Track Preview 2014 United States Grand Prix, Austin

Track Preview: 2014 United States Grand Prix, Austin

Report by Sarah Jones

The Circuit of the Americas in Texas is one of the newest venues on the Formula One calendar having been inaugurated only in 2012. Pirelli have announced that the medium and soft compounds are nominated here for the first time (with the hard and medium chosen for the last two years). This versatile selection of compounds for 2014 is designed to cope with the varying demands of the track, which takes in three long straights, but also a number of more technical corners.

These include the long Turn 1 (a constant radius hairpin that puts plenty of energy through the tyres) as well as other fast direction changes, reminiscent of Silverstone or Suzuka. With 20 corners and impressive differences in elevation, Austin is a very busy lap with some unique challenges, such as an uphill braking area after the start that makes it difficult to find the correct braking point.

In combination, this all makes for an exciting track that both drivers and spectators enjoy immensely. The United States Grand Prix also marks the start of the final sequence of back-to-back races of the year, with the teams then heading straight to Interlagos in Brazil, where the same medium and soft tyre nomination has been made.

Facts and Figures

• The United States has hosted the Grand Prix on and off since 1908.
• Austin has hosted the Grand Prix since 2012.
• Michael Schumacher is the most successful driver with five wins.
• Lewis Hamilton is the most successful driver currently at the track with two wins.
• McLaren is the most successful constructor to win the Grand Prix with two wins.
• Race distance: 308.89km (191.94 miles)
• Number of turns: 20
• Top speed: 317kph
• Lap record: Sebastian Vettel- Red Bull (2012)- 1.39.347

• Winners from last five United States Grand Prix:
2005- Michael Schumacher
2006- Michael Schumacher,
2007-Lewis Hamilton
2012- Lewis Hamilton
2013-Sebastian Vettel

My top 5 things to look out for this weekend:-

1. The performance of Sebastian Vettel- With Sebastian Vettel not taking part in Qualifying, it will be interesting to see just how just far Vettel can get up the grid and having a reasonable weekend despite his difficulties heading into the race.

2. Turn 1- With Turn 1 on the Austin circuit being the widest and also has the highest elevation change from the start line on the calendar; we could see a few groups of drivers battling for position on the first lap of the Grand Prix.

3. The performance of Valtteri Bottas- With Bottas having a momentum behind him over the past few races, last year saw Bottas achieve his first points in Formula One with an eighth place finish. We could see once again Bottas having a great weekend once again in Austin.

4. Driver announcements- With the spotlight firmly on Alonso and Button's future in 2015 and also Perez and Grosjean waiting to be confirmed by Force India and Lotus, many of us will be watching eagerly to see if McLaren, Force India or Lotus confirm their line ups for 2015 in Austin this weekend.

5. Hamilton V Rosberg- With Hamilton winning four races consecutively at Monza, Singapore, Suzuka and Sochi, all eyes once again will be upon the pair as they battle for the championship. With both drivers will be keen to add a victory at Austin to their careers and also to help their fight to clinch the title for themselves. But will we see reliability issues affecting either driver and denying us yet another chance to see a battle on the track with the Mercedes drivers?

Sky Sports F1 are showing uninterrupted coverage of every Practice session, Qualifying and race for the Grand Prix (and every race of the season) and the BBC also are showing coverage, details for both are below:-

• Sky Sports F1:- Friday (Practice 1 and 2) 2.45pm and 6.45pm [Replays throughout Friday], Saturday (Practice 3 and Qualifying) 2.45pm and 5.00pm [Replays throughout Saturday], Sunday (Race) 6.30pm

• BBC– Saturday (Qualifying highlights) 10.00pm, Sunday (Race Highlights) 10.30pm