Jordan's Track Talk

Tag: US Grand Prix

  • F1 announces extension of the US Grand Prix

    Formula 1 has announced that the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas, is set to remain on the calendar until the 2034 inclusive.
    The new deal secures the long-term future of the event as Formula 1 continues to experience significant growth across the United States.

    Since its debut on the Formula 1 calendar in 2012, the United States Grand Prix has evolved into one of the sport’s biggest spectacles, drawing over 430,000 fans to the Circuit of The Americas in recent years.
    Renowned for its thrilling on-track battles and vibrant off-track entertainment, the venue blends world-class racing with performances from global and local music artists.

    The 5.5 kilometre circuit starts with an iconic uphill run into Turn 1, before drivers take on the famous high-speed through Turns 3 to 6.
    The circuit has thrilled fans with wheel to wheel racing and overtaking since the first Grand Prix there 13 years ago, and COTA has delivered six different winners in that time, including Lewis Hamilton who holds a record five victories at the venues.

    In 2024, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc claimed his first win at COTA, breaking Max Verstappen’s three year winning streak there, as the Scuderia sealed a 1-2 result, with Carlos Sainz second.

    Since 2012 the United States Grand Prix has continued to grow in strength and popularity, and I want to thank the City of Austin and Travis County for hosting us. Each year, the event at the Circuit of The Americas stands out as a true highlight for fans, drivers, and teams alike, drawing hundreds of thousands of passionate supporters who come to witness the thrilling on-track action and soak up the vibrant energy of the circuit and the city. As Formula 1 continues to grow and thrive in the United States, we are proud to extend our partnership with Bobby Epstein and his outstanding team in Austin, as well as with Governor Abbott, whose leadership has been instrumental in supporting the sport’s development in Texas and beyond. Both have shown unwavering commitment to F1, and their shared vision and investment have played a vital role in establishing the strong foundation we now enjoy in the US.
    Stefano Domenicali, President & CEO of Formula 1.

    We’re glad Formula 1 has found a home in Texas, and are grateful to the fans, teams, and the entire F1 community who have consistently supported us and made the United States Grand Prix a favourite stop on the global calendar. Equally, we’re proud of – and appreciate – the people of Central Texas who have been such welcoming hosts! With this contract, COTA will overtake Watkins Glen as the longest serving Formula 1 track in the United States. Thanks to the great support and a wonderful host city, the United States Grand Prix has grown to be one of the world’s biggest single weekend sporting events – with an unrivalled annual economic impact.
    Bobby Epstein, Chairman of Circuit of the Americas.

  • Round 19- US GP

    Wow, what a race! I was hoping for a mixed race due to the grid penalties and I think we got just that and more! However, on a weekend where Red Bull’s co-founder and owner, Dietrich Mateschitz has died, the team managed to take home their fifth Constructors title and the team made a tribute to him.

    Not only did they take the Constructors, they also took the win as Max Verstappen took home his 13th win this season, matching Sebastian Vettel and Michael Schumacher. Hamilton comes home in 2nd after battling for the win and Charles Leclerc makes up ground and rounds out the podium.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Verstappen P2: Hamilton, P3: Leclerc, P4: Perez, P5: Russell, P6: Norris, P7: Alonso, P8: Vettel, P9: Magnussen and P10: Tsunoda.

    However, nothing stays the same as Fernando Alonso got given a 30 second time penalty which sees him drop out the points. The point scorers are: P1: Verstappen, P2: Hamilton, P3: Leclerc, P4: Perez, P5: Russell, P6: Norris, P7: Vettel, P8: Magnussen, P9: Tsunoda and P10: Ocon.

    Not a good day for Carlos, a what could’ve been for the Spaniard as he got spun round on the first lap by Russell and then having to go back to the pits and retire.

    It’s mostly a mixed result for most of the teams, but one team did look like they were having a promising race until lap 21, Lance Stroll and Sebastian Vettel were on fire this weekend and showed a lot of pace, with both drivers being in the top 10 during the race, until Alonso went to overtake Stroll and it all went wrong – Stroll has been penalised for the incident with a 3 place grid drop.

    A good weekend for Mercedes, they showed some pace in the race and those upgrades they brought definitely seem like it brought them closer to the front, as Lewis was battling for the win. I think if George didn’t get a 5 second time penalty for the lap 1 incident, he could’ve been a bit further up the grid.

    The Championship-

    With Max Verstappen taken his second Championship the focus turns to the rest of the drivers, Leclerc is now in 2nd as he leap frogs Perez, George builds on the gap between himself and Sainz in P4 and P5, and Lewis closes in on the Spaniard.

    Red Bull have managed to grab their fifth constructors title, Mercedes are closing in on Ferrari with only 53 points between them and 3 races remain! Alpine are still ahead in P4 on 144 points, McLaren on 138 points just six points between them.

  • Round 19- Austin Qualifying

    Qualifying for the United States Grand Prix is complete, but penalties once again shake up the grid a bit, however its all about what happens during the race…

    It was Carlos Sainz who took pole position, with Charles Leclerc in 2nd making it at 1-2 for the Italian team and Max Verstappen in 3rd.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Sainz, P2: Leclerc, P3: Verstappen, P4: Perez, P5: Hamilton, P6: Russell, P7: Stroll, P8: Norris, P9: Alonso and P10: Bottas.

    However the starting grid is: P1: Sainz, P2: Verstappen, P3: Hamilton, P4: Russell, P5: Stroll, P6: Norris, P7: Bottas, P8: Albon, P9: Perez, P10: Vettel, P11: Gasly, P12: Leclerc, P13: Tsunoda, P14: Alonso, P15: Magnussen, P16: Ricciardo, P17: Ocon, P18: Schumacher, P19: Zhou and P20: Latifi.

    A good result for Mercedes, its what they’ve needed after a few tough qualifying’s as well as weekends so the Silver Arrows will be hoping to get a good result on the board.

    What a day for Carlos Sainz, his second pole position and he will be wanting to take the win and hope for his teammate to get further up the grid so they can carry on with the Constructors fight.

    A stand-out qualifying from Stroll, originally qualifying P7 but starting P5 due to others penalties, it will be interesting to see how he does during the race and to hope that Aston have a good strategy and capitalise on the points.

    Predictions-

    My top five predictions are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Sainz, P3: Hamilton, P4: Perez and P5: Russell.

    It is most definitely going to be an interesting race with Perez and Leclerc coming through the field. There will be some drivers hoping to capitalize on there starting positions and hopefully score as many points as possible with four races left.

  • Pourchaire to make FP1 debut

    Sauber Academy driver, Theo Pourchaire will be making his F1 race weekend debut at the Circuit of the Americas during the United States Grand Prix. Where he will be driving in first practice for Alfa Romeo and he will also be one of the teams reserve drivers for 2023.

    Pourchaire, joined the Sauber Academy in 2019 and will be taking over Valtteri Bottas’s C42 on Friday in Texas. The Frenchman has previously driven for the team in a private test, he got to sample the C38 car at the Hungaroring in 2021.

    Currently 2nd in the Formula 2 standings, Pourchaire has taken home 3 wins and 3 further podiums, he currently has 164 points to his name and will be wanting to score more in the final round in Abu Dhabi.

    Theo has been delivering great performances over the course of this season, as well as during the previous years. We have been working closely with him for almost four years now, as a member of our Academy, and we have been impressed by his constant progress and development as a driver first and, equally importantly, as a person. We are delighted to give him his first Free Practice outing next week: it’s a well-deserved opportunity, and I’m confident he will once again impress us with his performances, as he will help the team gather valuable data ahead of the United States Grand Prix.

    Team Principal, Frederic Vasseur.

    I am thrilled to be making my Free Practice debut in Austin; it will be my second time behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car, but in some ways, it will feel like it’s the first time, as this time it will be during an official Grand Prix session. It feels like a dream coming true, and I want to thank Alfa Romeo F1 Team for putting their trust in me and granting me this amazing opportunity: I am looking forward to being on track, and I will make sure to get the most out of it and to do my best to support the team as they prepare for the United States Grand Prix.

    Theo Pourchaire on his FP1 debut.

    Ever since he joined the Sauber Academy back in 2019, Théo has shown impressive progress. He has been a title winner in 2019 and a contender in 2020 in F3; in F2, particularly this season, he’s given his all and was in the battle for the title for most of the championship. He is, without any doubt, one of the most promising young drivers coming through the ranks, and it’s a pleasure for us to finally see him stepping up and earning his first Formula One Free Practice outing. From the very beginning he impressed us with his professional approach and dedication to always give his very best on- and off-track, and we can’t wait to see him further unlocking his potential on track.

    Alfa Romeo’s Sporting Director, Beat Zehnder.

  • Sargeant set for FP1 debut

    Williams have announced that their academy driver, Logan Sargeant will be making his Formula 1 race weekend debut at this years United States Grand Prix with the Formula 2 racer set to drive in the first practice session at the Circuit of The Americas.

    Sargeant, is currently competing in his first season of Formula 2 and has already impressed, notching up two wins and collecting a further two podiums to sit third in championship.

    The American, will now get his second taste of Formula 1 machinery this time on home soil in Austin having first run in a Williams at last years post season test in Abu Dhabi. He will drive Nicholas Latifi’s FW44 for the 60 minute session and will be helping the team with set up preparations, as well as getting his first Grand Prix weekend action under his belt.

    Logan joined the Williams Driver Academy,where they announced it at the last year at the US Grand Prix. The 21 year old is the first American to be on the grid.

    I’m super excited to be given this opportunity to drive my first Free Practice in Austin. To be given the chance at the US Grand Prix is something extremely special to me. A massive thank you to Williams for putting the trust and belief in me to do a good job. The goal for me will be to learn as much as possible in the new generation of cars. I’m looking forward to making the most of this experience and really enjoying it.

    Logan Sargeant on his FP1 session.

    Logan has demonstrated a great level of ability and maturity so far this season through his accomplishments both on and off the track. He’s delivered race winning performances in Formula 2 matched by his hard work during simulator sessions. It felt only right to reward these achievements with the opportunity for him to take part in a Free Practice session at Austin. We’re looking forward to seeing him get behind the wheel of the FW44 and seeing how his performance and feedback help the team’s preparations for the race in Austin.

    Sven Smeets, Williams Sporting Director.