United States Grand Prix: Circuit Of The Americas Track Guide

All the information you need about COTA ahead of the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix.
McLaren Racing

Formula 1 makes its second of three visits to the United States this season with a trip to the Circuit of the Americas.

COTA has established itself as a modern classic since joining the calendar in 2012 with a layout modeled on the best sections of race tracks from circuits across the world.

A sprint weekend adds to the drama this weekend as the gloves are expected to come off between the McLaren drivers in the battle for the drivers' title following Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri's skirmish in Singapore last time.

Can Mercedes remain on top after George Russel's victory at Marina Bay?

Here's all the information you need about the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.

COTA
Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

United States Grand Prix Location

Location: Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas, United States

Circuit of the Americas History in F1

First race: 2012

Years held: 2012-2019, 2021-present

Number of races: 12

Circuit of the Americas Corners

United States Grand Prix, Circuit of the Americas
IMAGO / Dreamstine
  • Turn 1 - Hard on the brakes up the steep hill for an iconic left-hand hairpin.
  • Turn 2 - Sweeping back down-hill on power, full throttle to the right.
  • Turn 3/4/5 - A hardly believable flat-out blast through a left, right, left modeled on Silverstone's Maggots and Becketts section.
  • Turn 6 - A small touch of the brakes for the right of T6 to bring an end to the esses.
  • Turn 7/8/9 - T7 and T8 continue the switch back theme with just small lifts or dabs on the brake, from left to right as cars rise back uphill, before cresting at T9 to the left.
  • Turn 10 - A flat-out left-hand kink.
  • Turn 11 - Cars move back downhill into a heavy braking zone for a critical left-hand hairpin. Traction is crucial on a long DRS straight.
  • Turn 12 - A great overtaking opportunity into another hairpin left after the long straight.
  • Turn 13/14 - Get the car over to the left ready for the most technical section of the lap, T13 is a switch to the right. T14 is an extension of T13 as cars snake over to the right.
  • Turn 15 - A tight left-hander that has seen action in years gone by, positioning for braking is crucial as the track winds its way around.
  • Turn 16/17/18 - A thrilling blast through a triple-apex right-hand modeled as a reflected version of Turn 8 at Turkey's Istanbul Park.
  • Turn 19 - A difficult entry for this left-hander after the long right promotes track limit issues on exit. It's a high-energy flick downhill.
  • Turn 20 - A 90-degree left to finish the lap, relatively low speed with traction critical on exit.

Circuit of the Americas facts

Most wins by a driver

  • Lewis Hamilton - 5 wins
  • Max Verstappen - 3 wins

Most wins by a team

  • Mercedes - 5 wins
  • Red Bull - 4 wins
  • Ferrari - 2 wins
  • McLaren - 1 win

Last 10 winners

  • 2024 - Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
  • 2023 - Max Verstappen, Red Bull
  • 2022 - Max Verstappen, Red Bull
  • 2021 - Max Verstappen, Red Bull
  • 2019 - Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes
  • 2018 - Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari
  • 2017 - Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
  • 2016 - Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
  • 2015 - Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
  • 2014 - Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes

United States Grand Prix lap record

Both the race and outright lap records for COTA were set during the 2019 running of the event.

Charles Leclerc set the best race time with a 1:36.169s effort after a late switch to softs for Ferrari, while then-Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas took pole position with a 1:32.029s.

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Ewan Gale
EWAN GALE

Ewan is a motorsport journalist covering F1 for Grand Prix On SI. Having been educated at Silverstone, the home of the British Grand Prix, and subsequently graduating from university with a sports journalism degree, Ewan made a move into F1 in 2021. Ewan joins after a stint with Autosport as an editor, having written for a number of outlets including RacingNews365 and GPFans, during which time he has covered grand prix and car launches as an accredited member of the media.

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