The Sprint weekend returns in Austin, which means that Friday will feature only one free practice session followed by the Sprint Shootout qualifying. Here’s the live coverage of FP1 from the Circuit of the Americas.
This first free practice session will be crucial, as all teams will have just one hour to prepare for the Sprint qualifying and to define how to approach the following two days. During FP1, teams will gather a large amount of data, especially regarding tire degradation, which is expected to play a key role throughout the weekend.
Even in October, Austin experiences high temperatures, and the FIA has already warned of possible extreme heat, similar to Singapore, with forecasts exceeding 30°C. Last year, track temperatures reached 29°C, but this time, the asphalt could be even hotter, turning tire management into a real challenge. Understanding how quickly the tires degrade during FP1, both on low and high fuel loads, will therefore be essential for every team on the grid.
Follow the live coverage of FP1 from the United States Grand Prix in Austin, starting at 19:30 Central European Time, to find out the first updates and technical insights from the weekend.
The characteristics of COTA
The Circuit of the Americas (COTA), located in Austin, Texas, is 5.513 kilometers long and runs in an anti-clockwise direction for a total of 56 laps, featuring 20 corners — 11 to the left and 9 to the right. Opened in 2012, the track is famous for its elevation changes, particularly the 41-meter climb leading to Turn 1, which has become one of its most iconic features. The official lap record belongs to Charles Leclerc, who set a 1:36.169 in 2019.
At COTA, the right strategy can make a difference of more than half a second per lap. Pirelli has highlighted that tire degradation in Austin is among the highest of the season due to the combination of high-speed corners, abrasive asphalt, and high track temperatures that can exceed 45°C. For this reason, the two-stop strategy — typically medium/hard/medium — remains the most effective approach.
Those who have attempted a one-stop strategy in the past have often been forced to change plans after around 20 laps due to a sharp drop in performance. With a pit stop time loss of around 20.5 seconds, stopping at Austin is not particularly costly, which makes managing pace over three stints more convenient than trying to stretch a single one.
Pirelli’s forecasts for 2024 confirm this trend: a one-stop strategy (medium/hard) is only possible under ideal conditions, while the two-stop approach (medium/hard/medium) offers the best balance between tire management, degradation, and race pace. For this reason, the undercut often proves decisive at COTA. Fresh tires provide an immediate advantage, gaining more than a second in the first laps after the stop.
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