2021 United States Grand Prix Preview
'Merica, baby
Qualifying: Saturday, October 23rd, 4:00 p.m. CST (ESPN2)
Race: Sunday, October 24th, 2:00 p.m. CST (ABC)
For the first time in two years, Formula 1 has returned to the United States of America, and a capacity crowd of over 360,000 will pack the Circuit of the Americas this weekend in Austin, Texas.
Much has changed in the past 718 days in terms of domestic interest in Formula 1. The Netflix docuseries Drive to Survive has ignited an interest in F1 for numerous Americans, and the sport’s U.S. television ratings have risen year-over-year in both 2020 and 2021.
In 2021, for the first time, the United States Grand Prix will air on national television (ABC), exposing Formula 1 to a massive, non-cable audience on Sunday afternoon. Although a full slate of NFL games will kneecap the ratings to an extent, one would still expect America’s home race to register a record Nielsen number this year.
However, no matter the ratings, we are in for one hell of a spectacle in Big Tex.
Let’s go racing!
The Track:
The Circuit of the Americas is a superb track that evokes some of the great F1 layouts around the world. For example, circuit designer Hermann Tilke modeled turns 3/4/5 at COTA after the legendary Maggots-Becketts-Chapel section at Silverstone. Tilke also modeled the 16/17/18 turn sequence at Austin as a clockwise homage to the four-apex turn 8 at Istanbul Park.
Now, as turn 1 at COTA proves, the circuit design was not entirely a copy-and-paste job for Tilke. At the first corner, the German designer created an ultra-wide corridor that allows for numerous lines. Expect to see a variety of different overtaking moves attempted at the end of the pit straight.
Although Lewis Hamilton has stood on the top step at Austin five times, early comments from the Red Bull camp suggest they feel confident in their ability to challenge for a win in America.
“We have always been competitive in the US and have got close to some good results. So, it's about converting that into a win now. We go to every track now knowing that we can fight at least for a podium now, but also a win and that is different to past years.”
-Max Verstappen
The Venue:
Like every city, Austin possesses its share of problems, but high self-esteem is certainly not one of them. The Land of 10,000 Indie Music Festivals, Austin boasts a reputation as one of America’s cultural hubs (just ask them).
Home to the University of Texas, 50,000+ students live right on the city's doorstep. The university, one of the largest in the country, helps infuse Austin with perpetually youthful energy.
Over time, Austin’s tech sector has grown substantially, and Elon Musk’s recent announcement that Tesla’s headquarters would move from California to Texas’ state capital only reinforced that trend. As the city grows in population and wealth, more and more longtime residents will find the fight to Keep Austin Weird a losing battle.
Beyond the Paddock:
On Sunday, a squad of fighter planes will fly over COTA as the Star-Spangled Banner plays. Minutes later, 20 of the fastest drivers on the planet will go head-to-head for 56 laps in front of 120,000+ Americans.
Observing that spectacle play out on Sunday for the first time will supply me with yet another reason to love Formula 1. Before I add it to the list, however, I thought I’d give you, in no particular order, 50 more:
Eau Rouge
Guenther Steiner f-bombs
Senna (2010)
Daniel Ricciardo going late on the breaks
That heart-stopping moment when two drivers go wheel-to-wheel
The chaos at turn 1 after a race start
The familiarity a fan can develop with a grid comprised of just twenty drivers
Max Verstappen’s killer instinct
Eau Rouge A safety car during a boring race
The grace and fluidity of a perfect pit stop
Street races
Turning off the TV following a cracking race, and still having your entire Sunday left to enjoy
Seeing a slower car successfully fend off a faster car for multiple laps
Hairpins
Saturdays at Monaco
Seeing drivers compete at their home races
Rush (2013)
It is tough to beat the pageantry of the Monaco Grand Prix Gravel traps
The Ferrari red
Christian Horner’s palatial country estate
Ginger Spice
Toto Wolff swearing on live TV
Switchback overtakes
Baku’s castle section
No commercials
A top-tier driver starting from the back and overtaking his way to a podium finish
Turn 8 at Baku, part of the circuit’s Castle Section Drive to Survive
McLaren’s Unboxed series
Rainy weekends at boring tracks
Grand Prix (1966)
High-speed overtakes around the outside
The dulcet tones of Pete Bonnington
Triple-headers
Zandvoort’s banking
Nailing the apexes of every roundabout I drive through
Introducing someone new to the sport
A scene from the excellent 1966 film Grand Prix Jenson Button’s autobiography
Lawrence Stroll’s laughably fake cool-guy routine
Martin Brundle
Delightfully awkward press conference groupings
Inter-team driver rivalries
The 2022 cars
Mid-race radio messages on TV
A close championship fight
Meeting another F1 fan out in the wild
Writing this newsletter
Last March, I fell head over heels for the glamourous theater that is Formula 1. I love watching the races, I enjoy keeping tabs on the sport’s rumor mill on Twitter, and I constantly laugh at the clever memes posted on Instagram.
I could easily rattle off 50 more reasons I cherish F1, but one matters more than all of them: you.
While the races on Sundays provide me with plenty of surface-level enjoyment, sharing my passion for the sport and engaging with family, friends, and even strangers satisfies me on a far deeper level.
Even though six races remain in the season, please allow me to pause and thank you for reading this newsletter. The most valuable resource in life is time, and the fact that you grant Formula Wonder some of yours on Thursday mornings is greatly appreciated.
If you have enjoyed the 2021 F1 season even 1% more as a result of this stupid newsletter, I promise that it has all been worth it for me.