The Circuit of the Americas predates the F1 boom in America, which suggests a focus on “real” fans rather than VIPs. With 430,000 participants in the 2024 event, it is one of the most attended races on the calendar and can make a strong case for being a true standout among the dozens of American venues visited by F1 over the past 70 years. It’s a challenging and varied circuit, with countless spectacular viewing points for fans and a high-speed sweep from Turn 3 to Turn 9 for drivers. Drivers rarely list this car as an outright favorite, but it’s right up there.
This truck has everything, including what Miami and Las Vegas lack. There is just over 130 feet of elevation change. It may not sound like a big deal, but this corner is well-used, and the 11 percent climb into slow Turn 1 that Lando Norris climbed in first gear on his 2024 pole lap is a signature corner at this track. The wide range of corner speeds and undulations make it difficult to set up with the current generation of cars, as there is a risk of bottoming out. Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes will therefore be ruled out after the 2023 race.
The ensuing sweep starts fast and is flat until Turn 3, around 275km/h (170mph) until Turn 4, dropping to around 160km/h (100mph) at Turn 8. This is one of the best corner combinations on the calendar and can lead to more mistakes and drained time. It’s almost a hybrid of Suzuka’s famous “snake” section early in the lap and Silverstone’s Maggots/Becketts complex. It will be a true spectacle both trackside and on television.
No one talks much about the hairpin that follows, a traditional first-speed left-hand drive, but it can be a time-suck, especially in modern cars where low-speed front-end downforce is at a premium. This puts the cars back on the long drag to Turn 12, then into the switchback section to Turn 15, a tricky approach that requires drivers to combine braking and turning. After the seemingly fast triple right-handers in turns 16-18 run at full throttle, the six-speed turn 19 left-handers pull away from their followers, pulling the cars back to the slower left-handers on the start/finish straight.
What makes COTA difficult is the variety of corners. High-speed corners put a tremendous amount of energy into the tires, and while last year’s race was a one-stopper, some management was required to ensure the balance of grip around the lap, even on the qualifying lap. However, this trajectory is constantly changing and is built on soft soil that is subject to endless movement due to water erosion. This means the track is constantly changing slightly, which has led to the need for resurfacing work, especially after criticism from MotoGP riders.
So Circuit of the Americas is a throwback. Although it is a modern facility, it feels more organic and rough-hewn than Miami or Las Vegas. It also provides drivers with excellent racing, overtaking, and pure fun.
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