Two-time world champion Mika Häkkinen shared his predictions for the upcoming US race weekend, including Saturday’s sprint.
This weekend, Max Verstappen is preparing to take the 50th victory of his career, and he loves the American track, and the Red Bull Racing car should allow him to win the next race.
But last year Carlos Sainz started from pole in Austin, so I predict there will be stiff competition between Ferrari and Mercedes for the podium. But McLaren has been in fantastic form lately, meaning Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri could spring another surprise.
Balance of power in the Constructors’ Championship
I won the US Grand Prix in 2001 and that was my penultimate race in Formula 1, so I have fond memories of racing in America. But now our sport has achieved great popularity in this country, and somehow it’s hard to believe that this weekend’s Austin stage will be only the second of three American races in 2023.
In a month, Las Vegas will still be waiting for us. But this weekend’s US Grand Prix will be the 75th Formula 1 race in America, and given that the contracts with US promoters are long-term, our sport has a big future here.
When we talk about the Circuit of the Americas (COTA), I like that the racing there is very interesting, and the crowd there is just great. This is a stationary circuit, specially designed for Formula 1, with certain sections reminiscent of circuits at Silverstone, Hockenheim and the famous 8th turn of Istanbul Park.
In that respect, COTA is very different from the temporary circuit in Miami or the City Circle in Las Vegas. Some corners here can be taken on multiple lines, such as turns 1, 11 and 15, and thanks to the strong effect of DRS, there are many overtaking opportunities on this circuit.
Last year’s race in Austin was very interesting: a slow pit stop left Max Verstappen behind Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, forcing the world champion to work hard. This is a real race track, so I’m looking forward to this weekend and I think it’s going to be exciting. Riders from five teams can realistically compete for places on the podium!
On Saturday we will see a sprint for the fifth time this season, so the teams and drivers will have to withstand a lot of pressure. During the only training on Friday it is important to avoid mistakes, because qualifying follows immediately. A single mistake by a driver can affect the entire weekend. Everyone is required to be fully assembled and on the track from the first moment they leave the pits.
On the one hand I predict that Max will be at the front again, on the other hand it will be very interesting to see the ongoing battle between Mercedes and Ferrari for second place in the Constructors’ Championship. The two teams are separated by just 28 points and Mercedes will look to recover from Lewis Hamilton’s very rare mistake in Qatar when he collided with teammate George Russell.
The situation in the individual competition
Lewis loves America, having won the US Grand Prix six times, including five at COTA, so he will now look to earn as many points as possible for the team on both Saturday and Sunday. The Mercedes team has prepared a new underbody for this weekend, also as part of the preparations for 2024, and I expect Lewis and George to be at the front this weekend.
Carlos Sainz is the only one besides Max who managed to win the race this year. Last year in Austin he was unlucky: he started the race from pole, but already in the first corner George sent his car into a spin. This year the Spaniard will try to repeat last year’s success in qualifying, but also in the race – if Verstappen suddenly runs into problems.
Charles Leclerc is also keen to show a high result, and with Ferrari still claiming second place in the Constructors’ Championship, the battle with Mercedes promises to be very tight.
Of course, we should also pay attention to Lando and Oscar, the McLaren drivers, especially after such an impressive performance in Qatar, where their team also set an incredible record for the fastest pit stop: 1.8 seconds.
Fernando Alonso is only 11 points behind Lewis, who is third in the individual rankings, so he will also try to show a good result.
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
