Circuit of The Americas F1 Records & Statistics

Circuit of The Americas F1 records and United States Grand Prix statistics

Circuit of The Americas has become Formula 1’s long-term home in Austin, Texas, combining one of the championship’s largest modern crowds with a circuit that has repeatedly produced title-deciding races, memorable Ferrari performances and major career milestones. Since joining the World Championship in 2012, COTA has established a Formula 1 record spanning the final years of the Sebastian Vettel era, Mercedes dominance, the Lewis Hamilton-Max Verstappen rivalry and Ferrari’s resurgence in Austin.

Lewis Hamilton is the most successful Formula 1 driver at Circuit of The Americas with five Grand Prix victories, while Max Verstappen has won four times. Ferrari’s history at the circuit includes Kimi Räikkönen’s emotional 2018 victory, Charles Leclerc’s official race-lap record, consecutive pole positions through Carlos Sainz and Leclerc, and the dominant Leclerc-Sainz one-two in 2024.

Formula 1 first raced at Circuit of The Americas in 2012

The inaugural Formula 1 United States Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas took place on 18 November 2012.

Its arrival marked the return of the United States Grand Prix to the World Championship after a five-year absence following Formula 1’s final race at Indianapolis in 2007.

COTA quickly established itself as the championship’s principal American venue and hosted the United States Grand Prix every season from 2012 through 2019. The 2020 race did not take place, but Formula 1 returned in 2021 and has continued racing in Austin since.

COTA has hosted 13 Formula 1 Grands Prix through 2025

By the end of the 2025 season, Circuit of The Americas had hosted 13 Formula 1 World Championship Grands Prix.

The races took place in 2012–2019 and 2021–2025. The 2020 edition was absent from the calendar, creating the only interruption in COTA’s Formula 1 history to date.

Across those 13 Grands Prix, Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, Kimi Räikkönen, Valtteri Bottas, Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc have all won at the circuit.

Lewis Hamilton won Formula 1’s first race at COTA in 2012

Sebastian Vettel started the inaugural United States Grand Prix from pole for Red Bull and led much of the race, but Lewis Hamilton kept the German under pressure in his McLaren.

Hamilton eventually passed Vettel and completed the 56 laps in 1:35:55.269, winning by only 0.675 seconds.

Fernando Alonso finished third for Ferrari, with teammate Felipe Massa fourth. Ferrari therefore began its COTA history with two cars inside the top four even though the Scuderia was unable to challenge Hamilton for victory.

Fernando Alonso kept Ferrari’s 2012 championship hopes alive in Austin

The inaugural Austin race came during Fernando Alonso’s intense 2012 Drivers’ Championship battle with Sebastian Vettel.

Alonso’s third place ensured the championship remained alive heading into the final round in Brazil. Vettel finished second behind Lewis Hamilton and retained the advantage, but the title was not mathematically decided in Texas.

The weekend therefore immediately connected Circuit of The Americas with Ferrari’s modern championship history.

Sebastian Vettel won at COTA in 2013

After finishing second in the inaugural race, Sebastian Vettel returned to win the 2013 United States Grand Prix for Red Bull.

The victory came during a remarkable late-season run for the reigning World Champion and added Austin to the list of circuits where Vettel established himself during Red Bull’s dominant period.

Ferrari endured a more difficult weekend, with Fernando Alonso unable to reproduce the podium result he had achieved one year earlier.

Lewis Hamilton became the dominant driver at COTA

Hamilton’s 2012 victory for McLaren was followed by an extraordinary run after he joined Mercedes.

He won four consecutive United States Grands Prix at Circuit of The Americas in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017.

Combined with his inaugural 2012 success, that sequence gave Hamilton five victories in Austin, a record that still stands through the 2025 season.

Lewis Hamilton holds the COTA Formula 1 wins record

Hamilton’s five Grand Prix victories make him the most successful driver in Circuit of The Americas history.

He won for McLaren in 2012 before adding four Mercedes victories from 2014 through 2017.

Max Verstappen is now his closest challenger with four wins, achieved in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2025.

Lewis Hamilton also holds the Austin driver pole record

Hamilton is also the only driver to secure three Grand Prix pole positions at Circuit of The Americas.

His qualifying victories came consecutively in 2016, 2017 and 2018.

Several drivers have taken two poles at the circuit, but no one had matched Hamilton’s total of three by the end of the 2025 United States Grand Prix weekend.

Ferrari challenged for the podium during Mercedes’ dominant years

Ferrari frequently reached the COTA podium even during the period when Mercedes dominated the race result.

Sebastian Vettel finished third in the difficult wet-weather 2015 United States Grand Prix. Two years later, Vettel finished second and Kimi Räikkönen third, giving Ferrari two cars on the Austin podium in 2017.

Those results helped establish a strong Ferrari statistical record at the circuit before the Scuderia finally achieved its first COTA victory.

Kimi Räikkönen gave Ferrari its first COTA victory in 2018

Ferrari’s first Formula 1 victory at Circuit of The Americas came through Kimi Räikkönen in 2018.

Räikkönen started second behind Lewis Hamilton but took the lead at the first corner and managed his tyres and strategy superbly through a tense race involving Hamilton and Max Verstappen.

The Ferrari driver eventually won by 1.281 seconds from Verstappen, with Hamilton third only 2.342 seconds behind.

Sebastian Vettel finished fourth in the second Ferrari.

Kimi Räikkönen’s 2018 Austin win became one of his most memorable Ferrari victories

Räikkönen’s Austin success was his 21st Formula 1 Grand Prix victory and his first win since returning to Ferrari for the 2014 season.

The Finn absorbed pressure from Hamilton during the opening part of the race and later from Verstappen, producing one of the most strategically controlled victories of his second Ferrari spell.

The result also became Räikkönen’s final Formula 1 Grand Prix victory, giving Circuit of The Americas a special place in the career of Ferrari’s 2007 World Champion.

Valtteri Bottas holds the COTA Formula 1 qualifying record

The outright Grand Prix qualifying benchmark at Circuit of The Americas belongs to Valtteri Bottas.

The Mercedes driver secured pole position for the 2019 United States Grand Prix with a 1:32.029.

Sebastian Vettel qualified only 0.012 seconds behind for Ferrari with a 1:32.041, while Charles Leclerc was fourth at 1:32.137.

No later Grand Prix qualifying session through 2025 produced a faster pole time, leaving Bottas’s 2019 lap as the outright qualifying benchmark.

Charles Leclerc holds the official COTA Formula 1 race lap record

Ferrari owns the official race-lap record at Circuit of The Americas through Charles Leclerc.

During the 2019 United States Grand Prix, Leclerc set a 1:36.169 on lap 44.

The time remains the official Formula 1 race-lap record at COTA through the 2025 season and is listed by Formula 1 as the circuit benchmark.

Leclerc finished fourth in that race and also collected the fastest-lap point available under the regulations at the time.

COTA qualifying record versus race lap record

Circuit of The Americas has separate Formula 1 benchmarks for qualifying and race conditions.

Valtteri Bottas holds the fastest Grand Prix qualifying lap with his 1:32.029 from 2019. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc owns the official race-lap record with his 1:36.169 from the same weekend.

The difference reflects the contrasting conditions of qualifying and a Grand Prix, where fuel load, tyre strategy, traffic and race management affect lap times.

Lewis Hamilton secured his sixth World Championship at COTA in 2019

The 2019 United States Grand Prix became another major championship race in Austin.

Valtteri Bottas won from pole position for Mercedes, while Lewis Hamilton finished second. Max Verstappen completed the podium for Red Bull.

Hamilton’s second place was sufficient to secure his sixth Formula 1 Drivers’ World Championship, making COTA the venue where he moved to within one title of Michael Schumacher’s then-record total of seven.

Formula 1 returned to Austin in 2021 with Hamilton versus Verstappen

After the absence of the 2020 Grand Prix, Formula 1 returned to Circuit of The Americas in 2021 during the intense championship battle between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen.

Verstappen took victory for Red Bull after a strategic fight that remained undecided until the closing laps.

Hamilton finished only 1.333 seconds behind, while Sergio Perez took third.

Charles Leclerc finished fourth for Ferrari and Carlos Sainz seventh, giving the Scuderia a double points finish on its return to Austin.

Max Verstappen won three consecutive Austin Grands Prix

Verstappen followed his 2021 victory with further wins in 2022 and 2023.

That gave the Red Bull driver three consecutive United States Grand Prix victories at Circuit of The Americas, establishing him as the circuit’s dominant driver of the early ground-effect regulation era.

He later added a fourth COTA victory in 2025.

Carlos Sainz took Ferrari’s first COTA pole in 2022

Ferrari achieved a major qualifying milestone in 2022 when Carlos Sainz secured pole position in Austin.

Sainz recorded a 1:34.356, beating teammate Charles Leclerc by 0.065 seconds and Max Verstappen by 0.092 seconds.

It was Ferrari’s first Formula 1 pole position at Circuit of The Americas.

Leclerc had qualified second but received a grid penalty for power unit changes, leaving Sainz as Ferrari’s principal contender at the front.

Carlos Sainz’s 2022 pole ended at the first corner

Sainz’s opportunity to convert pole into Ferrari’s second COTA victory disappeared almost immediately.

The Ferrari was hit by George Russell during the opening-corner sequence, leaving Sainz with damage that forced him to retire.

Charles Leclerc recovered strongly from 12th on the starting grid to finish third behind Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton.

Ferrari therefore still left Austin with a podium despite losing its pole-sitter on the opening lap.

Charles Leclerc took Ferrari’s second consecutive Austin pole in 2023

Ferrari remained a major qualifying force when Formula 1 returned to Texas in 2023.

Charles Leclerc secured Grand Prix pole position with a 1:34.723, ahead of Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton. Carlos Sainz qualified fourth in the second Ferrari.

The result gave Ferrari consecutive COTA Grand Prix poles following Sainz’s 2022 qualifying success.

Charles Leclerc’s 2023 race ended in disqualification

Leclerc was unable to convert his 2023 pole into victory. Ferrari placed him on a one-stop strategy that proved less competitive than expected, and he crossed the finish line sixth.

Post-race technical checks then found excessive wear on the skid block beneath the Ferrari, resulting in Leclerc’s disqualification.

Lewis Hamilton was also disqualified for a similar technical infringement after initially finishing second.

Carlos Sainz was consequently promoted to third place in the official classification, giving Ferrari another Austin podium.

Charles Leclerc led a dominant Ferrari one-two at COTA in 2024

Ferrari finally returned to victory at Circuit of The Americas in spectacular fashion during the 2024 United States Grand Prix.

Charles Leclerc started fourth but exploited the battle between pole-sitter Lando Norris and Max Verstappen at Turn 1 to take the lead immediately.

From there, Leclerc controlled the Grand Prix and won by 8.562 seconds from Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz.

Max Verstappen finished third, giving Ferrari a convincing one-two at one of Formula 1’s highest-profile events.

The 2024 Austin result was Ferrari’s first United States one-two since 2006

The significance of the result extended beyond Circuit of The Americas.

Leclerc and Sainz delivered Ferrari’s first one-two finish in a United States Formula 1 Grand Prix since Michael Schumacher and Felipe Massa finished first and second at Indianapolis in 2006.

For COTA specifically, it was Ferrari’s first one-two and the team’s second Grand Prix victory at the venue after Kimi Räikkönen’s 2018 success.

Ferrari has two Formula 1 Grand Prix victories at COTA

Ferrari’s two Circuit of The Americas Grand Prix victories have come through Kimi Räikkönen in 2018 and Charles Leclerc in 2024.

The wins belong to two different Ferrari generations and were achieved in very different circumstances: Räikkönen prevailed in a tense three-driver strategic contest, while Leclerc controlled a dominant Ferrari one-two.

Ferrari has also taken two COTA Grand Prix poles, through Carlos Sainz in 2022 and Leclerc in 2023.

Ferrari has accumulated ten Austin Grand Prix podium finishes through 2025

Ferrari’s COTA record extends well beyond its two victories.

Fernando Alonso finished third in 2012, Sebastian Vettel reached the podium in 2015 and twice in 2017 alongside Kimi Räikkönen, while Räikkönen won in 2018.

Charles Leclerc added podium results in 2022, 2024 and 2025, Carlos Sainz reached the podium in 2023 and 2024, and the combined results give Ferrari ten individual Grand Prix podium finishes at Circuit of The Americas through 2025.

Max Verstappen won both the Sprint and Grand Prix at COTA in 2025

The 2025 United States Grand Prix weekend strengthened Max Verstappen’s Austin statistics.

Verstappen won the Sprint before securing Grand Prix pole position with a 1:32.510.

He then controlled the 56-lap Grand Prix and won by 7.959 seconds from Lando Norris.

The victory was Verstappen’s fourth at Circuit of The Americas, moving him to within one of Lewis Hamilton’s record total of five.

Charles Leclerc returned Ferrari to the Austin podium in 2025

Ferrari followed its 2024 one-two with another strong result at Circuit of The Americas in 2025.

Charles Leclerc qualified third and finished third, 15.373 seconds behind Max Verstappen. Lewis Hamilton finished fourth in the second Ferrari, giving the Scuderia two cars inside the top four.

Hamilton had arrived at Austin as the circuit’s record five-time winner, but his first COTA Grand Prix as a Ferrari driver did not produce a sixth victory.

Lewis Hamilton remains ahead of Max Verstappen in COTA victories

Through the 2025 United States Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton leads the Circuit of The Americas driver wins ranking with five victories.

Max Verstappen follows with four. Kimi Räikkönen, Sebastian Vettel, Valtteri Bottas and Charles Leclerc each have one COTA victory.

Hamilton’s record dates back to the inaugural race in 2012, while Verstappen’s four victories have all come since 2021.

Mercedes and Red Bull share the COTA constructor wins record

Mercedes and Red Bull are tied at the top of the Circuit of The Americas constructor victory ranking through 2025, with five Grand Prix wins each.

Mercedes won through Lewis Hamilton in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 before Valtteri Bottas added victory in 2019.

Red Bull’s total consists of Sebastian Vettel’s 2013 success and Max Verstappen’s victories in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2025.

Ferrari has two COTA victories, while McLaren won the inaugural race with Hamilton in 2012.

Sprint races have added a separate COTA record

Circuit of The Americas has also become a regular venue for Formula 1’s Sprint format.

Sprint results remain statistically separate from Grand Prix victories, poles and official race-lap records. They should therefore not be added to the main United States Grand Prix win totals shown in the circuit statistics.

Max Verstappen won the Austin Sprint in both 2024 and 2025, while Ferrari recorded strong Sprint results including Carlos Sainz’s second place in 2024 and Lewis Hamilton’s fourth place in 2025.

Circuit of The Americas measures 5.513 km

F1DB records the Formula 1 configuration of Circuit of The Americas at 5.513 km with 20 turns, running anti-clockwise.

A Formula 1 Grand Prix at COTA normally covers 56 laps, producing a race distance of 308.405 km.

The circuit combines substantial elevation changes, a long back straight, technical low-speed sections and a sequence of fast direction changes, creating one of the most varied laps among modern Formula 1 venues.

The uphill first corner is COTA’s signature feature

The approach to Turn 1 is one of the most recognisable sections of Circuit of The Americas.

Drivers climb steeply from the start-finish straight before reaching a wide, tight left-hand hairpin at the crest. The width of the corner allows several possible racing lines, which regularly produces position changes and contact on the opening lap.

Charles Leclerc used exactly that opportunity in 2024, moving from fourth into the lead while Lando Norris and Max Verstappen fought for position.

COTA combines influences from famous Formula 1 circuits

The Austin layout was designed to provide a varied challenge rather than relying on one dominant type of corner.

The fast opening sector features rapid direction changes reminiscent of celebrated high-speed sequences at circuits such as Silverstone, while later sections combine heavy braking, slower technical corners and a long acceleration zone.

The result demands a compromise between aerodynamic downforce, straight-line efficiency, mechanical grip and tyre management.

Turn 12 creates one of Austin’s main overtaking opportunities

The long back straight culminates in heavy braking for Turn 12, creating one of the most important overtaking zones at Circuit of The Americas.

Drivers must maximise traction through the preceding corner before accelerating down the straight and positioning the car for a late-braking attack.

Together with the wide Turn 1, this helps COTA produce more overtaking opportunities than many modern permanent circuits.

One Formula 1 layout at Circuit of The Americas

F1DB associates COTA’s Formula 1 World Championship history with one 5.513 km, 20-turn layout.

That allows lap times from different Formula 1 eras to be compared within the same recorded circuit configuration rather than requiring separate historical layouts.

Valtteri Bottas’s 2019 qualifying benchmark and Charles Leclerc’s race-lap record therefore belong to the same F1DB layout used throughout COTA’s World Championship history.

Ferrari’s Formula 1 record at Circuit of The Americas

Ferrari has been part of the COTA story since Fernando Alonso finished third in Formula 1’s first Austin Grand Prix in 2012.

The Scuderia eventually achieved its first victory through Kimi Räikkönen in 2018 before Charles Leclerc established the circuit’s official race-lap record in 2019. Carlos Sainz delivered Ferrari’s first COTA pole in 2022, and Leclerc followed with another pole in 2023.

The team’s strongest Austin result arrived in 2024, when Leclerc led Sainz home for a dominant Ferrari one-two. Leclerc then returned to the podium in 2025, with Lewis Hamilton fourth in his first United States Grand Prix at COTA as a Ferrari driver.

Through 2025, Ferrari therefore holds two Grand Prix victories, two Grand Prix poles, ten individual podium finishes and the official Circuit of The Americas Formula 1 race-lap record.

COTA records versus wider United States Grand Prix records

Circuit of The Americas records should be distinguished from the complete history of Formula 1 racing in the United States.

The World Championship has previously used venues including Sebring, Riverside, Watkins Glen, Long Beach, Detroit, Dallas, Phoenix and Indianapolis, while the modern calendar has also expanded to include races in Miami and Las Vegas.

COTA nevertheless represents one of the longest and most stable American Formula 1 relationships, with Austin hosting the United States Grand Prix continuously across several generations of cars and drivers.

Explore more Formula 1 circuit records

Use the F1 Circuit Records & Statistics database to compare Circuit of The Americas with other current and historic Formula 1 venues. For earlier American Grand Prix history, explore our Sebring F1 Records & Statistics, Riverside F1 Records & Statistics and Watkins Glen F1 Records & Statistics pages.