United States GP: What is the track length, number of laps and temperature for the Formula 1 race in Austin?

United States GP: What is the track length, number of laps and temperature for the Formula 1 race in Austin?

The venue of the United States GP: The Circuit of the Americas (Image by Pedro Mendes, through Wikimedia)

This weekend, Formula 1 is visiting Austin, for what is the second (and older) American race of the season. The main storylines are a possible upcoming announcement of Logan Sargeant’s move to Williams, and Red Bull potentially sealing the Constructor’s championship. Mick Schumacher is also fighting for his future in Haas.

The United States GP will take place at the ‘Circuit of the Americas’, usually dubbed COTA. It is a 3.426 miles (5.514 km) purpose-built circuit, located around 13 miles (21 kilometers) from the city of Austin, Texas, and just outside of Del Valle. There are 20 turns in the track. In accordance with the 300-km running rule (total race length is 308.405 km), there are 56 laps of racing.

Sunny skies are expected, with minimal chance of rain. For today, Temperatures are expected to hit around 32°Celsius (89.6 Fahrenheit) around FP3 at 14:00 local time but is expected to fall to around 28°Celsius (82.4 Fahrenheit) by qualifying, which will take place at 17:00 local time. Hot winds and gusts are expected to continue, at around 20-30 km/h.

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As for race day, clouds will arrive, but the expected chance of rain is still very low. A high of 30 degrees celsius is expected at the 14:00 race time, while the gusts of wind are set to continue, at an intensity of about 30 km/h, but may even increase further. Humidity will be around 45-50 percent.

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What are the storylines at the 2022 United States GP?

Max Verstappen (IMAGO / Motorsport Images)
Max Verstappen (IMAGO / Motorsport Images)

Max Verstappen won the last United States GP in 2021, but by the skin of his teeth, as Lewis Hamilton had begun catching up. It was very close. This time around, he arrives at the track with his championship already sealed, but that does not mean there’s nothing to play for at all. If he wins here, he will match Michael Schumacher & Sebastian Vettel’s record of the most wins in a season – 13.

While Verstappen has sealed his championship, Red Bull have not. This weekend provides them with that exact opportunity. Ferrari have to outscore them by 19 points in order to keep the fight going for another race, which means they will have to get a 1-2. But Charles Leclerc in particular is reported to be taking a penalty, and even Carlos Sainz could join in on that front. Besides, it’ll just be delaying the inevitable.

Jost Capito had earlier teased the prospect of announcing something on the driver front on Saturday: FP1 debutant Logan Sargeant is American, and it would make much sense if they announced a form of agreement with him here. But he will need to finish fifth or above in F2, or sixth if he finishes the season with no penalty points. He is currently third, but the gap to seventh place is only 12 points. There’s one weekend to go in Abu Dhabi.

Also Read: How many F1 tracks are in the US?

Also Read: When and where to watch the United States GP 2022: Schedule, live-streaming channels, and much more