running into the early hours of Monday morning.
The Circuit
COTA is a challenging but fantastic driver pleasing circuit that has seen Max Verstappen’s Red Bull cross the finish line first in the last three years. On current form though, he is going to have a significant challenge to make it four in a row this year. Early talk is that the McLaren, and to a lesser extend the Ferrari, are better suited to COTA this year. If Max or Checo even manage to make the podium this year is looking to be a challenge.
When was the track built?
The Circuit of The Americas, designed by Hermann Tilke in collaboration with American architectural firm HKS, endured something of a nervy start, with construction suffering several setbacks. It was well worth the wait, though, when 1978 F1 champion Mario andretti opened the track on October 21 2012.
When was its first Grand Prix?
F1 first raced at the Circuit of The Americas in 2012, for the first United States Grand Prix since the 2007 race at Indianapolis. Unsurprisingly, over 100,000 spectators packed out the Austin venue, witnessing Lewis Hamilton’s last ever win in a McLaren before his switch to Mercedes for 2013.
What’s the circuit like?
If the corners at COTA seem familiar, they should be. Turns 3 through 6 look not dissimilar to Silverstone’s high-speed run through Maggotts/Becketts or the S Curves at Suzuka, while Turns 12 through 15 mimic Hockenheim’s stadium section. Meanwhile, the uphill run into wide, wide Turn 1 – hey, everything’s bigger in Texas, right? – has provided some fine overtaking action in the track’s short life.
Jolyon Palmer, former Renault F1 driver:
The Circuit of The Americas is a great track that takes inspiration from parts of other legendary corners on the calendar.
The uphill Turn 1 is difficult at the race start as there’s loads of different lines that can be taken, then you sweep through the first sector, which is a bit like Silverstone, where you’re trying to find your rhythm. After that, it’s the long back straight and you’ve got to get your braking point right at the end of it…
Probably the hardest section on the circuit is Turn 13 through to Turn 15, which feels like an odd complex of corners behind the wheel. Turn 13 is conventional, but finding your line through to 15 is not easy, while that Turn 14 area puts a lot of load on the tyres. You go through the quadruple right-hander after that, followed by Turn 19, which is a really nice corner – though track limits are an issue.
Finally, you stop for Turn 20, then it’s a short burst to the line, but drivers need to be careful not to light things up as it’s easy to break traction. There are also plenty of overtaking opportunities during the race with DRS on the run to Turn 12 and Turn 1.
The Weather
Forecast for the weekend looks reasonable with some cloud cover keeping the temperatures below 30°C. The clouds do also hold the slight chance of some rain around, but probabilities of that are currently low.
Friday – FP1 & Sprint Qualifying
Partly cloudy at first becoming mostly cloudy in the afternoon with a slight chance of light showers. Light to moderate southeasterly wind with gusts up to 40kph from noon.
FP1: 25°C | SQ: 28-29°C
Chance of rain: <20%
Saturday – Sprint Race & Grand Prix Qualifying
Partly to mostly cloudy day with a slight chance of showers. No high amount if it occurs. Light easterly wind with gusts up to 30kph.
S: 28°C | Q: 28°C
Chance of rain: 20%
Sunday – Race
Partly cloudy with large sunny spells all day long. Dry day expected at this range. Light easterly wind with gusts up to 30kph.
Race Start: 26-27°C
Chance of rain: <20%
The Tyres
In terms of the forces exerted on the tyres, the loads at COTA are fairly evenly distributed between the front and rear axles and are more lateral than vertical.
Usually, degradation is thermal and is therefore linked to the ambient temperature which in Texas in October can fluctuate considerably from one day to the next.
In terms of strategy, one will need to wait and see how this might be affected by the new surface, keeping in mind that Saturday’s Sprint should provide plenty of useful data. In last year’s short race, the medium was chosen by the majority of drivers, although some risked using the soft, which was then only used in the final stages of the following day’s Grand Prix in an attempt to secure the additional point for setting the fastest race lap.
Normally, a two-stop has always been the quickest here, especially as a one-stop involves a lot of careful degradation management, to the obvious detriment of performance.
In 2023, the most used compound was the C3, which was more effective than the C2, and now it will be interesting to see if the new asphalt could bring the hard back into play.
The News
Keep updated with all the latest news, updates, public videos, and weekend timings and results on the official F1 site:
The Trophies
The 2024 USA Grand Prix trophies are interesting, to say the least. The Mickey Mouse / Dead Maus looking Heroo statuettes are sponsored by Pirelli, who explain them like this:
There’s a new Heroo in Formula 1…
In any discussion about Formula 1, it’s always the drivers who are portrayed as the heroes and rightly so, as they race at over 300 km/h, reclining in a made-to-measure cockpit squeezed into a carbon fibre shell, with a 1000 horsepower Power Unit and a cell holding just over a hundred litres of fuel right behind them. While it’s true that the highest level of motorsport is much safer than before, even compared to the quite recent past, that takes nothing away from the heroic nature of the driver’s role. So Pirelli has chosen to illustrate this fact by having a rather unusual hero on the podium, in the shape of the trophy presented to the top three finishers in the FORMULA 1 PIRELLI UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX 2024 and it goes by the name of Heroo!
Heroo was created by the Italian artist and designer Matteo Macchiavelli, in collaboration with Pirelli Motorsport. It is an interpretation of the connection between the racing car and its tyres, while also being an artwork that links beauty and elegance with the excitement, sense of speed and quality of the materials that go into a Formula 1 car. The trophy takes the form of a human silhouette with arms raised in triumph, the whole encased in carbon fibre, sitting on a rubber base. The ones for the Grand Prix winning driver and team representative stand out with the helmet painted in golden yellow, sprinkled in gold dust, while silver and titanium are the colours and finish chosen for the second and third placed drivers respectively.
Well all righty then. USA, USA, USA I guess.
In A Nutshell
Bellissimo! Magnifico! Stupendo! Forza Ferrari! Bravo Charles! Bravo Carlos!
That pass at T1 was C’est Magnifique. Great result for Ferrari and fantastic racing both in the sprint and feature race. Lawson and Colapinto also gave impressive performances.
Good race overall and not just coz Ferrari won. Gosh, I was a little worried when Sainz was having issues but somehow that was sorted. Here’s hoping they keep this up, but they generally follow a good race with a meh one 
Also penalties galore. But agreed, add sandtraps or something, too easy to just run wide because you can.
And yeah, the rookies are doing the most hey.
2024 Mexico City Grand Prix 
Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez | Mexico City | Mexico | Sunday, 27 October
2024 F1 Season: Round 20
~Sorry, weak showing this week, I know. Time is fleeting… madness is taking its toll.~
Insert U2’s Elevation here, and then just play Jean-Michel Jarre’s Oxygène on repeat for the weekend.
30 minutes of extra time in Free Practice 2 today to allow for some 2025 tyre testing.
“In a change to the usual format however, Friday’s second free practice session will be extended from 60 minutes to 90 and entirely given over to validating the softer compounds in Pirelli’s 2025 range (the C4, C5 and C6).”
Just the Stats
Vital statistics
o First Grand Prix – 1963
o Track Length – 4.304km
o Lap record – 1m 17.774s, Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes, 2021
o Most pole positions – Jim Clark (4)
o Most wins – Max Verstappen (5)
o Pole run to Turn 1 braking point – 830m
o Overtakes completed in 2023 – 121
o Safety Car probability – 43%*
o Virtual Safety Car probability – 86%*
o Pit stop time loss – 21.86 seconds
o Trivia – The 20% air pressure reduction at 7,200ft AMSL (above mean sea level) means Mexico has taken over from Italy as the race with the highest top speeds. In the 2016 race Valtteri Bottas set the fastest ever trap speed in F1 history (231.46mph) but Williams telemetry said his maximum speed reached 231.96mph before braking for Turn 1.
The Schedule
The Circuit
When was the track built?
In 1959. The father of Mexico’s most famous racing brothers, Ricardo and Pedro Rodriguez, was an advisor to Mexican President Adolfo Lopez Mateo, and had a word in his boss’s ear about building a racing circuit in Mexico City’s Magdalena Mixiuhca sports park using the existing internal roads. El Presidente liked the idea, and work on the track was completed in under a year.
When was its first Grand Prix?
Formula 1 cars arrived in 1962 for a non-championship race, returning the following year for a proper, bona fide Grand Prix. That 1963 race was won by Jim Clark, while for the next few years, Mexico’s fiesta vibes meant it became the traditional season-ender for Formula 1. Mexico was welcomed back onto the F1 calendar in 2015.
What’s the circuit like?
High up! The Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez sits over 2km above sea level, making the 4.3km lap a breathless experience. The track still largely follows the outline of the original 1959 circuit, the main difference being that the spectacular – and spectacularly scary – Peralta corner is now bisected, with the circuit instead winding through the old Foro Sol baseball stadium, providing one F1’s most unique vistas.
The Weather
Hot, humid, and maybe a bit damp on Sunday down Mexico City way…
The Tyres
In a change to the usual format however, Friday’s second free practice session will be extended from 60 minutes to 90 and entirely given over to validating the softer compounds in Pirelli’s 2025 range (the C4, C5 and C6).
“The very smooth asphalt and the fact the track is hardly used means that grip levels are rather low at the start of the weekend and track evolution is very marked, rubbering in the more the cars run,” reads Pirelli’s weekend preview, which notes resurfacing between Turns 12 and 15.
“Mexico City is located at over 2,000 metres above sea level and the rarified air has an influence on car performance, reducing the aerodynamic downforce generated by the cars.
“On the longest straights, the main one and the one between Turns 3 and 4, the surface temperature of the tyres tends to drop pretty quickly and the drivers have to be very careful when braking, especially at Turn 1, to avoid locking the wheels and therefore damaging the tyres.
“In terms of strategy, this is usually a one-stop race. Last year, the majority of drivers tried to manage the medium to lengthen the first stint as much as possible.
“A Safety Car and a later red flag, after Kevin Magnussen went off the track in the Haas, meant that nearly the entire field used three sets of tyres in a race that was pretty much divided in two.”
The Digital Programme
Get with the programme!
¡Andale! Rapido! Vamos! ¡Vamos, ven rápido! ¡Ai, ai, ai!
That was a proper spicy race haha.
Max being king knob once again.
Ferrari starting to git gud, or picking up scraps. Time will tell, feels bad for Sainz man. Can see he is sad.
Also just saw this post from Zac Brown saying oops wrong team
Man I love this Ferrari x McLaren banter 
Lol Sainz got payback
https://x.com/McLarenF1/status/1850688228443177327?t=PaR7mtOzeedaowRXRbM6uQ&s=19
The Ferrari moment in video 
https://x.com/ScuderiaFerrari/status/1850697407777919169?t=zlZfMe6LszGbO8_3mt3ubA&s=19
No longer a question of “if”. It’s now just a question of “when”. I reckon if he doesn’t have an absolutely mega, near perfect weekend in Brazil, we’ll be saying “Adios Checo” before the season is even over.
On top of that, it seems that Perez’s main benefactor decided to pull the plug:
Yeah its over man, that second seat is cursed.
Some positive news for Kyalami, with concrete (pardon the pun) news of track improvements coming to bring it up to FIA F1 requirements.
#SAF1GP27 
2024 São Paulo Brazilian Grand Prix 
Autódromo José Carlos Pace - Interlagos | São Paulo | Brazil | Sunday, 3 November
2024 F1 Season: Round 21 | Sprint Race: 5
Last year São Paulo was the scene of a remarkable 17th win in the season for Champion Max V. But it was the dramatic chaos that went on behind the Dutchman that was the more memorable part of the event. Some of it even happening before the race start - Chuck Leclerc will be having uncomfortable flashbacks to his 2023 formation lap when he drives out this year at the start of Practice 1.
Add in a first lap, first corner crash, flying tyre carcasses, a decent early race challenge by Lando, a last lap PER vs ALO drag race to the final podium place, and ultimately six cars failing to see the end of the race.
This year won’t be as straightforward a win for Max as it was last year, but Interlagos is one of those circuits that always produces fantastic racing. And with the whole circuit completely resurfaced, the Constructor’s Championship race heating up, the clash of mates vying for the Driver’s title we saw last weekend between Max and Lando, a Sprint Race to add to the equation, and a high chance of rain, this weekend looks like it could produce another cracker.
The Stats
- First Grand Prix – 1973
- Track Length – 4.309km
- Lap record – 1m 10.540s, Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes, 2018
- Most pole positions – Ayrton Senna, Mika Hakkinen, Felipe Massa, Rubens Barrichello, Lewis Hamilton (3)
- Most wins – Michael Schumacher (4)
- Pole run to Turn 1 braking point – 200 metres
- Overtakes completed in 2023 – 69
- Safety Car probability – 86%*
- Virtual Safety Car probability – 43%*
- Pit stop time loss – 20.83 seconds
* From the previous seven races in Sao Paulo
Last 5 São Paulo Poles
- 2023 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
- 2022 – Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
- 2021 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
- 2019 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
- 2018 – Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
Last 5 São Paulo Winners
- 2023 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
- 2022 – George Russell (Mercedes)
- 2021 – Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
- 2019 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
- 2018 – Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
The Schedule
Thankfully, somewhat more sensible times from the Southern side of the Americas for us to look forward to this weekend:
The Circuit
When was the track built?
Building work began on what ended up being called the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace – but what is more commonly referred to as Interlagos – all the way back in 1938. The track designers took their inspiration from three main circuits: Brooklands in the UK, Roosevelt Raceway in the USA and Montlhery in France.
When was its first Grand Prix?
Buoyed by the success of Brazil’s Emerson Fittipaldi, Formula 1 first jetted into Interlagos for a world championship race in 1973. Fans were treated to a home win in the first three Brazilian Grands Prix, with Fittipaldi victorious in 1973 and 1974, while Carlos Pace won in 1975.
What’s the circuit like?
Like many pre-World War II tracks, Interlagos features banked corners, with the drivers beginning their lap on a sort of half oval – in fact, between 1957 and the track’s return to the F1 calendar in 1990, Interlagos could be run as a giant oval. After wiggling through the Senna S and down to Turn 4, the drivers then go through a snaking in-field section with some challenging camber changes, before slinging back up the hill and through the banked final turn.
Jolyon Palmer’s Views:
Interlagos has a tricky first corner, you can brake much later than you imagine and carry speed into the apex – but go too late and it’s easy to lock up the front left.
The middle sector here is all about the flow, the corners come thick and fast. One lock-up in either of the tight right-handers and it puts you off line and out of sync for the whole lot. It’s easy to lock up as well because you are loaded laterally on the entries there. It’s a technical sector where the rhythm is everything.
The final corner is critical, it’s all about exit speed to carry you onto the whopping straight back up the hill. You’ve got to get the right balance between opening up the corner and taking too much kerb as well, which can unsettle the car and cost you exit speed.
Overall it’s a short but fun circuit to drive. The anti-clockwise nature and long, loaded left-handers make this one a bit harder physically for the drivers as well. By the end of this race you might be feeling it on the neck, which isn’t used to being loaded up so much on that side.
The Weather
Friday – FP1 and Sprint Qualifying
- Clouds clearing up in the morning, becoming a bit more unsettled, with a slight chance of an outbreak of showers in the afternoon. Breeze slightly increasing in the afternoon.
- FP1: 25°C // SQ: 23-24°C
- Chance of rain: 20%
Saturday – Sprint Race and Qualifying
- A bit more unsettled than the previous days due to daily heating. Hottest day of the week with air temp reaching 27-28°C.
- SR: 27-28°C // Q: 25-26°C
- Chance of rain: 40%
Sunday – Grand Prix
- Unsettled air mass approaching from Amazonia with higher humidity level expected. Rainy or thundery weather possible in the afternoon.
- GP: 25°C
- Chance of rain: 60%
The Tyres
“In Sao Paulo all 4.309 kilometres [of the track surface] has been renewed, including the pit lane,” reads Pirelli’s weekend preview. “The work was only recently completed and the asphalt was then thoroughly cleaned, using a high pressure water washing system that removes the sheen that usually appears on brand new bitumen and this has also increased the abrasiveness of the surface.
“Therefore, the track surface will be a completely unknown factor for drivers and teams this weekend. Complicating the puzzle still further is the fact Pirelli has chosen to bring a softer trio of compounds to Brazil than last year.
“On top of that it’s a Sprint weekend, so that there is only free practice session for teams to find the best set-up, even if, as was seen in Austin, the “short” race in fact proved to be very useful to fine tune the balance of the car for the actual Grand Prix.
“At Interlagos, the lateral and longitudinal forces exerted on the tyres around the 15 corners of this anticlockwise track are medium to low in intensity and well distributed across both axles. Furthermore, the new track surface could see a lowering of lap times and, as a consequence, an increase of the stress to which the tyres are subjected.
“The Brazilian weekend usually provides spectacular action. The circuit named in honour of Jose Carlos Pace presents several overtaking opportunities, but other random factors, such as a high chance of a Safety Car and extremely changeable weather, make the outcome of the Grand Prix uncertain and hard to predict.
“Usually, the fastest strategy is a two-stop, favouring the use of the softer compounds. Last year, all bar one of the drivers chose to start on the softs, but a red flag after the start allowed for a switch to mediums before ending the race on another set of softs. This year, the fact the compounds are a step softer could open up a wider range of possible strategies, making the race even more exciting.”
The Programme
The digital programme for the Formula 1 Lenovo Grande Premio de Sao Paulo 2024 in Brazil, with features including Ayrton Senna’s top 10 moments of F1 brilliance, is now available.
Download now at linktr.ee/F1raceprogramme
É preciso ir rápido no Brasil se você quer vencer!!
I’d better start saving for the tickets now!
BREAKING: Ollie Bearman will contest the full weekend for Haas in Brazil
Already confirmed for Friday’s sessions and the Sprint, he will now take part in qualifying and the Grand Prix while Kevin Magnussen recovers from illness
As this will be Bearman’s third F1 Grand Prix he will no longer be classified as a Rookie, and will not be eligible to take part in the end-of-season rookie’s test session (and therefor technically making 2024 his Rookie season?) 
