The Circuit of the Americas was, until recently, one of three races on the Formula one calendar set on the American continent. Formula one had tried to break the North American market in Phoenix, but these had stalled due to the American public’s love of IndyCar and NASCAR but with the hugely popular Canadian and Brazilian Grand Prix’s becoming well established it was seen as not a great loss. However, the USA Grand Prix launched again in 2012 and has become a staple of the calendar. This is due in part to the fact it is based in the middle of the famous Brickyard home to the in Austin Texas and the final bend of the race leading into the start finish straight is one of its famous banked curves the only one on the calendar. It’s quite a race to see and it usually got plenty of drama and you can see it all from a very nice hospitality area like the ones available at the US F1 Paddock Club which you can see at https://edgeglobalevents.com/f1-paddock-club/f1-paddock-club-united-states/. Let’s see what a lap around this full-on American roughneck is like.
Knowing that the banked curve is at the end of the lap the drivers concentrate on getting a good start down to the first turn sees the cars reach 180 miles per hour then drop right down to 50 for a very tight bend that comes in on itself. The out and inbound sections run in the middle of the Indianapolis circuit and it is very technical which is a surprise as the American market seems to be set on speed and power over skill and style. The course is a neck muscle testing anti-clock wise job and turn 1 is a real test as it is a hairpin that comes right back up to a series of S bends very similar to Maggots and Beckitts at Silverstone in reverse. Turn 4 through to 10 is a series of right lefts that test the drives ability with the throttle and brake but do not offer much in the way of overtaking. Speed varies between 111 and 164 miles per hour before dropping down to 55 as you come into the second hairpin at turn 11. You are know finally heading back to the start. This does set the driver up for a huge push up to 205 miles per hour, its actually faster and longer than the start finish straight.
Another hairpin completes the straight to slow the cars down for the next set of turns. Two tricky low speed rights develop into a reverse set of lefts then the big curve of turn 17 awaits. The driver keeps the power on as much as he can as the slight jog right leads to a high-speed left at turn 19 before the run up to the banked curve. Round the tight left hairpin and then it is immediately on the throttle to bring the car off the famous Brickyard curve and into the finish.
