2016 United States Grand Prix: Preview and Weekend Times

Opening hours

Friday October 21

Free 1: 17:00-18:30 (Sky Sport F1 HD)

Full broadcast at 21pm on RaiSport 20

Free 2: 21:00-20:30 (Sky Sport F1 HD)

Full broadcast at 1:20 on RaiSport 1

Saturday October 22

Free 3: 17:00-18:30 (Sky Sport F1 HD)

Full broadcast at 20:50 on RaiSport 1

Qualifying: 20pm (Sky Sport F00 HD)

Full deferral at 23pm on Rai 25

Sunday October 23

Race: 21:00 ̶ 56 laps ̶ 308,405km (Sky Sport F1 HD)

Full deferral at 23pm on Rai 20

* all times indicated refer to Italy: there is a 7 hour difference between Italy and the United States.

Previous race

Rosberg continues to move further ahead of his historic rival, also winning in Japan, where he had never won, as well as in Belgium, Monza and Singapore this season. This really seems to be the right time, also considering Hamilton's bad moment, who has a bad time at every GP. In Japan the Englishman gets off to a bad start, while Nico takes off like a rocket, and goodbye to the possibility of shortening. Hamilton also has to team up with an amazing Verstappen, who may still have to refine his ways in the art of overtaking, but when it comes to defense he knows how to make his opponents pale. Off the podium once again are the Ferraris, who, for one reason or another, never manage to take the checkered flag among the top three. By now the Maranello team is totally in disarray, and Arrivabene's certainties are starting to collapse. His unscrupulousness is starting to get tiring, the few almost annoying words are starting to no longer please. He urgently needs a change of direction in 2017, otherwise we will head towards an unstoppable decline. The Force Indias are in great form, increasingly gaining ground on the two Williams, arriving at the finish line in this order. The McLarens did very badly, unable to leave the rear in their home race, turning 53 laps in anonymity.

Predictions from F1GrandPrix.it

The Texas race will be a really interesting one, for several reasons. Here last year Hamilton kindly took Rosberg wide at the first corner, then won the world championship with a mistake by the German in the final stages. That first corner, long and steep, could be the key element of an entire Championship again this year, perhaps. Our favorite here? Lewis, more than anything for the statistics and the hunger for victory that he has in his body. Behind us we expect a Red Bull-Ferrari duel. The race in Japan showed the good qualities of the Italian car, but a rather dubious strategy did not show the real values ​​on the field. If the strategists know how to play their cards as well as they did during the 2015 season, then perhaps we could see something really good. Finally, keep an eye on the weather, it should be nice for the whole weekend but you can never be sure until you get on track.

Circuit

Name: Circuit of The Americas.

Place: Wandering Ceek, Austin, Texas, USA.

Construction: For the first time since 2007, Formula 1 stopped in the United States again in 2012, in this new structure designed specifically for the circus. The track was inaugurated by COTA ambassador Mario Andretti himself. The track has many corners, as many as 20, many of which seem to replicate some of the best sections of the best circuits in the world championship, such as sections of Maggotts Backetts in Silverstone, the section of the Motodrom in Hockenheim and turn eight in Istanbul. The complex can accommodate as many as 120.000 spectators, not counting all the people who can position themselves along the "lawn" sections. The complex boasts a medical facility, 14 suites, a conference center and a banquet hall. Furthermore there is the characteristic tower from which you can dominate the entire track, and a campsite where you can stop during the race weekend will soon be opened.

Distance per lap: 5,513km

Number of curves: 20, 11 on the left, 9 on the right

Direction of travel: hours.

Technical data:

Aerodynamic Load:	Low	Medium	High
Throttle opening: 60% of the lap
Fuel Consumption per Lap: 1,69 kg/rev
Full speed: 330 km/h
Safety Car possibilities: 45%
Travel time in the pit lane with stop: 25 seconds.
Overtaking possibilities:	Easy-to-use	Medium	Difficult
Winners from Pole Position: 1 out of four editions in this track
Worst Starting Position for a Winner: second (Hamilton 2012,2014,2015)

Characteristics of the Track: The main straight of this circuit has the characteristic of having a height difference of 22 meters at the point of the first corner. This track requires, despite two long straights, a high aerodynamic load, so the use of the mobile wing is crucial when overtaking, with the cars able to gain up to 14 km/h compared to the lowered wing. There are 77 gear changes per lap in Austin. The hourly average is around 198 km/h.

Brakes:

Circuit Category:	Light	Medium	Hard
Number of Brakes: 11
Time Spent Braking: 18% of the lap.
Energy Dissipated in Braking During the GP: 132 kWh
Total Load on the Brake Pedal during the GP: 77.896 kg
More challenging braking: the seventh braking at turn 12.

Rubber:

Tires 2015:	ultrasoft	supersoft	Soft Drinks	Medium	Hard
Tire Stress	1	2	3	4	5
Lateral stresses	1	2	3	4	5
Abrasiveness Asphalt	1	2	3	4	5
Grip Asphalt	1	2	3	4	5
Total number of Pits 2015: 47
Winning Strategy 2015: Intermediate -> Pit Lap 18 Soft -> Pit Lap 46 Soft (Hamilton)
Longest Stints 2015: Intermediate 19 Laps (Sainz, Raikkonen, Perez, Hulkenberg, Rosberg, Ricciardo, Kvyat) – Soft 30 Laps (Alonso) – Medium 29 Laps (Perez, Rossi).

DRS zone: on the main straight, between turn 20 and turn 1 with detection point located just before turn 19. On the straight between turn 11 and turn 12 with detection point located just before turn 11.

Previous Editions

Last 3 Editions:

2013 edition: Felipe Massa announces the hiring by Williams for the 2014 season, he will race alongside Valtteri Bottas. Friday: in the first free practice session Fernando Alonso su Ferrari he sets the best time, while in the second tests he is Sebastian Vettel to print the best time followed by his teammate Mark Webber. Saturday: in the morning the FP3s are again led by the duo Red Bull and so it is also in qualifying. In fact, at the end of Q3 Sebastian Vettel he is the poleman followed by Webber, Grosjean on top Lotus - Renault, Nico Hülkenberg on Clean – Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton on Mercedes, Fernando Alonso, Sergio Pérez with the McLaren, Kovalainen, Bottas and Gutiérrez round out the top 10. Race: Vettel gets off to a good start, but Webber does poorly and is passed by Grosjean and Hamilton. Safety car on track from the first to the fifth lap after Sutil crashes into the barriers, disintegrating the car. On the twelfth lap Webber regains his position, surprising Hamilton at the end of the long home straight. Around the 25th lap all the leading drivers made the regular pit stop, except Gutiérrez who had changed during the safety car and who managed to recover a few positions until reaching seventh, only to then have to slow down his pace due to the excessive tread wear. In the meantime, Alonso recovered from behind and placed himself in fifth place, approaching Hamilton in the 44th pass, but was unable to overtake him. Webber also tries to reach Grosjean but in vain. After 56 laps the race ends with a solitary ride by Sebastian Vettel who signs the longest winning streak ever. Second is Romain Grosjean and third Mark Webber.

2014 edition: neither Marussia nor Caterham show up at the Grand Prix, the former due to financial problems, the latter due to a delay in the change of ownership, the fact is that with 18 cars the qualifying sessions are revised. Friday: in the first free practice it is Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes who precedes his teammate Nico Rosberg e Jenson Button su McLaren. In FP2 in the afternoon the first two positions remain unchanged while Fernando Alonso on Ferrari is third. Saturday: in the morning sessions the two Mercedes lowered the times recorded the previous day, third, by two seconds Felipe Massa with Williams. Qualifying: at the end of Q1 Lewis Hamilton is still ahead of everyone, but then the story changes, with Rosberg setting the best time in Q2 with a 1" advantage over his teammate and then in Q3 he wins pole position with the fastest time. 1'36”067. The two Williams cars start behind the Mercedes duo, Ricciardo (RBR – Renault), Alonso, the two McLarens, Rӓikkӧnen and Sutil's Sauber, in Q3 for the first time since the start of the season. Race: at the start the German maintains the lead of the race, Ricciardo passes behind Alonso but the safety car immediately calms things down, entering the track after a contact between Pérez and Sutil. On lap 15 the pit stops begin and Ricciardo is the one who benefits most, as after having regained the position from Alonso Bottas passes thanks to his strategy, now chasing Felipe Massa. Instead, we have to get to the 23rd lap to witness a battle between Rosberg and Hamilton, with the Englishman having the upper hand only a lap later and immediately pulling away, showing a better feeling with the track. On lap 33 Ricciardo is still the protagonist: taking advantage of an indecision in the garage Williams manages to overtake Massa, moving into third position. The situation up front did not change and after 56 laps Lewis Hamilton went on to win the Austin GP ahead of Nico Rosberg and Daniel Ricciardo.

2015 edition: Lotus announces Jolyon Palmer as its starting driver for the following season, while Lewis Hamilton can already close the books here and take home the world title. In the first free practice sessions on Friday, heavy rain affected the track, preventing testing in dry conditions. The fastest was Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) followed by the two Red Bull drivers Daniil Kvyat and Daniel Ricciardo. Adverse weather conditions meant that FP2 was not held, effectively postponing everything to Saturday morning, when FP3 took place under the banner of Lewis Hamilton, followed by Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) and Nico Hülkenberg (Force India). . Qualifying: contrary to what one might think, they took place on Sunday morning again due to the worsening weather; pole went to Nico Rosberg, followed by Lewis Hamilton, Ricciardo, Kvyat, Vettel, Pérez, Hülkenberg, Räikkönen, Massa and Verstappen – but both Ferraris were then relegated by 10 positions due to a change in the Power Unit. Race: at the start the two Mercedes are side by side and Hamilton takes Rosberg away, taking the lead of the race, Vettel sprints hard from behind. Kvyat tries to overtake Hamilton, but goes long. On the fifth lap the race direction imposes the virtual safety car to allow the track marshals to clear the track of debris left by a contact between Massa and Alonso at the first corner. At the restart Rosberg gets rid of the two Red Bulls and attacks Hamilton. However, with the wet track Ricciardo and Kvyat have a better pace than the rest of the group, so much so that after the first pit stop the two of them lead the race. However, conditions begin to improve and the Silver Arrows make up for it, overtaking the Red Bull drivers. Meanwhile Räikkönen was forced to retire after going off the track. A further SC is sent onto the track after Ericsson's Sauber remains stationary on the track. Vettel and Verstappen took advantage of this and after a few corners from the restart they were third and fourth, to the detriment of the Red Bulls. After another VSC and an SC Rosberg finds himself in the lead with a few laps to go, but a loss of traction causes him to go wide and thus allows Lewis Hamilton to cross the finish line first, becoming world champion for the third time . Also on the podium was Vettel, who got the better of Verstappen at the end.

Best Edition For Authors:

1991 edition: the new McLaren single-seater had not completed even one lap during the winter tests, so much so that the two race cars were completed at four in the morning on Friday inside the garages. Senna guarantees the reliability of the new car, supported by the new Honda V12, he is right: pole belongs to him with a second ahead of Prost's Ferrari. In the race there is no story for the first position, Senna quickly builds a large advantage over his pursuers, forced to fight for the other positions with no holds barred. Above all, it is Patrese who puts on a show behind him, trying to get a podium in his Williams, until the gear stops in neutral: the car remains perpendicular to the track and is hit by Moreno, who loses the front wheel. Meanwhile Prost, Piquet and Alesi engage in a great duel: at turn four the Brazilian overtakes Jean, who shortly afterwards is also overtaken by his compatriot. Thanks to an excellent entry, Alain also overtook Piquet, gaining and maintaining second position until the end of the race.

Best Edition For Readers:

2000 edition: racing returns to American territory after a long break, the circuit was created inside the famous Indianapolis oval. Michael Schumacher took the thirtieth pole of his career, placing the two McLarens of Coulthard and Häkkinen behind him. Sunday started on damp asphalt, making it difficult to choose the race strategy. At the start Coulthard starts early, taking the lead; in the rear, Button hits Trulli: the two return to the pits without any particular damage, but are forced to retire for different reasons. In the first laps many returned to change tyres, but the strategy proved to be incorrect: Schumacher took advantage of this and took the lead again after Coulthard's drive-through. But Häkkinen makes a comeback from behind: he finishes four seconds behind the German, then the Mercedes engine gives out and he is forced to retire. Thus Schumacher wins ahead of his teammate Barrichello and an attacking Frentzen with the Jordan – Honda.

RECORD

Test lap: 1:35.657 – S Vettel (2012)
Race lap: 1:39.347 – S Vettel (2012)
Distance: 1h35:55.269 L Hamilton (2012)
Driver victories: 5 – M Schumacher, A Senna
Team victories: 10 – Lotus
Driver pole: 5 – To Senna
Pole team: 10 – Lotus
Best driver laps: 3 – J Clark, M Schumacher, A Senna
Best team laps: 9 – Ferrari
Driver podiums: 7 – M Schumacher
Team podiums: 21 – Ferrari

Hall of Fame

1. 1959 B McLaren – Cooper Climax
2. 1960 S Moss – Lotus Climax
3. 1961 I Ireland – Lotus Climax
4. 1962 J Clark – Lotus Climax
5. 1963 G Hill – BRM
6. 1964 G Hill – BRM
7. 1965 G Hill – BRM
8. 1966 J Clark – Lotus BRM
9. 1967 J Clark – Lotus Ford
10. 1968 J Stewart – Matra Ford
11. 1969 J Rindt – Lotus Ford
12. 1970 E Fittipaldi – Lotus Ford
13. 1971 F Cevert – Tyrrel Ford
14. 1972 J Stewart – Tyrrel Ford
15. 1973 R Peterson – Lotus Ford
16. 1974 C Reutemann – Brabham Ford
17. 1975 N Lauda – Ferrari
18. 1983 M Alboreto – Tyrrel Ford
19. 1984 K Rosberg – Williams Honda
20. 1985 K Rosberg – Williams Honda
21. 1986 At Senna – Lotus Renault
22. 1987 A Senna – Lotus Honda
23. 1988 At Senna – McLaren Honda
24. 1989 A Prost – McLaren Honda
25. 1990 At Senna – McLaren Honda
26. 1991 At Senna – McLaren Honda
27. 2000 M Schumacher – Ferrari
28. 2001 M Hakkinen – McLaren Mercedes
29. 2002 R Barrichello – Ferrari
30. 2003 M Schumacher – Ferrari
31. 2004 M Schumacher – Ferrari
32. 2005 M Schumacher – Ferrari
33. 2006 M Schumacher – Ferrari
34. 2007 L Hamilton – McLaren Mercedes
35. 2012 L Hamilton – McLaren Mercedes
36. 2013 S Vettel – Red Bull Renault
37. 2014 L Hamilton – Mercedes
38. 2015 L Hamilton – Mercedes

 

Matteo Bramati, Andrea Villa.

Sources: Brembo, Pirelli.