Red Bull Racing Honda driver Max Verstappen at the 2021 US Grand Prix in Texas. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Max Verstappen will be hoping to celebrate the 50th win of his Formula One career at the U.S. Grand Prix in Austin this weekend as the sport kicks off a four-race swing through the Americas.
The Red Bull driver has won for the last two years at the Circuit of the Americas which this time runs to the sprint format with a race on Saturday before Sunday's main event.
It will be the first time Formula One has had two sprints in succession, with the race in Texas following on from Qatar.
McLaren F1 driver Oscar Piastri Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Verstappen took his 14th win in 17 races and clinched his third world championship at the Lusail circuit but the 26-year-old still has records to set and is not about to let up.
"He wants to win every race, we will see if that's going to happen," his father Jos told Reuters when asked about Verstappen's motivation for the remaining five races.
The Dutch driver overtook triple champion Ayrton Senna's 41 career wins last June and victory in Austin would set him up to match four-times champion Alain Prost (51) at the following race in Mexico.
If he then also triumphs in the Brazil sprint weekend, he could equal Sebastian Vettel's 53 at November's Las Vegas night race before ending in Abu Dhabi as the third most successful driver of all time after Michael Schumacher (91) and Lewis Hamilton (103).
His own 2022 record of 15 wins in a season can be equalled in Austin, the first of three races on successive weekends.
The champion is also on a record run of most laps led in a single season (739 and counting) and should add more at an anti-clockwise and undulating track with a reputation for being bumpy.
Verstappen is not one to get ahead of himself, however.
"It could be quite hectic for us, we only have one session to try and find the optimum balance in the car," the Dutch driver said of the weekend ahead. "The temperatures look to be high too so I'm expecting another tough race."
Mexican team mate Sergio Perez will aim to end a run of poor form ahead of what amount to home races.
"I know I have to get back to my best at COTA, it's a fun circuit to drive and I am confident we can perform there," said Perez, who can count on strong local support.
McLaren's Australian rookie Oscar Piastri won the Qatar sprint, but has never raced in Austin, while British team mate Lando Norris celebrates his 100th start in Formula One.
The team have fourth-placed Aston Martin in their sights, with only 11 points between the two.
The battle for second in the constructors' championship, already won by Red Bull, continues with Mercedes 28 points clear of Ferrari.
Mercedes will be keen also to move on from Qatar, where Hamilton and team mate George Russell collided at the first corner.
"We'll be bringing a modified floor, which is the last significant update we will take to the track this year," said team boss Toto Wolff, hoping for at least a small gain.
Australian Daniel Ricciardo will make his return at AlphaTauri, after missing five races as a result of breaking his hand in a crash at the Dutch Grand Prix weekend, while Haas bring a big upgrade for their home race.
Fans on home straight at the Circuit of the Americas after F1 race Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Formula One statistics for the U.S. Grand Prix at Austin's Circuit of the Americas, round 18 of the 22-race season.
Lap distance: 5.513km. Total distance: 308.405 km (56 laps)
2022 race winner: Max Verstappen (Netherlands) Red Bull
2021 pole position: Carlos Sainz (Spain) Ferrari one minute 34.356 seconds.
Race lap record: Charles Leclerc (Monaco) Ferrari, 1:36.169 (2019)
Start time: 1900 GMT/1400 local
USA
Austin's Circuit of the Americas is hosting the U.S. Grand Prix for the 11th time, after being absent in 2020 due to the pandemic.
Lewis Hamilton, Valtteri Bottas and Verstappen are the only current drivers to have won there. Hamilton is the most successful driver in U.S. GP history with six victories (five in Austin).
All the races in Austin have been won from the front row of the grid, with Hamilton starting three times on pole position.
Williams' rookie Logan Sargeant is the only U.S. race driver.
The 20-turn circuit runs counter-clockwise and is naturally undulating, as well as one of the bumpier tracks due to subsidence. It is quite high downforce and weather can be unpredictable.
CHAMPIONSHIP
Red Bull and Verstappen have won both championships already, Verstappen his third and Red Bull their sixth.
SPRINT RACE
Red Bull have won three of four Saturday sprint races so far this season -- Perez in Azerbaijan and Verstappen in Austria and Belgium. McLaren's Oscar Piastri won in Qatar.
WINS
Verstappen has won 14 of 17 races, his record run of 10 wins in a row ending in Singapore last month.
The Dutch driver has 49 wins from 180 starts and is fifth on the all-time list. Alain Prost, with 51, is fourth.
Red Bull have won 16 of 17 races, with Sainz winning in Singapore. Red Bull have also had a team record six one-two finishes in 2023.
Hamilton has a record 103 victories from 327 starts but has not won since Saudi Arabia in December 2021. Aston Martin's Alonso has 32 wins, most recently in Spain in 2013 with Ferrari, from a record 372 starts.
POLE POSITION
Hamilton has a record 104 poles.
Red Bull have been on pole 12 times this season. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc took the top slot in Azerbaijan and Belgium, Hamilton in Hungary and Sainz in Italy and Singapore.
Verstappen has 10 poles for 2023.
PODIUM
Six teams and 11 drivers have made a podium appearance this season: Red Bull, Alpine, Aston Martin, McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari.
Verstappen has been off the podium only once since Brazil last November.
Verstappen holds the record for most podiums in a season -- 18 in 2021 -- and has had 16 so far in 2023. Michael Schumacher is the only driver to have finished on the podium in every race of a season, in 2002 (17 races).
POINTS
Verstappen leads team mate Sergio Perez by 209 points and is set to end the season with a record margin.
FASTEST LAPS
Seven different drivers have taken fastest laps this season - Alonso, Alfa Romeo's Guanyu Zhou, Verstappen (8), Perez (2), Hamilton (3), Mercedes's George Russell and McLaren's Oscar Piastri.
MILESTONE
Verstappen can take his 50th career win this weekend.
McLaren's Lando Norris is making his 100th start.
Sunday's race is the 200th of the turbo hybrid era that started in 2014.
-Reuters