F1 seeks to rekindle the feel-good factor after losing both Caterham and Marussia; Just eighteen cars on the grid this weekend in Austin
Daniel Ricciardo has hailed this weekend’s United States GP as the most exciting of the year, as the sport prepares to put its off-track angst behind it following a turbulent month that has seen not one but two teams fall by the wayside.
With Marussia joining Caterham in administration, and the sport still waiting anxiously for news of Jules Bianchi following the Frenchman's horror crash at Suzuka four weeks ago, F1's overdue return to sporting matters will be greeted with considerable relief.
Perhaps it's just as well then that the F1 fraternity won't be short of welcome distractions at a venue which has, in the space of three years since it first joined the calendar, already firmly established itself as one of the most popular events of the year. As Ferrari remarked on their website of a venue which only debuted in 2012, ‘The Circuit of the Americas became an instant hit’.
But it’s not just the teams, acutely aware of the potential gains to be garnered from the vast but relatively-untapped American market, who have readily appreciated F1’s return stateside.
"Austin is one of the best weekends of the year,” enthused Lewis Hamilton, the World Championship leader, in Mercedes pre-race preview. Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo, the only driver to beat Mercedes to victory this season, was even more effusive.
Ted Kravitz claims that the biggest worry for Lewis Hamilton in Austin is not his teammate Nico Rosberg but the reliability of his car.
"Hand on heart, this is probably the date on the calendar I look forward to the most. I've loved every minute of being in Austin: when they picked this place for the US Grand Prix, they absolutely nailed it. The city is awesome. I love listening to live music and this is a great place for that, plus Texas feels like real America, and that's something I've really enjoyed just sinking into the last two seasons.
"And then, there's the important bit. The Circuit of the Americas, in my opinion, is the best of the new breed of circuits.”
While none of the drivers, passionate fans of COTA’s sweeping curves, are likely to quibble with Ricciardo’s assessment, there is another ‘important bit’ to the venue which will remain uppermost in the thoughts of the sport’s money-men this weekend. After suffering an interminable five-year absence as punishment for the PR disaster of Indianapolis 2005, Austin represents a critical foothold in a market that recent events suggest the sport needs to break more than ever.
“The U.S. is the biggest consumer market in the world and the largest global market for Mercedes-Benz; thanks to the race in Austin, we can see that the US is playing a bigger role in our sport, too, with greater interest and investment at many levels,” noted Mercedes boss Toto Wolff. “F1 has a passionate fan-base in the USA, which we can see growing all the time: the crowds at the first two races in Austin were absolutely mega, which is very encouraging for the future.”
The 18-car grid will the smallest entered since the 2005 Monaco GP and is expected to trigger a tweak to the qualifying format, with two sets of four cars dropping out in the first two segments.
At the front, it’s set to be business as usual with the Mercedes pair of Hamilton and Nico Rosberg fighting for victory in the next installment of their season-long battle for the drivers’ title.
“Crossing the line on Sunday in Sochi was a really amazing moment. To win the very first Formula 1 Russian Grand Prix and help the team achieve the first Constructors' Championship for Mercedes-Benz with a one-two finish - it couldn't have got much better,” said Hamilton. “When I went to the factories in Brackley and Brixworth the week afterwards, the atmosphere was just awesome. Everybody has worked so hard to achieve this title and they all deserve to savour the moment.
“Of course, we still have three races left to decide the Drivers' Championship - starting in Austin, which is one of the best weekends of the year. A lot of the American side of my family come to the race, plus I won the first ever Formula One Grand Prix at the circuit back in 2012, so it's a special one for me. I really enjoy going there and I'm looking forward to another great race - hopefully ending up with another Stetson hat on the top step of the podium!”
