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Formula 1 touches down in Texas with the championship fight between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen poised to throw up a thriller in front of the fanatic American fans.
Last time out in Turkey, it was Valtteri Bottas who took his first victory of the season and defied the tricky weather conditions to finish ahead of Red Bull duo Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez.
With his impressive second place, Verstappen moved back to the summit of the drivers’ standings, with the gap between him and Lewis Hamilton standing at just six points.
The United States makes a welcome return to the F1 calendar after the 2020 race was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This weekend’s race is the 50th American Grand Prix, with the first race on American soil being held in 1908. Fiat’s Louis Wagner won the race almost a minute ahead of his compatriot Victor Hemery in Savannah, Georgia.
Since then, the American Grand Prix has been held at 10 different tracks, including the world-famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Watkins Glen and three visits to the streets of downtown Phoenix between 1989 and 1991.
Designed by architect Hermann Tilke, the Circuit of the Americas opened in 2012 and held its first race that same year with Hamilton taking glory for McLaren.
The 5.5-kilometre circuit was carved out of the Texan clay desert and has many notable features including the 11% gradient rise into turn one, the fast slalom through turns three to nine and the sweeping turns 17 and 18 in the shadows of the circuit’s iconic observation tower.
The 2019 United States Grand Prix saw Bottas take a lights to flag victory ahead of Hamilton and Verstappen, with the second place for the Finn’s Mercedes teammate being enough to secure his sixth world title.
Ferrari are the most successful constructor with the prancing horses taking 10 victories in the States. Their latest race victory came courtesy of Kimi Raikkonen in 2018.
Hamilton is the most decorated driver on American soil with six victories to his name. The Brit has won five of the eight races at the Circuit of the Americas and will be hoping to score a sixth this weekend as he bids to reclaim the championship lead.
Top 10 Prediction
1. Lewis Hamilton
The Brit will look to continue his incredible record in America and clinch a seventh United States Grand Prix victory. Hamilton will take pole position on Saturday and have a simple race on course to his sixth triumph of the season.
2. Valtteri Bottas
Bottas will follow his teammate over the line in second and secure Mercedes’ first 1-2 victory of the season. The Finn, in fine form in recent races, will add more solid points to his tally in the battle for third place in the drivers’ standings.
3. Max Verstappen
The Red Bull man will struggle for pace at COTA. With Mercedes impressing and upgrading their car, their pace will be too much for Verstappen to match and the Dutchman will have to settle for third place.
4. Lando Norris
Norris will once again score another impressive ‘best of the rest’ finish. McLaren will show good pace throughout the weekend but will just fall short of a podium finish.
5. Pierre Gasly
The Gas-man will continue his good form in 2021 with yet another top-five finish. Despite a difficult qualifying, Gasly will make up early ground to have a thrilling race-long battle with Perez and come out on top, once again showing his worth to Red Bull team boss, Christian Horner.
6. Sergio Perez
The Mexican will narrowly lose out in a fascinating fight with Gasly. An uninspiring performance for the Red Bull man could mount pressure on his seat, despite being contracted with the team for 2022, with him yet again being beaten by the ex-Red Bull driver.
7. Carlos Sainz
Sainz’ heroics from Turkey will follow through in America as he has another strong weekend. The Ferrari man will enjoy a good weekend, with another impressive qualifying session under his belt, and a solid top 10 finish on Sunday.
8. Charles Leclerc
Leclerc will score another good finish in America but will be disappointed that he couldn’t break into the top five. The Monegasque will have a good qualifying, and start the race well, but mid-race pace will be his downfall which will see him be pipped by his teammate Sainz.
9. Daniel Ricciardo
Ricciardo will endure a weekend of frustration in the States, a poor qualifying will limit his finishing position. This weekend will be a weekend to forget for the ‘Honey Badger’.
10. George Russell
The Williams man will score another points finish as he makes yet another Q3 appearance. Russell will add a crucial point to his team’s tally in the constructors’ standings and will once again justify his promotion to Mercedes for 2022.
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