2017 United States Grand Prix: Preview and Weekend Times

Opening hours

Friday October 20

Free 1: 17pm-00pm (Sky Sport F18 HD/Rai Sport/Rai Sport HD)

Free 2: 21pm-00pm (Sky Sport F22 HD/Rai Sport/Rai Sport HD)

Saturday October 21

Free 3: 18pm-00pm (Sky Sport F10 HD/Rai Sport/Rai Sport HD)

Qualifying: 23pm (Sky Sport F00 HD/Rai 1)

Sunday October 22

Race: 21pm ̶ 00 laps ̶ 56km (Sky Sport F308,405 HD/Rai 1)

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

Previous race The merciless decline of Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel does not stop, who after the strike at the start in Malaysia and the last row in Suzuka, retired in Sepang after a few laps, due to a faulty spark plug. So it was that in the space of three races, a battle fought head-to-head until then, suddenly became an unhindered descent for Lewis Hamilton. With four races remaining, the British driver from Mercedes dominates the general classification with a 59-point advantage over the German driver from Ferrari. As if that wasn't enough, the third wheels also arrived at the end of the season: the Red Bulls of "Gianni and Pinotto", aka Verstappen and Ricciardo, who celebrated another amazing success in Japan.

Predictions from F1GrandPrix.it Hope is the last to die, true. But denying the evidence would still not help to recover an advantage which after the last disastrous performance in Japan has become an abyss, given the small number of races still available. Ferrari remains the fastest car on the track, even Mercedes says so, but this is not enough. To grab the championship, Maranello would now need a miracle. If a world comeback seems difficult, it is not unthinkable to aim to do well in the last rounds, to greet the 2017 season as winners anyway, and build a future that will not present any surprises at the best of times.

Circuit

Name: Circuit of The Americas

Place: Wandering Ceek, Austin, Texas, USA

Construction: For the first time since 2007 the formula 1 stopped in the United States again in 2012, in this new facility designed specifically for the Circus. The track was inaugurated by COTA ambassador Mario Andretti himself. The track has many corners, 20, many of which seem to replicate some of the best sections of the most beautiful circuits in the world championship, such as the Maggots Becketts in Silverstone, the Motodrom in Hockenheim and turn eight in Istanbul. The complex can accommodate 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.

Distance per lap: 5,513km

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

Direction of travel: clockwise

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: Present in several = 45%
Travel time in the pit lane with stop: 25 seconds
Overtaking possibilities:	Easy-to-use	Medium	Difficult
Winners from Pole Position: 2 out of 5 editions on 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; the use of the mobile wing is therefore 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 2016: 43
Winning Strategy 2016: Soft (11) -> Soft (20) -> Medium (25) Hamilton
Longest Stints 2016: Supersoft 14 Laps (Raikkonen and Vettel) – Soft 26 Laps (Nasr) – Medium 38 Laps (Ericsson)

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:

2014 edition: Neither Marussia nor Caterham showed up at the Grand Prix, the former due to financial problems, the latter due to a delay in the transfer of ownership. Friday: in the first free practice it is Lewis Hamilton su Mercedes to precede his teammate Nico Rosberg e Jenson Button su McLaren. In FP2 in the afternoon the first two positions remain unchanged, while third is Fernando Alonso on Ferrari. 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 it is Rosberg who sets the best time in Q2, with a 1" advantage over his teammate, and then in Q3 he takes pole position thanks to a time of 1" '36”067. The two Williams cars start behind the Mercedes duo, Ricciardo (RBR – Renault), Alonso, the two McLarens, Rӓikkӧnen and the Clean by Sutil, for the first time in Q3 since the beginning of the season. Race: at the start the German maintains the lead, 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: after having regained the position from Alonso the Australian passes Bottas thanks to an excellent strategy, then 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 doesn't change and after 56 laps Lewis Hamilton goes on to win the Austin GP ahead of Nico Rosberg and Daniel Ricciardo.

2015 edition: la Lotus announces Jolyon Palmer as 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 the dry. The fastest is Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) followed by the two Red Bull drivers Daniil Kvyat and Daniel Ricciardo. The 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 take place on Sunday morning again due to the worsening weather; pole goes to Nico Rosberg, followed by Lewis Hamilton, Ricciardo, Kvyat, Vettel, Pérez, Hülkenberg, Räikkönen, Massa and Verstappen – but both Ferraris will then be 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 leads 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.

2016 edition: on Friday, Lewis Hamilton ended Free Practice 1 in the lead, ahead of his teammate Rosberg and Verstappen's Red Bull, almost two seconds away but with two compounds behind the Mercedes drivers. In the afternoon it was Rosberg's turn to dictate the pace, with Ricciardo and Hamilton behind him, while in the third and final free practice session the two Red Bulls took the reins, with Verstappen the fastest ahead of Ricciardo, Raikkonen and the two Mercedes. Qualifying: Lewis Hamilton takes the American pole position and the Austin track record, thanks to the best time of 1:34.999. Rival Nico Rosberg will start in the front row next to the Briton, while the two Red Bulls are placed immediately behind. The fifth fastest time goes to Raikkonen, who precedes Vettel, Hulkenberg, Bottas, Massa and Sainz. Race: when the traffic lights go out, Hamilton maintains first position. Rosberg attempts to overtake but at the first corner Ricciardo takes advantage of the situation by inserting himself between the two. Excellent start from Raikkonen who immediately overtook Verstappen in front of him from fifth. Vettel, Massa, Sainz, Perez and Kvyat follow. Bottas gets a puncture in a contact with Hulkenberg, while Perez spins after a contact with Kvyat. There Force India of the German withdraws shortly after. On lap 9 first pit stop for Raikkonen and Ricciardo. Verstappen stops on the next lap, together with Rosberg, while Hamilton stops on the next. Vettel then takes the lead, followed by Hamilton, Ricciardo, Rosberg, Kimi, Verstappen, Massa, Kvyat, Gutierrez and Sainz. Kvyat gets a 10 second penalty for the contact at the start. Vettel also stopped on lap 14 and returned sixth behind Kimi. The top ten are all on the new soft compound, medium only for Rosberg and Alonso. Meanwhile, Gutierrez's Haas withdraw. On lap 25 Raikkonen stops again and rejoins maintaining his position. Ricciardo and Verstappen also pitted but the mechanics were not ready and the Dutchman found himself seventh behind Massa. Vettel also stopped on lap 29 and returned fifth behind Kimi, while Verstappen slowed down due to a gearbox problem and was forced to retire. The VSC is on stage. The two Mercedes take advantage of this to pass through the pits, as do Alonso and Sainz. On lap 33 the VSC returns: Hamilton is still in the lead ahead of Rosberg, Ricciardo, Kimi, Vettel, Sainz, Massa, Alonso, Perez, Button and Grosjean. On lap 39 Raikkonen stopped for the third time: the Finn, however, stopped exiting the pit lane, probably due to a problem with a nut, and was forced to retire. Ten laps from the end: Hamilton, Rosberg, Ricciardo, Vettel, Sainz, Massa, Alonso, Perez, Button and Grosjean. In the final laps Alonso held the lead, with a double overtaking against Massa and Sainz in the final lap. The checkered flag gives a Lewis Hamilton his 50th career victory.

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 takes pole 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 Readers Edition:

2000 edition: racing returns to American territory after a long break: the circuit has been 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 starts with damp asphalt, making it difficult to choose the race strategy. At the start Coulthard starts early, taking the lead. At 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 turned out to be wrong: Schumacher took advantage of it 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, L Hamilton
Team victories: 10 – Lotus
Driver pole: 5 – To Senna
Pole team: 10 – Lotus
Best driver laps: 4 – S Vettel
Best team laps: 10 – Ferrari
Driver podiums: 7 – M Schumacher
Team podiums: 22 – 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 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
39. 2016 L Hamilton – Mercedes

Sources: Brembo, Pirelli