Grand Prix 2019 United States Grand Prix Practice, Qualifying & Race Discussion

The title rumbles on the US gp after Bottas grabbed that podium and managed to hold Hamilton off from taking it in Mexico. It's more than likely going to be won here, all Hamilton has to do is finish 7th and he's the champion no matter what Bottas does as I understand it. We can all likely expect some yeehaws if that happens!

In the 48 times the USA grand prix has been raced it's been done over 10 different locations, the current one being Austin in Texas. Well, the track isn't actually in Austin, it's like with those budget airlines that promise to take you to places and dump you in a smaller airport miles away. The track is actually 12 miles outside of the city to the south of it. Whether the good people of Austin are happy about having an F1 race in their back yard I can't tell you, but that is where the race is currently held.

As the capital of the Lone Star State, Austin is a busy place with lots of attractions to offer. They have everything from museums, cinemas, bowling alleys, shopping, music festivals, fabulous buildings to admire and lots of sports along with some open topped double decker buses that wouldn't look out of place on a London street giving you tours around the city. They even have a museum of weird things and a graffiti park. But what is the one thing Austin is also famous for that links it to F1? Liquid gold, a.k.a. Oil.

Austin has had it's share of the oil boom. There have been over 300 companies attracted to the area which employ a lot of local residents that is obviously very good news for them, indeed one oil company worked with The University Of Texas in Austin as part of a fellowship program and invested $5 million in their graduate students. It's big business, so you could say that having an F1 race there is a perfect fit. As times change and oil is increasingly seen as a dirty product, part of the old way of doing things and people move to cleaner and greener energy choices, how much longer will the oil they have made their fortunes on be a viable option there or anywhere else you have to wonder?

Of the seven times the race has been run here Hamilton has won five with Vettel and Raikkonen takings the honours on the other two occasions. Austin is known for being one of the friendliest cities around and the atmosphere there is apparently second to none. However the US gp has struggled with funding, much like many other races in the series. Funding cuts by the government have hit hard, attendance figures dropped and the race was reportedly teetering on the edge of being off the calendar altogether. Then in 2016 they had a good battle between Hamilton and Rosberg for the title, great weather and Taylor Swift, attendance numbers were up and they had their second best ever crowd of just shy of 270,000 people through the turnstiles. In 2017 numbers were up again, this time Bill Clinton handed over the winner's trophy and Justin Timberlake (or as he's known in our house Justin Trousersnake) performed and drew in the crowds. In 2018 it was Justin's ex Britney Spears along with Bruno Mars who headlined. This year if the racing isn't your thing you can enjoy concerts by P!nk and Imagine Dragons or if you do like the racing but can't be there in person, US fans will be treated to free Sky Sports coverage on ESPN and ABC.

In 2018 your pole sitter was Hamilton and your podium was 1st Raikkonen, 2nd Vertsappen, 3rd Hamilton.
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Then in 2016 they had a good battle between Hamilton and Rosberg for the title, great weather and Taylor Swift, attendance numbers were up and they had their second best ever crowd of just shy of 270,000 people through the turnstiles.

now that was F1 at its peak. Lewis wins, Button finished in the top 10 & taylor swift rounded off the weekend. doesn't get better
 
This track has many positives, the uphill start in to a super wide flick back, the wiggly bits after the first corner which are a lot like the esses in Suzuka, the long back straight where the cars can really stretch their legs and the technical section before they go back to the start/finish straight. So why the hell doesn't it produce better races? Maybe it's the cars...
 
its probally the cars although we had a cracker in 2015 & 2018 was good seeing if kimi could win

championship will finally be over. which is almost a relief because its been 'when' since before the German gp. as Hamilton could take the last 3 off give Ocon a chance before he leaves for renault. & still win the championship because bottas is highly unlikely to win finally 3 races
 
In the 48 times the USA grand prix has been raced it's been done over 10 different locations, the current one being Austin in Texas.

Well, I have been to three of them (Long Beach, Vegas and Phoenix) and saw Indy Cars at Riverside.
 
Well, I have been to three of them (Long Beach, Vegas and Phoenix) and saw Indy Cars at Riverside.

You should try this one out sometime, yet your y'all on ;)

its probally the cars although we had a cracker in 2015 & 2018 was good seeing if kimi could win

championship will finally be over. which is almost a relief because its been 'when' since before the German gp. as Hamilton could take the last 3 off give Ocon a chance before he leaves for renault. & still win the championship because bottas is highly unlikely to win finally 3 races

You assume the championship will be over, all it takes is for Hamilton to have an accident, a car failure, a coming together with another driver..... It's never over until it's over. I agree it's more than likely it will happen but it's not a definite until it actually does happen, this is after all F1 remember. :)
 
History is on Hamilton’s side, as he has had only 1 non points scoring race since his engine failed in Malaysia in 2016. Also Bottas has to win all 3 races also to stand a chance of winning the Championship.
 
Not for me it isn't ;-)

Any rain forecast? I recall it being biblical at one of the sessions of one of the races in the past.
 
It is Texas, what rain? When I lived there we had snakes living under our house and had to shake scorpions out of our shoes each morning before we put them on.

Actually this was El Paso, vice Austin...but....if left a few indelible memories.
 
Apparently it's cold in Austin, it went down below freezing last night! I did see a clip on the news of Hamilton wrapping himself in a tyre warming blanket, if it was that cold I can't say I blame him.

I don't know which cars that will cause issues for, I'm not sure Mercedes like it when it's cold do they? Or am I getting that wrong? I know they all have trouble when they can't 'switch the tyres on' as DC often seems to tell us. If it's that chilly there it could be an issue.
 
well yeah 9c in FP1 is pretty cold must be might quite a way the coldest air temperature all season. which is probally why the C4 tyres were nightmare as cant switch on
 

very naughty from racing point missing the weighbridge & wheeling him back for the weight check. after conducting a practice pitstop.

That is overkill. It is not like cheating on the weight in free practice 2 would give him a performance advantage in the race. Why do they even need to check it then? What purpose does it serve?
 
Ruslan its because if they are doing practise pitstop whats to say the team have been underweight & they were adding things just in case. if your called for scruitneering weighbridge check. you can not touch the car or affect it in anyway
 
Ruslan its because if they are doing practise pitstop whats to say the team have been underweight & they were adding things just in case. if your called for scruitneering weighbridge check. you can not touch the car or affect it in anyway

Understand....but why do they even need to patrol and police that then? What does it matter if the cars are underweight or otherwise illegal in "free practice." The only thing that matters if they are illegal in qualifying and during the race.

If F1 is going to have more races and less testing, then the teams are going to need to use their "free practice" sessions to help test and develop parts. Why does F1 need to patrol this?
 
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