NEED TO KNOW: The most important facts, stats and trivia ahead of the 2025 United States Grand Prix

As F1 arrives in Austin for the United States Grand Prix, Need to Know is your all-in-one guide with statistics, driving pointers, strategy tips and more.

Formula 1 arrives at Austin’s Circuit of The Americas this weekend for Round 19 on the 2025 calendar, the United States Grand Prix.

With the Sprint format in play, Free Practice 1 and Sprint Qualifying will take place on Friday, October 17, followed by the Sprint and Qualifying on Saturday, October 18, and the Grand Prix itself on Sunday, October 19.

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)
Trivia – In 2022, Austin set a new F1 record with a three-day attendance of around 440,000 fans
Pole run to Turn 1 braking point – 250 metres
Overtakes completed in 2024 – 91
Safety Car probability – 29%
Virtual Safety Car probability – 29%
Pit stop time loss – 20.6 seconds

The driver’s verdict

Jolyon Palmer, former Renault F1 driver: The Circuit of The Americas is a great track that takes inspiration from parts of other legendary corners on the calendar.

The uphill Turn 1 is difficult at the race start as there are loads of different lines that can be taken, then you sweep through the first sector, which is a bit like Silverstone, where you’re trying to find your rhythm.

After that, it’s the long back straight and you’ve got to get your braking point right at the end of it…

Probably the hardest section on the circuit is Turn 13 through to Turn 15, which feels like an odd complex of corners behind the wheel. Turn 13 is conventional, but finding your line through to 15 is not easy, while that Turn 14 area puts a lot of load on the tyres.

You go through the quadruple right-hander after that, followed by Turn 19, which is a really nice corner – though track limits are an issue.

Finally, you stop for Turn 20, then it’s a short burst to the line, but drivers need to be careful not to light things up as it’s easy to break traction.

There are also plenty of overtaking opportunities during the race with DRS on the run to Turn 12 and Turn 1.

Last five United States GP polesitters

2024 – Lando Norris (McLaren)
2023 – Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
2022 – Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
2021 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2019 – Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)

Last five United States GP winners

2024 – Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
2023 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2022 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2021 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2019 – Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)

(L-R) Ferrari's Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc, Ferrari's Spanish driver Carlos Sainz Jr. and

Charles Leclerc led home Carlos Sainz in a Ferrari 1-2 at last year’s United States Grand Prix

Tyre and strategy insight

“The United States Grand Prix will be the second race of the season for which Pirelli is bringing three non-consecutive compounds, the last time being Spa-Francorchamps, and the available tyres will once again be the C1 as hard, the C3 as medium and the C4 as soft,” reads Pirelli’s weekend preview.

“In Belgium, bad weather meant it was not possible to find out how this choice might have affected strategy, and so the event in COTA could be the first real test of this choice, which sees the use of a harder hard than last year at the American track, while the medium and soft are the same.

“The increased performance difference between the hardest compound and the middle one should, theoretically, give rise to two scenarios.

“If drivers prefer the C1, the slowest but also the most consistent of the three, then they could run a one-stop race combining it with the C3. On the other hand, using the latter along with the C4, with its improved resistance to degradation, would produce quicker lap times but would almost certainly require two stops.

“Another similarity with the Belgian round is that Austin is also running to the Sprint format, which means teams only have one hour to try the various options over long and short runs, which could add to the uncertainty as to how the weekend might pan out.”

Current form

While McLaren wrapped up back-to-back Teams’ Championships at the Singapore Grand Prix, the race for the Drivers’ title is far from settled.

Oscar Piastri arrives in Austin at the top of the standings, but team mate Lando Norris is now just 22 points adrift after gaining ground over the Monza, Baku and Marina Bay weekends.

One driver making even more of a move, though, is reigning four-time World Champion Max Verstappen, who has either won or finished second at the last four races amid an upturn in Red Bull performance.

Verstappen is now a much reduced 63 points behind Piastri, with 174 still up for grabs over the remaining six Grands Prix, which include three Sprints.

Mercedes’ George Russell remains mathematically in contention after his supreme Singapore win and stellar 2025 season as a whole, along with Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc, but both would need an extreme turn of events to triumph from here.

However, Russell and Leclerc could both play a key role in the race for second in the Teams’ Championship, with Mercedes holding 325 points to Ferrari’s 298 and Red Bull’s 290.

Elsewhere, Williams are still winning the fight for fifth position, with Carlos Sainz’s recent podium and Alex Albon’s consistent scoring giving them a solid lead over Racing Bulls and Aston Martin.