United States Grand Prix Tips
Formula 1 begins a four-race tour of the Americas this weekend as we head to Austin, Texas for the United States Grand Prix, which marks the start of an eight-week run to the end of the season which includes three triple-headers.
The four-week break between the Singapore Grand Prix and this weekend’s Sprint affair, along with the hectic schedule between now and the season finale in Abu Dhabi, makes this the perfect opportunity for the teams to bring upgrades to their car, with most teams expected to bring upgrade packages to the Circuit of the Americas for this Sprint weekend.
Tip 1 - Lando Norris to win @ 9/10
Red Bull Racing have been utterly dominant in Formula 1 for over two years, but earlier this season, McLaren’s development process paid off as Lando Norris claimed his maiden win in the sport at Miami.
Since then, what looked to be another runaway World Drivers’ Championship win for Verstappen has turned into a genuine title battle, with Norris slashing the gap at the top to 52 points and taking three podiums from the last four races.
McLaren have had the winning driver in four of the last six events and have claimed nine podiums from a possible 12 over that period. Norris has taken pole position and the fastest lap in three of the last four Grands Prix, and his team have confirmed that he will get priority in decisions from the pit wall as McLaren go for a double-title haul.
The 24-year-old Briton finished second to Verstappen here last season, but he could take top spot this time around.
Tip 2 - Safety Car - No @ 4/5
The United States Grand Prix has been held at the Circuit of the Americas since 2012 and the safety car was called into action in 2013, 2014, and 2015.
However, since then just one of the seven United States Grands Prix have seen the full safety car deployment, with a Valtteri Bottas spin and a collision between Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll resulting in two safety car periods.
There have been three Virtual Safety Car uses in the intervening period, and the 2024 season has seen an overall reduction in safety car periods, with none of the last nine Grands Prix calling on the safety car, including the first-ever Singapore Grand Prix to see no safety car last time out.
Tip 3 - Fernando Alonso to finish in the top 8 @ 3/4
After a fantastic first half to the 2023 season, Aston Martin have tailed off and have endured a difficult 2024 campaign, but there are signs they could be inching their way back towards the front of the grid.
With Adrian Newey’s imminent arrival boosting morale, number-one driver Fernando Alonso has finished sixth and eighth in the past two Grands Prix and has secured a top-eight finish in four of his last seven races.
This will be the Spaniard’s 11th Formula 1 Grand Prix around the Circuit of the Americas and he has finished in the top eight in five of them, so back him for another strong showing.