We outline the recent American Formula One Grand Prix in Austin, Texas in this report F1 Review USA 2021.

The Circuit Of The Americas is situated in Austin, Texas, and is an undulating and extremely bumpy circuit. It is a challenge to drive, however, the circuit is highly regarded by the F1 drivers. Max Verstappen recently announced his disillusionment with the Netflix F1 documentary “Fight to survive”, but the series clearly had a role to play in the COTA Grand Prix attendance, with 400 000 spectators turning up for the weekend’s proceedings! 

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Quick out the blocks

The weekend began with Mercedes requesting new spares be fitted to their machines such that they could clear the bumps, as the team feared the bumps would tear their chassis apart. The FIA granted their request. They were not the only outfit that struggled as Red Bull Racing mechanics also found a crack in the rear wing of Verstappen’s car just ahead of the the qualifying session.

Red Bull Racing-Honda was in fine fettle at COTA, with both Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez performing strongly throughout the weekend. Verstappen took pole position, with Perez qualifying third. The Dutchman lost out to Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) at the start, but planned an aggressive early pit stop on Lap 11, which saw him surge into the lead – an advantage he would not relinquish, despite Hamilton’s best intentions.

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It was a two-horse race and Hamilton stopped for the second time eight laps later than his rival. Hamilton emerged after his second pit stop with a significant time deficit to make up. The Englishman hunted down his opponent and ultimately got to within one second of Verstappen… but it was not enough. Verstappen withstood the pressure to take his eighth victory of the season and extend his world championship lead over the Englishman to 12 points. Perez completed the podium after a solid, if not lonely, run to third position.

Engine troubles

Mercedes have been running into some problems with their engines as of late and the round at COTA saw Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes), Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin) and George Russell (Williams-Mercedes) take penalties for new Internal Combustion Engines. This set Bottas back, having to work hard to finish in sixth position, while Russell finished outside the points. There’s rumour in the paddock that title contender Hamilton could take another new engine before the season ends.

Best of the rest

McLaren-Mercedes and Ferrari are embroiled in a battle for third position in the constructors’ championship and the two teams’ drivers began an intense battle on the first lap of the race. While Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) moved clear of the squabble behind him, teammate Carlos Sainz had his hands full to try and fend off both Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris (both McLaren-Mercedes), with wild overtaking manoeuvres between the three drivers on the opening lap of the race arguably the highlight. Leclerc finished a lonely fourth, while Ricciardo got the better of Sainz to finish fifth after a bit of argy bargy between the two in the latter stages of the race. Sainz had to give best to Bottas too, while Norris could not stay with his two rivals and finished eighth.

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Fight in the old dogs

The two elder statesmen of the F1 circus, Kimi Raikkonen (Alfa Romeo) and Fernando Alonso (Alpine) made their presence felt in the race, with both drivers featuring in the top ten for much of the race. The Finn proved he is as feisty as ever, despite the fact that he is retiring at the end of the season, passing his Spanish rival around the outside into Turn 1 and forcing his way through despite Alonso’s robust defending and subsequent moaning on the team radio. Both drivers suffered drawbacks in the closing stages of the race, Raikkonen a spectacular spin, with the Finn finishing outside the points and the Spaniard retiring. Their misfortune paved the way for Yuki Tsunoda (Alpha Tauri-Honda) and Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin-Mercedes) to claim the final two points finishes on offer.

Retirees

The race produced three retirements, with Pierre Gasly retiring his Alpha Tauri as a result of rear suspension damage, while both Alpines retired as a result of unspecified technical failures.

The F1 circus moves to Mexico for the next round of the world championship. Sergio Perez was a popular driver at COTA, but Mexico is his home turf and expectations will be high. Unfortunately for the Mexican, the team will expect him to play the game and protect Verstappen in the drive to his maiden world title… Tune in on 5 to 7 November 2021 to witness the drama unfold.