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F1 returns to America for the first time since 2007. The new facility is the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas developed by the much loved Tilke. So despite the GP throwing up a number of unknowns as F1 has yet to turn a wheel we all know we are guaranteed hairpins, extensive run-off, brightly coloured and patrotic curbs and many people moaning about how circuits are no longer a challenge and have been far over neutralised...

Here's a map of the circuit...







I had a long extensive and informative post ready, but I only got power back from Hurricane Sandy last night.

Here's a quick history of US involvement in F1...

Indianapolis - 2000-2007





Phoenix - 1991





Phoenix - 1989-1990





Detroit - 1982-1988





Dallas - 1984





Las Vegas - 1980-1982


Long Beach - 1983


Long Beach - 1982


Long Beach - 1978-1981


Watkins Glen - 1971-1980


Watkins Glen - 1960-1970

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Because the race is down south will we get a prayer before the start like in NASCAR?

this really made me realise that the US has had some shitty tracks in the past, haha.

I'm curious about the track.

Cba about the title battle, we'll just see what happens.

If I post my usual bad tast joke about Vettel, Tom is going to post I'm a trol.

Wait NASCAR during F1? Lame.

I'm really curious to see how many people will turn up for this.

The last Phoenix Grand Prix had a poor crowd because more people were attending ostrich racing a few miles away.

Rumor has it the event is nearly sold out

For the championship Alonso has to win and Vettel finish 3rd, then we'd have equal points going into Brazil.

That doesn't need to happen ofcourse, Interlagos 2008 doesn't have to be repeated, it's bad for my achy breaky heart

Just to add to the usual moan, I have to say that I'm not excited with this track from what I have seen from the Lotus onboards.

Starting with the start, T1 is so disapointing! It could be a replicate(to the left) of A1-ring's T1 but instead it's a much slower and unchallenging turn. Because of it's slow speed, T2 becomes useless as it becomes flatout. Then, from T3 to T5, it also seems to be quite a dull zig zag(likely also flatout with just minor deviation left and right).

T6 is nice, but shortly it comes another boring sequence of turns with T7 to T9 being low speed left, right and left. T10 is just a bend, not even a proper turn, that leads briefly to the typical Tilke hairpin(T11) that leads to a long straight, which, also typically, ends in another harpin(T12).

T12 to T15, particularly, is a completelly useless piece and annoying to see these kind of sections being repeated over and over on Tilke tracks.

T16 to T18(the tripple apex corner which is being called COTA's version of Turkey's T8) looks to be a quite good corner and the best of the track but then, the final 2 lefthanders(T19 and T20) are nothing special either.

I'm aware the layout is known for ages and I think everybody already made their minds about it long ago, but seeing it in reality didn't make it any better so far, for me.

Nevertheless, I still have an open mind about it and I can change my mind once I see the cars with full speed through it

Turns 16-17-18 look a bit like the Carousel at Road America

Like the reports at Bahrain every year?

Every race they want to keep is almost sold out. China gives away tickets to local factory workers just to fill the stands, then they say it sold out.

Turn 1 is way too sharp. They should have interpreted it as A1 ring. That was a massively good corner, even when they ran wide on the outside (in fact, I quite enjoyed that )

Personally I don't think 16-17-18 will constitute any form of challenge. Perhaps a lift on higher fuelload, but judging from F12012, it is not essential to hit all the apexes like turn 8 in Istanbul. There is one flowing line through there.

and seriously, wtf is T12-T15 all about? No need for that section at all. Just go straight from 12 to 16.

It needed a stadium section, so they threw that in at the end. Didn't hide it very well lol. I bet there is grandstands overlooking it.

I like how the F1 race over runs the start of the NASCAR final round. If F1 wants to be big in the US then it has to realise it isn't the big player over there yet and has to take into account things like this.

Maybe you'll be correct with that. Looking again in the D'Ambrosio's onboard, it gave me a impression it could be quite easily flat out on low fuel because they reach that complex(T16-T18) with quite a lower speed that at Turkey's T8 and the flowing line that you mentioned. Wait and see.



There won't be prayers but instead of lights to start the race, one of these guys is gonna do it with his guns(screaming something like "yahooooo" or "yee-ha" at the same time):

or even better

Brazilians: SporTV will show the race live.

Maybe there'll be an ostrich race down the road like back in 1990 in Phoenix with 3 times the amount of people watching F1

Fittipaldi to assist the race stewards

Obligatory.

The new plague is India-like hairpins