Formula One team landed in Austin, Texas for Round 17 action of 2021 season. Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen are separated by just 6 points at the top of Driver Championship standings.
Following a year out due to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, Austin returns to the Formula 1 calendar this year with a slightly new look. During 2020 the track underwent a partial resurfacing, involving around 40% of its total length.
The circuit has been resurfaced in quite few place: the start-finish straight (including the pit lane exit) to the exit of Turn 1, the exit of Turn 9 through to Turn 10, the exit of Turn 11 through to Turn 12, and Turn 15 through to Turn 19.
Some depressions in the asphalt (between Turn 2 and Turn 3, as well as near Turns 4, 6, 10 and 14) have been fixed using a “milling” process, to make the surface more even.
One of the most unusual features about COTA is the distinctive Turn 1, which is an uphill left-hand hairpin. This makes it quite hard to judge the braking point: especially at the start. Austin is one of the most demanding tracks of all in terms of lateral energy, with several high-speed corners between 250 and 270kph in the first sector and lateral forces up to 4.5g (especially in Turn 6, for three seconds).
2021 Formula 1 US Grand Prix session timings in different time zones
| Session | GMT | CT | BST | CEST | ET | PT | AEST | JST | IST |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FP1 | 16:30 | 11:30 | 17:30 | 18:30 | 12:30 | 09:30 | 02:30(+1) | 01:30(+1) | 22:00 |
| FP2 | 20:00 | 15:00 | 21:00 | 22:00 | 16:00 | 13:00 | 06:00(+1) | 05:00(+1) | 01:30(+1) |
| FP3 | 18:00 | 13:00 | 19:00 | 20:00 | 14:00 | 11:00 | 04:00(+1) | 03:00(+1) | 23:30 |
| Qualifying | 21:00 | 16:00 | 22:00 | 23:00 | 17:00 | 14:00 | 07:00(+1) | 06:00(+1) | 02:30(+1) |
| Race | 19:00 | 14:00 | 20:00 | 21:00 | 15:00 | 12:00 | 05:00(+1) | 04:00(+1) | 00:30(+1) |
The 2021 United States Grand Prix TV Channel availability
In the UK, pay-TV broadcaster Sky Sports will show the entire race weekend, from FP1 to the race, on its dedicated Sky Sports F1 channel. While ESPN network will show the entire race weekend in United States.
F1 TV Pro viewers can watch all the live action from Sochi Please check to see if F1 TV Pro is available in your country.
