2019 United States GP: Pirelli race preview

As Formula 1 moves from Central to North America, the same tyre nomination has been selected for Austin as for Mexico City: C2 as the White hard, C3 as the Yellow medium, and C4 as the Red soft. The Circuit of the Americas, which joined F1 calendar in 2012 (just three years before Mexico) has very different characteristics to the previous round, with a reputation of exciting and unpredictable races. The Friday free practice sessions will be particularly important this weekend as for the first time the teams will get a taste of the 2020 P Zero tyres.

TRACK CHARACTERISTICS

Drivers will have a chance of sample the 2020 tyres on Friday in Austin, to next year’s specification that was defined following a number of dedicated tests, with the final one held in Barcelona earlier this month involving the top three teams. Each driver will get two sets of the 2020 soft compound tyres, for use during FP1 and FP2 only.
The hardest tyre nominated for the United States Grand Prix is a step harder than it was in 2018 (when the soft, supersoft and ultrasoft tyres were chosen). These should help to ensure a more evenly spaced performance gap between the three compounds.
An ultrasoft-soft one-stopper was the winning strategy last year, courtesy of Kimi Raikkonen for Ferrari. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was second (from 18^th on the grid) with a soft-supersoft strategy, while Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton was third with a two-stopper.
There’s quite a variety of corners at the anti-clockwise Circuit of the Americas, with the uphill hairpin of Turn 1 standing out as Austin’s signature corner.
Wear and degradation is about average for all the circuits used during the season, making the three tyres from the middle of the range a particularly appropriate choice. Both the race and overall lap records date from last year set by Lewis Hamilton.
The weather in Texas can be extremely variable at this time of year, ranging from bright sunshine to typhoon-like conditions that have cancelled entire sessions in the past.

MARIO ISOLA – HEAD OF F1 AND CAR RACING

“Austin has always been renowned for putting on a great show, both on and off the track. This year, it is particularly significant, as it is where the teams will get to sample next year’s tyres for the first time, during free practice on Friday. This of course is just an initial taste of the 2020 C4 soft compound, before teams get to test the full homologated range of next year’s tyres at the two-day test in December following the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, as usual. Austin contains a bit of everything in terms of different types of corner, with quite representative asphalt as well, so it should be a good place to try out these new tyres for the first time”.

OTHER PIRELLI NEWS

Both the Mercedes and Ferrari team mates have made slightly different choices from each other for the United States Grand Prix. Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel have opted for an identical selection, but their team mates vary. Both Red Bull drivers have made the same choice.
The 2020 Formula 2 testing programme with 18-inch tyres continued in France the week before the United States Grand Prix, with 207 laps completed in wet conditions. From November 7-8, the second 18-inch Formula 1 tyre development test will take place at Circuit Paul Ricard, with McLaren on track.
After Mexico, the Formula 1 Pirelli Hot Laps programme returns at the Circuit of the Americas, with Lamborghini joining Aston Martin, McLaren and Mercedes.
Pirelli will also be present at the forthcoming Los Angeles F1 Festival, which takes place in the Hollywood area from October 29-30.