United States Grand Prix · Analysis
United States GP: Austin facts, stats and strategy to watch
A guide to the 2026 United States Grand Prix at Austin, from Kimi Antonelli’s title opportunity to COTA’s tyre demands and recent history.
Formula 1 returns to Austin for the United States Grand Prix, with the Circuit of The Americas hosting Round 18 of the 2026 season. Practice begins on Friday, October 23, followed by qualifying on Saturday and the race on Sunday, October 25.
The 5.513-kilometre circuit has staged the event since 2012. Lewis Hamilton holds the record for most wins there, with six, while he and Michael Schumacher share the pole-position record with four apiece. The lap record is Charles Leclerc’s 1:36.169, set for Ferrari in 2019.
Vital statistics
- First Grand Prix -- 1959 (Sebring)
- Track Length -- 5.513km
- Lap record -- 1m 36.169s, Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, 2019
- Most pole positions -- Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton (4)
- Most wins -- Lewis Hamilton (6)
- Pole run to Turn 1 braking point -- 230 metres
- Overtakes completed in 2025 -- 71
- Safety Car probability -- 29%*
- Virtual Safety Car probability -- 43%*
- Pit stop time loss -- 19.90 seconds
*From the last seven races in Austin
Antonelli has a first title opportunity in Austin
Kimi Antonelli arrives leading the drivers’ standings, as he has done since the Japanese round. He can secure his first championship this weekend, but the circumstances are exacting: he must win, with Mercedes team-mate George Russell ninth or lower and Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton no higher than fifth.
Max Verstappen is another major contender after consecutive wins in Malaysia and Singapore. He has won four of the last five races at COTA and was victorious from pole last year. The recent record is striking: Verstappen also won in 2023 and 2022, while Charles Leclerc took the 2024 race. Last year’s United States GP guide offers a look back at the previous Austin event.
Tyre wear could shape the race strategy
The circuit combines fast corners, abrupt changes of direction and slower traction zones. Pirelli’s selection is the C2 hard, C3 medium and C4 soft. The front tyres face particular stress through the opening sector, while repeated acceleration out of slower corners can raise heat and degradation at the rear.
Although the surface is not especially abrasive, wear remains a concern across much of the track. The section from Turns 9 to 11 was resurfaced earlier this year, but the older asphalt elsewhere contributes to high tyre wear. A one-stop strategy may be attractive with the C2 available, though Austin’s typically high temperatures could increase degradation and make alternatives viable. Read our tyre preview for the 2026 United States GP for more on the compound choices.
Austin’s layout rewards precision
The uphill approach to Turn 1 gives drivers several possible lines, while the long back straight makes the braking zone at its end a key challenge. Turns 13 to 15 form a difficult sequence, with the Turn 14 area placing significant load on the tyres. Track limits at Turn 19 and traction out of the final corner add further demands.
Austin recorded 71 overtakes in 2025. Across the last seven races there, the Safety Car probability is listed at 29% and the Virtual Safety Car probability at 43%—figures that underline the potential for strategy decisions to matter.