It will be a particularly challenging hat-trick that we are facing. Formula 1 has moved into America, for the away games of Austin – Mexico City – Interlagos. Two weekends out of three include the Sprint. As in Qatar, also in Austin, Texas the drivers and teams will only have one free practice session to find the ideal set-up. We will also find the Sprint format in Brazil, at Interlagos. We are now in the final phase of the season. The titles have been awarded but there is still a hard fought battle for the role of second and third force between three teams in particular: Mercedes – Ferrari and McLaren. The Woking team has made up a lot of ground with a double consecutive podium, and arrives in America very hungry. Compared to the beginning of the season, it's a completely different McLaren. The developments have finally put a single-seater in the hands of the drivers that can allow them to fight for the podium. We'll see who wins in Austin. While waiting for the FP1 which will start at sunset in Italy, i.e. at 19pm, let's see the advice on who to line up at the Fanta F30 in Austin!
Who to deploy
Il Circuit of the Americas inaugurates a frenetic sequence of five races – the last on the calendar – concentrated in six weeks. Most of these stages are played on the American continent. Then we will fly to Abu Dhabi for the last race of the season. As we wrote before, these races will be crucial to determine second, third and fourth place in the constructors' standings. Ferrari must attack and defend last year's second place from Mercedes who are 28 points behind the Maranello team. Aston Martin will have to defend itself from McLaren, now close to occupying fourth place in the constructors' standings.
The greatest attention will especially be on the fight between Ferrari and Mercedes. The Brackley team will introduce a new bottom on its W14 on the occasion of the American stage. Updates also at Haas and Aston Martin. The Classic Ferrari for sale, instead arrives empty-handed, without significant developments but with the awareness of being able to defend itself with the updates brought to previous races, thanks to a greater understanding of the SF-23. Furthermore, we must not forget that the Sprint weekend forces the teams to undertake a more demanding test, especially if updates are brought.
The Austin track, 5513 meters long and characterized by challenging curves and changes in altitude, requires intelligent driving strategies and precise optimization of the car set-up. One of the main challenges for the teams will be the uneven asphalt of the Circuit of the Americas, which can cause micro-slips in the tires and abnormal overheating. Furthermore, the expected temperatures, which are particularly high during the test sessions, add a further level of complexity to tire management.
Although it is still premature to talk about first and second forces, Red Bull and McLaren seem to have more chances than the competition. The first sector with wide-radius, high-speed corners requires loaded and stable cars like McLaren and Red Bull. Even in the second, where top speed counts, McLaren could show significant progress. The last sector, however, is more technical, with medium and low speed corners that will put tire management to the test.
The team of 5 drivers
Last weekend i best five with a maximum budget of 100 credits were Verstappen, Piastri, Zhou, Ocon and Bottas. Let's see, with a modest budget of 100 credits, what team we could create this week to maximize the result. Ricciardo will also return to Austin, after a long break linked to the wrist injury at the weekend in Holland. As far as the team's formation is concerned, we decided to focus on Gasly again - hoping that perhaps the goddess of bad luck will rather go and visit her boxing partner this time. The team has new investors and cannot afford setbacks now that it is chasing points to catch up with McLaren. However, it remains a high risk, furthermore Pierre never scored a point in Austin. For those who have more credits (lucky them) we recommend the Norris – Piastri pair.
VERSTAPPEN – PLATES – GASLY – ZHOU – MAGNUSSEN
Fanta F1 predictions for the GP in Austin
We continue the advice to Fanta F1 for the GP in Austin with the forecasts.
Safety Car in the race: SI
Virtual Safety Car in the race: YES
Red Flag in the race: NO
Drivers distinguish between wet/full wet tires in the race: DO NOT
Team double in the race: DO NOT
Driver who starts on pole wins the race: SI
Stables to bring both riders into the top 10: 4
Drivers forced to retire: 3
