After an unusual short autumnal break, Formula 1 and Scuderia Ferrari HP go racing once again, across the Atlantic for the 19th round of the season, the first of an American triple-header, the United States Grand Prix at the iconic Circuit of the Americas (COTA) just outside Austin.
The track. The 5.513 kilometre-long track features a mix of high, medium and low speed corners, with two DRS zones and a change in altitude of around 40 metres, with several climbs and drops, making this track one of the most demanding, but also one of the most entertaining of the season for the drivers. There are plenty of overtaking opportunities, the first on the 320 km/h uphill run to turn 1. However, the rest of the first sector has plenty of high speed technical corners similar to those experienced at Suzuka and Silverstone, providing a stern test for the drivers all the way to the low speed left hander prior to the longest straight on the track, which provides another passing opportunity. With the DRS wide open, drivers can try and attack going into turns 12 and 13. The final part of the lap features a long hairpin taking in turns 14 and 15 which leads into a long righthander and then two fast left turns which brings the cars back to the start-finish straight.
Weather and tyres. Races at COTA have often been run in very hot weather, with track temperatures reaching 41 degrees Celsius, making life somewhat complicated for the drivers and the cars, with a risk of overheating for the engine and its installation, as well as for the tyres, with a subsequent drop in grip levels. It rarely rains in Texas but there is always the chance of an occasional shower at the circuit over the course of the weekend. COTA is known for being a high tyre degradation track, which means drivers have to make compromises in terms of their driving style. If you push too hard at the start, you might have to make an extra tyre stop towards the end of the race, while those who look after their tyres in the early stages might drop back a few places before getting an advantage later on in the race over those who have to do three stops. Last year, most of the teams went for a three-stop strategy, starting on the Medium, pitting around lap 20 for Hards and then making another switch to Mediums to push all the way to the chequered flag.
Programme. The return of the Sprint format means there is just one hour of free practice (on Friday at 12.30 local, 19.30 CET) so that, as was the case last year, Saturday’s Sprint race will be used as a test to see how the tyres behave. Qualifying for the Sprint is on Friday at 16.30 (23.30 CET) while the short race starts on Saturday at 13.00 (20.00 CET) followed by qualifying for the Grand Prix at 17.00 (midnight CET). The five lights will go out to signal the start of the 56 lap (308.405 km) United States Grand Prix at 14.00 (21.00 CET) on Sunday.
Fred Vasseur - Team Principal Scuderia Ferrari HP
The Grand Prix in Austin marks the start of a very busy end to the season, with six races in the space of eight weeks, split into two triple-headers. Since Singapore, we have been working flat out and the high speed turns at this track will provide a useful test for the upgrades we introduced at previous races. As is always the case at a Sprint weekend, the work carried out at the factory prior to the event takes on greater importance, with only one hour of free practice before immediately going into the competitive part of the event, with qualifying for Saturday’s 100 kilometre race. Charles and Carlos and the whole team are well prepared and keen to go racing again, as always, looking to get every last bit of performance out of our package. We have to be on top of our game, as the leading teams are very evenly matched and there is still everything to play for in the championship.
FERRARI STATS
GP contested 1092
Seasons in F1 75
Debut Monaco 1950 (A. Ascari 2nd; R. Sommer 4th; L. Villoresi ret.)
Wins 246 (22.53%)
Pole positions 252 (23.08%)
Fastest laps 262 (23.99%)
Podiums 821 (25.06%)
FERRARI STATS GRANDS PRIX HELD IN THE UNITED STATES
GP contested 64
Debut 2008 Indianapolis 500 Miles 1952 (A. Ascari ret.) Wins: 13 (20.31%)
Pole positions 18 (28.12%)
Fastest laps 16 (25%)
Podiums 44 (22.92%)
THREE QUESTIONS TO... CARLOS GALBALLY
Scuderia Ferrari HP - Head of Vehicle Dynamics
1. What are the characteristics of the COTA track and which parts of the car does it stress the most?
COTA is one of the highest energy tracks of the season, split quite evenly left to right and front to rear due to its long corners, frequent changes of direction and an assortment of both high speed and low speed corners. Due to this, both axles are heavily stressed and there is a premium for having a well balanced car especially as regards low speed to high speed balance progression.
2. The tyres also face a stern test here. What must one do to manage them without sacrificing too much performance?
Due to the high energy demand and the compound selection (with the second softest compound available as the Soft for this event) on a flying lap it’s all about striking the balance between a good warm-up for T1 without running out of tyre in the third sector. On the other hand, for the race, the high speed esses in the first sector offer a unique opportunity to manage the tyres and limit the energy while sacrificing a little lap time in order to minimise total race time.
3. This weekend sees the return of the Sprint format. What impact does that have on the work at the track?
The Sprint format offers some unique challenges to the engineers due to the session distribution, so that rather than the usual Friday, concentrating on short and long runs, FP1 is more about focussing on the Sprint qualifying session that follows immediately. At the same time due to reduced testing time, it is even more important than usual to have correctly correlated simulation tools in order to hit the ground running without having to make too many changes to car set-up.
Profile
Carlos Galbally Herrero
Nationality: Spanish
Born on 21/09/1984
In Santander (Spain)
UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX: FACTS & FIGURES
5. The length in miles of the traditional Thanksgiving Turkey trot, a running race, the proceeds of which go to charity and which this year takes place on 28 November, starting at 9.30. It was first held in 1991, with just a handful of volunteers and 600 runners. Now, it is the most famous charity run in Texas, requiring 700 volunteers with over 20,000 competitors coming from across the United States, many of them dressed as turkeys. A great way for families to enjoy Thanksgiving and to date, the Austin Turkey Trot has raised over 5 million dollars.
27. The number of birthdays that Charles Leclerc celebrates today, born on 16 October 1997. That’s why the Monegasque races with the number 16 on his car, apart from the fact that 1 plus 6 makes 7, which is the number he would have chosen if it had not already been assigned to Kimi Raikkonen.
60. The tons of junk at Austin’s Cathedral of Junk. Started in 1988 by Vince Hannemann, the Cathedral of Junk is a continuously evolving art installation. The sculpture features a crazy collection of items from bicycles to television sets, toy cars and wheel rims. There’s even a phone booth. The work changes all the time as Hannemann and visitors keep adding and removing items, making it a dynamic ever-changing work of art. The Cathedral of Junk also reflects Hannemann’s passion for recycling and the environment, a reminder that what is considered rubbish can be transformed into something beautiful and meaningful. The installation is open to the public and visitors are encouraged to explore and add objects of their own, while Hannemann himself provides guided tours, explaining its secrets.
1835. The year in which the city of Austin was established, under its original name of Waterloo. History recounts that the city was founded by Hunter Jacob Harrell, who pitched a tent at the site of what is now the Congress Avenue Bridge on the north side of the Colorado River, before progressing to building a timber stockade. Within a few years, soldier and statesman Ed Burleson outlined plans for what would become Waterloo, but very soon after, in 1839, it was renamed in honour of Stephen Austin.
1951. The year in which a miniature version of the Statue of Liberty was built in Austin. It was erected on the grounds of the Capitol by the Boy Scouts of America. Made of bronze, it was cast by the Friedley-Voshardt Company. Naturally, it is by no means the only replica of the original New York Statue and in fact there are at least 200 others around the country.