Podium example of the US Grand Prix

Stage in Austin opens the second set of double Grand Prix, which will be held for us on an overnight schedule. After a short eastern tour in Singapore and Japan, Formula 1 heads west to the US and Mexico.

The organizers of the stage in Austin were actively experimenting with the format. Not all experiments proved successful – such as a lengthy introduction of riders before the start in 2017 with the participation of ring announcer Michael Buffer, but the idea of ​​postponing qualifications to a later date due to a next concert, tested in the same year, took hold. This year all sessions, except the race, will be an hour or two later.

Qualifying in Austin starts at 1am, so qualifying and the race will take place on the same day, Moscow time.

This year the US Grand Prix will be held in Austin for the tenth time, the organizers will celebrate this anniversary lavishly, but the podium that appeared on the calendar under Bernie Ecclestone is gradually losing its former status and disappearing under pressure from Liberty Media – the race in Miami, and next year in Las Vegas. Vegas, bereft of its geographic uniqueness, now fans must choose which of the three US Grand Prix to buy a ticket. And it’s unlikely that this choice will be in Austin’s favor.

However, over the years Formula 1 in Texas has formed its own audience, many people love the atmosphere of the music festival around the Grand Prix. The stands won’t be empty, but you won’t surprise anyone with cowboy hats on stage.

One of Austin’s obvious weaknesses is the unstable asphalt surface. The properties of the soil are such that it has not been possible to ensure long-term stability. In some places the ground can rise or fall, waves form on the asphalt. Last year MotoGP riders issued an ultimatum and threatened to boycott the event if the track condition remains the same – it’s just dangerous.

In response, in the winter of 2022, the organizers changed the asphalt again and reinforced some sections with a new concrete foundation, but admitted that it was impossible to solve this problem in general. And it could be critical to the future of America’s exciting track, “the first true home of Formula 1 in the US,” as they said 11 years ago.

The season is coming to an end, the champion is known, but four interesting races are ahead, which, according to the new rules, will ultimately determine the balance of power at the end of the first season. The Constructors’ Championship winner has not yet been officially determined, but Red Bull Racing will celebrate its first win since 2013 this or next week and its fifth in its history. In the middle group of teams, the fundamental battle for positions and prize money continues at the end of the season.

Expectations of the new regulations, which had been in preparation for several years, were very high, but the build-up of cars – extremely unpleasant for the drivers, offensive to the teams and what became an easy cause for criticism – made the debut somewhat crumpled.

Yes, it has become easier to overtake on some tracks, but not everywhere and subject to the previous rules – a clear advantage in speed or on fresher tyres. Simply put, it has become easier for fast cars to overtake slow cars, but the fight between the mid-group teams, where Mercedes and, in some phases, Ferrari, sometimes get in this year, was almost unaffected by the change of regulations.

If the track doesn’t allow overtaking, as recently happened in Suzuka, then there will be no overtaking, even if the riders are close behind, and the authors of the new regulations talked about solving this problem. They also talked about the fact that in time it will be possible to abolish DRS as an artificial measure, but now this issue is not being raised. The architect of the new rules, Ross Brawn, rarely goes to the press and no longer writes a column on the official website. There are other reasons for this, but enthusiasm for the regulation has noticeably diminished.

The battle in the races really got more fierce, the intrigue of the season turned out to be more modest. Last year, with the old cars, the fate of the title was decided on the last lap of the last race, now – even before the summer break, without any intrigue.

When the rules changed, Adrian Newey proved to be the best again. Four stages before the end of the championship, Verstappen has 12 wins – only Schumacher in 2004 and Vettel in 2013 had more, but there is no doubt that Max will break this record in the coming weeks.