United States Grand Prix: Can Red Bull Win The Constructors’ Title In Texas?

The Circuit of the Americas is expected to hold a record-breaking crowd of 400,000+ this weekend
07:00, 20 Oct 2022

The Circuit of the Americas is expected to hold a record-breaking crowd of 400,000+ this weekend.

Max Verstappen might have already taken the crown to become World Drivers’ Champion for another year, but there’s plenty of other battles to be had as the Formula One paddock heads to Austin, Texas for another galavant round the iconic Circuit of the Americas. 

Where: Circuit of the Americas (COTA), Austin, Texas, United States

When: Race weekend gets underway at 8PM BST on Friday 21st October. Race begins at 9PM on Sunday 23rd October. 

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Schedule (BST times):

FP1 - Friday, 8pm

FP2 - Friday, 11pm

FP3 - Saturday, 8pm

Qualifying - Saturday, 11pm

Race - Sunday, 8pm

2021 Winner:

Last year saw Max Verstappen take his first United States crown after getting so close in previous years. It was a podium with both Red Bulls on it, with Lewis Hamilton splitting the two in second. 

The race was notable with Verstappen showing his frustration at Mick Schumacher when he was trying to escape Lewis Hamilton on the final two laps, with Hamilton setting the fastest lap and having improved lap times over the Dutchman. Hopefully we get the same sort of drama this year!

Talking Points:

The first point to address is the battle for second place. Currently Red Bull’s Sergio Perez sits just one point ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, and with four rounds to go before the end of the year, both men will be scrapping to become this season’s vice-champion. The battle for points won’t stop there either. 

Alpine fell behind McLaren for the first time this season, after a strong outing in Japan for Zak Brown’s team. Alpine will be preparing for life without Fernando Alonso but they’ll be hoping their veteran Spaniard will end the season on a high before departing for Aston Martin. Aston Martin themselves are catching up to Alfa Romeo after Sebastian Vettel’s sixth-placed finish at Suzuka too, and lie just seven points behind the Italian team with momentum on their side. 

Another point is the Constructors’ Title and it can be won this weekend. There are a maximum of 191 points available until the end of the season, and Red Bull currently have a lead of 165 points. 25 is the magic number for Christian Horner this weekend. Anything over 25 points from Perez and Verstappen and Red Bull will clinch the title, de-throning Mercedes for the first time in the V6-Turbo era. 

The Track:

The Circuit of the Americas is a relatively new track, with the 10th anniversary of its opening being celebrated on Friday. The Texas track is not just a hub for motorsport but for so much more sports and culture too, with the Bold Stadium, home of the Austin Bold FC and Austin Gilgronis rugby team, playing just moments away from the giant amphitheater in the middle of turns 15 and 19. 

CircuitoftheAmericasjpg

COTA is known for being one of the bumpiest tracks on the calendar. It was built in land that was prone to flooding previously and, due to subsidence, bumps pop up in new places each year, despite undergoing annual work to treat the surface every winter. The track itself was inspired by multiple European influences, with turns 3 to 6 being inspired by Silverstone’s Maggotts and Becketts, turns 12 to 15 being Hockenheim’s stadium section and turns 16-18 being a rough copy of turn 8 at Istanbul Park. 

It’s the eighth fully anticlockwise circuit and, with 20 turns, is tied with the Baku Street Circuit as having the third-most corners for a current F1 track, behind Singapore (23) and Jeddah (27). There’s going to be a lot of downforce applied to the cars this weekend, with big wings expected to return to the cars again. There are two DRS zones on the track, and with such downforce being necessary, those zones will certainly make a difference this weekend. The forecast doesn’t look bad until next Monday, with temperatures expected to reach 33°C in overcast conditions. 

Betfred Winner Odds:

Max Verstappen: 1/2

Charles Leclerc: 5/1

Sergio Perez: 9/1

Lewis Hamilton: 9/1

George Russell: 14/1

Standings:

Drivers’ Championship 

  1. Max Verstappen: 366 points

  2. Sergio Perez: 253 points

  3. Charles Leclerc: 252 points

  4. George Russell: 207 points

  5. Carlos Sainz: 202 points

  6. Lewis Hamilton: 180 points

  7. Lando Norris: 101 points

  8. Esteban Ocon: 78 points

  9. Fernando Alonso: 65 points

  10.  Valtteri Bottas: 46 points

Constructors’ Championship

  1. Red Bull: 619 points

  2. Ferrari: 454 points

  3. Mercedes: 387 points

  4. Alpine: 143 points

  5. McLaren: 130 points

Betfred's US Grand Prix Race Odds*

*18+ | BeGambleAware | Odds Subject To Change

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