US GP Preview | Who will make the most out of the extraordinary weekend at COTA?
General
After a four-week break, the 2024 Formula One season is now entering the final two tripleheaders on its calendar. With a Sprint on the schedule, the US Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas could turn out to be either the most exciting, or the most feared event of the year.
What makes the US GP stand out?
After the summer break, McLaren could have the biggest smile on their faces. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri won three out of the four Grands Prix from Zandvoort until Singapore. Moreover, when Lando Norris won in the Netherlands and on the Asian street circuit, on both occasions he finished more than 20 seconds ahead of his title rival Max Verstappen.
Since then, teams have had the autumn break to work on their cars, with all four of the top teams expecting to improve. McLaren is not laying back for now and will come with an updated package for the weekend, Norris' team announced in Singapore. Red Bull is eager to finally fix its issues with the RB20, which especially hurt Verstappen at the Italian and Azerbaijan Grands Prix.
Toto Wolff said leading up to the weekend that Mercedes will bring their final updates for the current season in Austin, Texas. Moreover, Frederic Vasseur's Ferrari has previously made changes to its cars, but it now hopes to fully understand how those changes work on track in order to maximise its performance.
And with all of these new changes, the teams are 'hit' with a sprint weekend, where they only have a single practice session to set up their cars perfectly. Throughout the season, McLaren have prided themselves on being the team that arrive to the track the most prepared, and have been one of the only teams that did not face problems where they introduced changes. The question is, if that happens now, can they get the most out of that in only 60 minutes of free practice time.
Red Bull have previously done well at this track, but it remains to be seen whether they could have made the jump to McLaren's recent performance. And now, neither Norris and Verstappen can afford to lose points, and need to have their cars ready for Sprint Qualifying on Friday evening.
Ferrari and Mercedes to have free shot at finding time?
While recent tracks favoured Ferrari's car, they have the advantage of working with the changes they previously introduced, therefore, they have more data available. Mercedes could also be more risky this weekend with their new package, as the Germans are currently in no man's land in P4 in the constructors' championship. Therefore, more drastic changes could be expected from Lewis Hamilton's and George Russell's team if they are not successful during the Sprint.
As a result, it is anyone's game at the Circuit of the Americas, and with four teams relatively close in terms of performance, anyone can get it right from the get go in the USA. The two drivers fighting for the title as a result will not only have to look at each other, but also over their shoulders. For fans, after such a long time without F1, it is a must-see event.
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