AUSTIN, Texas — While we have experienced fall-like temperatures over the past few days, expect things to change heading into the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix (USGP) weekend at Circuit of the Americas (COTA).
The schedule for race weekend consists of a single practice session and qualifying for the Grand Prix on Friday, and Saturday entirely dedicated to the sprint. Saturday's qualifying session, known as the Sprint Shootout, takes place earlier in the day, followed by the actual F1 Sprint later that afternoon. For Sunday's Grand Prix, the results of Friday's session are used to determine the grid.
While we've had record-breaking heat for Friday's practice session and Grand Prix Qualifying, as well as the sprint activities on Saturday which had a high of 94, the main Grand Prix race will feature highs only in the upper 80s with a little bit more cloud cover, which could lead to differing track temperatures throughout the circuit, complicating race strategy. All in all, it should be an exciting race, unless you-know-who wins by around five to ten seconds.
With this heat, tire degradation could play into race strategy because the asphalt track is a great conductor of heat. Track temperatures could get close to 150 degrees during the practice session, the Grand Prix qualifying and Saturday's sprint activities. Expect more teams to use the medium or soft compound tires.
Stick with KVUE as we bring you the latest as we get closer to the festivities at COTA.
In the meantime, your 7-day outlook is below.
