Five unforgettable US Grand Prix at COTA including Lewis Hamilton vs Nico Rosberg spat

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The Circuit of the Americas has often delivered memorable moments since staging its first United States Grand Prix in 2012, so F1 Oversteer looks into five of its best races.

Formula 1 chose COTA in Austin, Texas for the series’ return to America after five years away as the track was purpose-built with the pinnacle of motorsport in mind. F1 had not travelled to the United States since 2007 given the fallout of Tyregate from the 2005 US Grand Prix.

COTA has allowed Formula 1 to create many more positive US Grand Prix memories than the drama of 14 of the 20 cars refusing to race amidst fears their Michelin tyres would fail at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Only the cars with Bridgestone tyres in 2005 went on to race.

Bumps created by the soft soil that COTA was built on have often been F1’s biggest problem since reviving the US Grand Prix for 2012. COTA joined Sebring, Riverside, Watkins Glen, the streets of Phoenix and Indianapolis in staging a US Grand Prix since the first running in 1959.

COTA boasting one of the best circuits on the F1 calendar has also allowed it to become one of the most adored tracks the series visits for fans and drivers. Sector one honours the Esses at Suzuka plus Silverstone’s Maggots-Becketts and sector two has a 0.63-mile-long straight.

A 133-foot rise meeting the drivers at the 18-degree Turn 1 also allows COTA to offer a range of racing lines to begin a lap and create carnage at the start of a US Grand Prix. So, with that in mind, F1 Oversteer looks into the most memorable moments from US Grand Prix at COTA.

Lewis Hamilton was inches from disaster to deny Sebastian Vettel the first F1 US Grand Prix win at COTA in 2012

Along with being the first United States Grand Prix at COTA, the 2012 meet also proved to be the last win that Lewis Hamilton scored as a McLaren driver before he joined Mercedes. The Briton sealed a total of 21 wins with the Woking crew following his Formula 1 debut in 2007.

Yet Hamilton got within inches of disaster to deny Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel the win at the 2012 US Grand Prix. The German had beaten Hamilton to pole position by a mere 0.109 seconds and set the fastest lap of the race on Lap 56, but it was not enough for first place.

Vettel dictated proceedings from pole and looked on course to secure glory in the Lone Star State. But Hamilton closed in on his rival through the late stages and benefitted hugely after a backmarker impeded Vettel, enough to edge within DRS range on the back straight on L42.

READ MORE: The best moments of Lewis Hamilton’s career in Formula 1

A strong defensive move to the inside on the arced straight saw Vettel try in vain to take the inside for the heavy braking zone into Turn 12. But Hamilton stayed tucked in the German’s slipstream, pulling out only at the very last second to pass Vettel and win the US Grand Prix.

Nico Rosberg throws his P2 cap back at Lewis Hamilton before the 2015 US Grand Prix podium

The 2015 United States Grand Prix proved to be that season’s title decider as Hamilton beat Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg as the German’s championship dreams had faded rapidly in the preceding races. The Briton had to outscore Rosberg by two points and Vettel by nine.

Rosberg knew he had more than just a mountain to climb and was on a mission in qualifying to take pole position by 0.105s. But rain drenched COTA and Hamilton got the superior start, enough to pull alongside and force Rosberg wide out of Turn 1 to claim the lead of the race.

Red Bull drivers Daniil Kvyat and Daniel Ricciardo, plus Sergio Perez of Force India, even took the opportunity to overtake Rosberg. But the German was the fastest driver on the track, so relished Ricciardo passing Hamilton to make a move of his own on Lap 18 as the track dried.

Mercedes were comfortably faster than Red Bull in dry conditions and Kvyat would later spin into the barriers on Lap 43 to end his US Grand Prix. It also brought out a second safety car, under which Hamilton would pit for new medium tyres after Rosberg pitted back on Lap 39.

The new rubber gave Hamilton the grip to hound Rosberg upon the restart and the German cracked on Lap 48. With the win in his grasp, a tank-slapper out of Turn 12 saw Rosberg run wide and hand Hamilton the lead. It proved to be the decisive move in the title battle, too.

Hamilton held on to win the 2015 United States Grand Prix at COTA and get his third drivers’ title at Rosberg’s expense. But the drama was not over as Hamilton then threw the runners-up podium hat over to Rosberg in the cooldown room, sparking the German to hurl it back.

It was not a moment of malice or Hamilton trying to rub in that Rosberg was the No2 driver at Mercedes that season. Instead, both were in their own bubbles with Hamilton starting to soak in that he was a three-time champion and Rosberg coming to terms with losing a title.

Max Verstappen lost a podium after starting in P16 at the 2017 United States Grand Prix

Mercedes and Ferrari were a league above the field in qualifying for the 2017 United States Grand Prix as Hamilton edged Vettel for pole position with a 0.469-second margin over Red Bull driver Ricciardo as the best of the rest. Hamilton would even go on and win by 10.143s.

Ferrari’s Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen would also join Hamilton on the podium, but not before the stewards marshalled Max Verstappen out of the cooldown room after finishing in third place on track. The Dutchman drove a brilliant recovery race after starting in just 16th place.

READ MORE: The five worst moments of Max Verstappen’s career in Formula 1

Verstappen finished qualifying in P6 and was 0.550s off the overall pace for Red Bull, but fell to 16th thanks to a 15-place grid penalty for exceeding his quota of power unit components. Post-qualifying penalties for five further drivers meant Verstappen would only lose 10 spots.

The penalty would only delay Verstappen’s race, too, as he charged through the field to put Raikkonen and the podium in the Dutchman’s sights. Yet his chance to steal the podium slot only appeared on the last lap when Raikkonen took a wider line before turning into Turn 17.

Verstappen saw Raikkonen leave the door open, so darted down the Finn’s inside knowing it was likely his last chance to get onto the podium. But Raikkonen did not anticipate the dive, so turned in as normal – forcing Verstappen to react and run all four wheels into the run-off.

Ex-F1 pilot Mika Salo, acting as a driver steward, instantly realised Verstappen had exceeded track limits to complete his overtake on Raikkonen for a podium place at the 2017 US Grand Prix. The infraction also became clear to the other stewards who gave a five-second penalty.

Kimi Raikkonen won his first race in five years at the 2018 United States Grand Prix

Raikkonen was a title threat through much of his time at McLaren and the Finn won the title with Ferrari in 2007. But, despite taking 20 Grand Prix wins between the 2004 Malaysian GP and the 2013 Australian GP, his route back to the top step of the rostrum proved to be long.

Melbourne marvelled as Raikkonen won the 2013 Australian GP for Lotus and the Iceman’s result preceded a return to Ferrari from 2014 to 2018. Yet it was not until Raikkonen’s time back in Maranello was near its end that he won another race before heading to Alfa Romeo.

A wait of five long years finally reached an end at the 2018 US Grand Prix as Raikkonen held off Red Bull driver, Verstappen, by 1.281 seconds. It snapped a 114-race winless run for the Finn, which included 14 runners-up finishes, and it would also be Raikkonen’s last win in F1.

Max Verstappen denies Lewis Hamilton by 1.333s to win the 2021 US Grand Prix

The 2021 Formula 1 season gave a title fight for the ages between Verstappen and Hamilton, which regularly saw the championship lead swap hands between the Red Bull and Mercedes drivers. A mere six points would split them as they arrived at COTA in the Dutchman’s favour.

COTA was expected to suit Hamilton’s Mercedes more than Verstappen’s Red Bull. Yet the fight for pole position went in the latter’s favour by 0.209 seconds. So, Hamilton fought back immediately to lead out of Turn 1 thanks to a superior start gifting the Briton the inside line.

Yet Verstappen had the slight edge in race pace, so undercut Hamilton with an early pit stop on Lap 10. Red Bull teammate Perez pitting on Lap 12 would then force Mercedes to react and bring Hamilton in but the damage was done as Verstappen secured a comfortable lead.

Hamilton was not to be beaten, however, and gradually ate into his title rival’s lead. So, Red Bull responded by calling Verstappen in early again for his second pit stop on L29. Mercedes knew they had to try something different, so gave Hamilton a tyre offset and pitted on L37.

The fresher rubber at his disposal meant Hamilton took chunks of time out of Verstappen’s lead, running more than a second per lap faster than the Dutchman at times. But while the Briton was pushing his tyres to their limits, Verstappen was managing his pace and his tyres.

A meagre 0.879 seconds would also split the pair starting the last lap. But Verstappen’s tyre management proved the difference with Hamilton – who had set the fastest lap of the 2017 US Grand Prix on Lap 41 of 56 – unable to get into striking distance of his rival from Red Bull.