After a month away, Formula One is back for the business end of the 2024 season as the teams look to resume and close out what has been one of the most competitive campaigns in recent F1 history, starting with the United States Grand Prix.
As the grid heads to Austin for the 2024 United States Grand Prix, here are our race preview and predictions.
It’s been eight races since the reigning three-time World Champion, Max Verstappen, stood on the top step of the podium. Yet, despite having not won a single race since Spain, he still holds on to his lead in the Drivers’ Standings.
In the time since Verstappen won a race, McLaren have been the team to beat, while Mercedes have picked up three surprise wins as well. Lando Norris, Verstappen’s biggest title rival this season, has taken just two wins since Spain, with his young Australian teammate Oscar Piastri having been the more consistent McLaren driver in this period.
Verstappen and Red Bull have been on the back foot for a while now, having not had the machinery to match McLaren. After a lengthy break, though, they like many others will be bringing upgrades to the US Grand Prix.
Given the United States GP will have a Sprint race as well, it is the perfect opportunity for Verstappen to not only get back to winning ways but start extending his lead to Norris as well. We should be in for another cracker of a weekend, with both McLaren and Red Bull in the mix for the win. Should Red Bull be able to deliver on their upgrades, expect the Dutchman to be back on the top step of the podium.
Pole prediction: Max Verstappen / Lando Norris
Race win prediction: Max Verstappen
Liam Lawson is back at VCARB as he replaces the recently-booted Daniel Ricciardo, the veteran Australian having failed to deliver since his comeback. Lawson, who stood in for the team in 2023 for a couple of races when Ricciardo had broken his hand, will drive with Yuki Tsunoda for the remainder of the season.
Lawson joins a side that haven’t been the most competitive on the grid, and while he will not only have all eyes on him to see whether axing Ricciardo was the right call, he will also need to make an impact to get a seat for the upcoming season and show the world that he belongs on the grid.
Lawson has a best finish of third in the Formula 2 championship (2022) and finished runner-up in Super Formula for Team Mugen last season. This task, though, is cut out for the Kiwi driver, and it will be a tough end to the season for him.
Also read: Formula One Sponsors 2024
18 rounds into the 2024 F1 season, Sauber remain the only team on the grid to have not scored any points. The Swiss team have struggled almost every weekend and have a best finish of P11 (Zhou Guanyu in Bahrain).
Zhou’s teammate, Valtteri Bottas, has more to think about. A certified race winner, the Finn will want to lock in a seat for next season, and the Sauber/Audi seat alongside Nico Hülkenberg is the only one remaining (it is unlikely Red Bull take Bottas next year over Lawson or Sergio Pérez).
Sauber are also set to bring upgrades to Austin, but given where they are currently, expect another tough weekend for Bottas and Zhou.
Strugglers of the weekend: Sauber
Circuit: Circuit of the Americas
Venue: Austin, Texas, USA
Practice Session 1 time: 23:00, October 18
Sprint Qualifying time: 03:30, October 19
Sprint time: 23:00, October 19
Qualifying time: 03:30, October 20
Main race time: 00:30, October 21
Where to watch: F1 TV Pro / FanCode
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