AUSTIN, CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS GET HIGH PRAISE FROM FORMULA ONE DRIVERS
We’re not the only ones excited that the U.S. Grand Prix is right around the corner.
Some of the drivers are looking forward to being here as well.
The official Formula One website has asked a few drivers and other team personnel about returning to Austin and Circuit of The Americas, and it’s no surprise that the reviews are glowing.
Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull Racing:
“Hand on heart, this is probably the date on the calendar I look forward to the most. I’ve loved every minute of being in Austin: when they picked this place for the US Grand Prix, they absolutely nailed it. The city is awesome. I love listening to live music and this is a great place for that, plus Texas feels like real America, and that’s something I’ve really enjoyed just sinking into the last two seasons. And then, there’s the important bit. The Circuit of The Americas, in my opinion, is the best of the new breed of circuits.”
Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull Racing:
“Austin is a fun city where you get a real feel for the Texan lifestyle and traditions and get to race on a great track. The Circuit of The Americas is a track I like a lot; it has 20 corners and we drive it anti-clockwise. The start/finish straight has a steep incline up to the first corner and is the trademark of the track. For us that means the braking starts uphill, which is not easy and locking the front tyres could be a problem.”
Romain Grosjean, Lotus F1 Team:
“[Austin] is quite a balanced circuit in that you don’t need one particular thing over another for the car to perform well. In the first year the challenge was finding the level of grip we want and we did see the same to a certain extent last year too. This year, we should be helped a bit by the race being a couple of weeks earlier, but we’re always wanting more grip! The gradient up to Turn 1 is really something and it makes for a fun first corner when you’re in the car. It’s a really well presented facility with an interesting circuit layout.”
Pastor Maldonado, Lotus F1 Team:
“Austin is a good track, it’s a challenging layout which is good to drive and it’s an enjoyable event. The first turn is quite something with its very steep climb and the rest of the lap flows well. The atmosphere at the circuit is really special, even for the first time we visited. It’s great to see the RVs at the side of the track and people staying at the circuit to enjoy the full weekend. The circuit can be a difficult one for tyres and we had some unusual delays and interruptions on the Friday last year so it will be interesting to see what happens this time. Certainly, there can be a variety with the weather and in the past we’ve seen it be quite cold at the start of the day. The race is earlier this season so let’s see how that makes a difference.”
We couldn’t have said it better ourselves.
For more information, check out circuitoftheamericas.com/f1
