F1, the history of the United States Grand Prix from 1959 to today

After Max Verstappen’s victory in Japan, it’s time to travel to the United States.

After just one weekend break, Formula 1 is ready to get back on track. The 19th round of the 2022 calendar predicts the American trip to Texas, where United States Grand Prix At the Circuit of the Americas, in Austin.

Verstappen finished the world address in the last race at SuzukaWinning the world title for the second time in a row. However, there was no shortage of controversy. Indeed, at Ferrari they did not like Charles Leclerc’s five-second penalty, which, in this way, was overtaken by Sergio Perez, which allowed the Dutch driver to win the championship.

Not even when it’s time to celebrate that the world of Red Bull has dealt with this issue budget ceiling. And the International Automobile Federation announced, on Monday, that the Austrian team has breached the spending cap during the 2021 season, and the fines will be announced soon. They range from a potential fine to deducting points from last season’s drivers and/or makers standings, which would in fact call into question the title that Verstappen won in the already controversial Abu Dhabi race. And while waiting for the final verdict to be understood, the Formula One show does not stop. There are still four races left that will put an end to the 2022 season.

Next stop Austin

The Circuit of the Americas was introduced on the calendar in 2012 (often shortened to COTA, from the English Circuit of the Americas) and is just one of a long line of American tracks that became part of the Formula 1 World Championship to find the first race Grand Stars and Stripes is real, you have to go back through the years. 1959. Sebring Circuit, Florida. Here is where the engines managed to inaugurate the long-running history linking the United States to Formula 1, in a race that has gone down in history for the heroic maneuvering of Jack Brabham, who ran out of fuel a bit. Meters from the end he pushed his car to the finish, arithmetically graduating the world champion.

From the East Coast to the West Coast, F1 has been staged in many different American cities over the years. The 1960 edition was held on the Riverside track in the middle of the California desert, while the following year, Watkins Glen, in New York State, became a fixture for twenty seasons. Graham Hill, Niki Lauda and Gilles Villeneuve, among others, won the Glen, which unfortunately also remains the site of two tragic accidents that claimed the lives of Frenchman François Seifert in 1973 and Austrian Helmuth Koenig in the year.
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In those years, America could boast a second year race on the calendar: the city of Long Beach. Located in the southern part of Los Angeles along the Pacific Coast, the stunning and somewhat dangerous Long Beach circuit is best remembered for the grave Clay Rigazzoni crash in 1980 that ended the Swiss driver’s racing career. In 1981 and 1982, two races were held in Las Vegas, along a track built around the luxurious Caesars Palace Hotel. From next season, the “entertainment capital of the world”, as described by Liberty Media CEO Stefano Domenicali, will return to the venue for the F1 Grand Prix, with famous casinos and neon lights as the backdrop for what promises to be the most magical weekend on the calendar.

There is one edition that sees Dallas instead, as the 1984 United States Grand Prix was held in the city of Texas. Because of the hot weather (symbol of the episode in which Nigel Mansell fainted from the heat while trying to push his car to the finish line) and poor track conditions, this GP didn’t make his mark. After the disastrous arcs in Dallas, F1 stopped in Detroit until 1988. Here too we run on a street circuit that has never fully entered the hearts of drivers due to the special configuration of the track with many sharp bends and very abrasive asphalt. The master of Detroit GB is Ayrton Senna, who has won here three times out of seven public editions. The Brazilian champion also stood out during the Phoenix GPs. In fact, from 1989 to 1991, the city in Arizona hosted three editions of the outdoor race. After results that fell short of expectations in terms of audience and entertainment, it was officially removed from the calendar.

Prior to Austin’s current presence on the calendar, Formula 1 had the racing franchise for eight seasons, from 2000 to 2007, including the historic Indianapolis track, which was modified slightly for the occasion. There was no shortage of exciting twists, which is both curious and unique, what happened in the 2005 version. After the formation lap, many cars returned to the pits without taking part in the race to avoid potentially risking accidents due to the unreliability of the Michelin tires. To the surprise of the general public, only six drivers lined up on the grid, and Michael Schumacher had handed Ferrari the only win of the year.

Starting this season, the United States will host two Grand Prix races again. After the first time in Miami last May, this coming weekend will see the 10th Austin GP race in the World Championships. The track, designed by German engineer Hermann Tilke, who also designed the layout of Sochi, Baku, Jeddah and many others, features long bats, the unmistakable rattlesnake, a series of very fast curves on the right and left, many ups and downs and blind curves that make it the stage for many of fights and a guaranteed show. so as not to miss anything,
The Texas Racecourse has a 77-meter-high panoramic tower, from which you can watch the race thanks to the panoramic terrace, and an amphitheater dedicated to events and concerts.

Austin’s honor roll has seen Lewis Hamilton win five times, Sebastian Vettel’s victory in 2013 and Kimi Raikkonen’s last F1 win here in 2018, while the last two editions have seen Bottas win on the podium. in 2019 and Verstappen last year. And it is precisely the Dutch, the new dual world champion, who has a chance to successfully equalize the record of seasonal victories (13) for Vettel and Schumacher in Texas.

On the contrary, Leclerc and Sainz are desperate for this victory that Ferrari missed at the Austrian Grand Prix last July, to try to restart the Mameli anthem again in a season that started in the best way but then sank from France onwards. On the other hand, Mercedes is still looking for the first success of the year which will bring a wave of enthusiasm for the upcoming championship. Then there is a fierce battle for fourth place in the constructors between Alpine and McLaren, as the French lead by 13 points after the club’s lavish performance.
Ocon and Alonso at Suzuka.

In front of more than 400,000 spectators expected over the weekend, the Austin race promises to be ablaze. All 20 riders have good reasons to try to finish the season on boom, before packing their bags for the winter break and setting a date for next year. At Rodeo Austin, who will become the new Formula 1 Cowboy? The appointment is on Sunday 23 October at 9 pm (Italian time).

Written by: Luca Santinato