2024 USA GP: Circuit of The Americas characteristics and Pirelli tire choices. COTA: The abrasiveness of the track is expected to change compared to last year, given the new layer of track surface.

The United States Grand Prix, taking place this weekend, will kick off the American tripleheader. After Texas, Formula 1 will head to Mexico City and São Paulo in Brazil. Sunday’s race will feature a slightly modified track, as the 5.513-kilometre Circuit of The Americas in Austin has been largely repaved, completing work that began two years ago.

The abrasiveness of the track is expected to change compared to last year, given the new layer of track surface. This will make it even more important to gather as much data as possible during the single hour of free practice on Friday afternoon, especially with the return of the Sprint format. Other changes include the use of artificial gravel in some corners to mitigate the issue of track limits, similar to what has been seen at circuits like Zandvoort.

The tire compounds chosen by Pirelli for this weekend are the same as those used in the last two editions: C2 as Hard, C3 as Medium, and C4 as Soft. COTA, designed by Hermann Tilke, draws inspiration from some of the most challenging and beloved tracks like Silverstone and Suzuka, Hockenheim, and the endless Turn 8 at Istanbul’s Otopark. However, the main feature of Austin is the steep climb leading to Turn 1, which, being very wide, allows drivers to take various trajectories, making the visual spectacle even more impressive.

In terms of forces exerted on the tires, the loads at Circuit of The Americas are distributed quite evenly between the front and rear axles, with more lateral than vertical forces. Generally, degradation is thermal and linked to ambient temperature, which can vary significantly from day to day in Texas in October. As for strategy, it will be interesting to see how this phenomenon might be influenced by the new road surface, keeping in mind that Saturday’s Sprint should provide valuable data for the teams. In last year’s short race, the medium compound was chosen by most drivers, although some took risks using the soft. Typically, a two-stop strategy has always been the fastest, especially since a single stop requires careful degradation management, obviously at the expense of performance. In 2023, the most commonly used compound was C3, which was more effective than C2. Now it will be interesting to see if the new asphalt can bring the Hard compound back into play.