Ferrari : United States Grand Prix - Texan cocktail

16 Oct 2018

Austin, a mix of corners and uncertain weather

The United States and Mexican Grands Prix form the final back-to-back run of two races on consecutive weekends of this very long season. It's a demanding trip, not just from a logistical point of view, but also because of the 7 hour time difference between the track and our base, and all the 'remote garages.' For many teams, Austin is also the final time in the season that new performance development parts are brought out, even if the cars will be modified at the coming races to suit the characteristics of each circuit.

Scuderia Ferrari's advance party set off on Thursday 11th October, while the last group of team members will arrive in Texas on Wednesday afternoon. The track is located deep in the grasslands, in what was originally marshland, thirty kilometres to the south of the city of Austin, the capital of the 'Lone Star State.'
The venue has been on the calendar for seven years and features a variety of corners that add up to a sort of cocktail of curves from other famous tracks, with a little bit of Silverstone, some Suzuka with a bit of Austria and Turkey thrown in. The standout feature is definitely the fierce climb up a manmade slope to the first corner.

This year, the big unknown will be the weather: it won't be cold, but intermittent sun and clouds with the occasional shower looks like being the order of the day. It should be nothing like the storm of 2015, but it's hoped that the threat of rain won't keep the fans away, as they are a key component of the show, not forgetting all the VIPs who come and cruise the paddock…