United States: the TV program
Last back-to-back of the season with the United States Grand Prix counting as the nineteenth round of the Formula 1 World Championship. Lewis Hamilton is likely to clinch his sixth crown this weekend. As usual, Motors Inside offers you a look at the important race data and the complete TV schedule.
Designed by Hermann Tilke, the Circuit of the Americas was inaugurated on October 21, 2012, during the first United States Grand Prix since Indianapolis in 2007. Lewis Hamilton had his last victory in a McLaren before moving to Mercedes in 2013.
This very technical circuit is a true challenge for the drivers and their cars. Its first turn, an uphill hairpin, offers an impressive view as the single-seaters rush out on the first lap.
Some parts of the layout resemble other historic circuits, such as turns 3 to 6 which are similar to Maggotts and Becketts at Silverstone or the Esses at Suzuka. Turns 12 to 15 resemble the stadium section of Hockenheim.
With its long straight – over a kilometer at full throttle – located between turns 11 and 12, the circuit offers some overtaking opportunities. However, drivers will need to be precise in order to maintain a steady pace while giving relief to the different components of their engine.
The time spent at full throttle will be 60%, while the average speed will barely reach more than 200 km/h, with peaks that can go up to around 320 km/h.
The engineers will also have their work cut out to fine-tune the cars and thus optimize performance. Indeed, the track has a lot of elevation changes, which will cause variations in engine and turbo rotation.
In the championship standings, with a 74-point lead over his teammate and runner-up Valtteri Bottas, Lewis Hamilton only needs four more points to secure his sixth world championship title, his third consecutive one.
An eighth place would suffice for the Briton, regardless of the result of his garage neighbor. Moreover, the United States Grand Prix is one of the Mercedes driver’s favorites, having missed out on victory in Austin only twice in seven editions.
Given the current form of Mercedes and a track that only has two significant straights, it is very likely to see Lewis Hamilton leave with the crown.
Good news regarding the broadcast, the race will be aired free-to-air! The United States Grand Prix is indeed one of the four Grand Prix broadcast by the TF1 group this season. And while the other races aired free-to-air were on TF1, this Grand Prix will be broadcast on the TMC channel.
As with every Grand Prix this season, the Canal+ group is broadcasting the entire event from Friday’s practice sessions to Sunday’s race. Note, this weekend, the broadcast will be exclusively on Canal+ Décalé.
All sessions and the race can also be followed on F1 TV, Formula 1’s streaming service, live and on-demand.
Track length: 5.513km
**Number of laps in the race:** 56
Record of the track: 1:32.237 (Lewis Hamilton, 2018)
**Record holder for wins:** Lewis Hamilton (6), Lotus (10)
Record holder for pole positions: Ayrton Senna (5), Lotus (10)
The TV program:
