The best United States Grand Prix facts you should know as Max Verstappen targets historic podium

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Formula 1 is at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) this weekend for the United States Grand Prix, as the drivers’ championship battle ramps up.

Oscar Piastri leads the title fight from his McLaren teammate, Lando Norris, by 22 points, after tensions rose between the pair at the last race out in Singapore.

Norris made an early lunge down the outside of Piastri into Turn 3 on the opening lap, with the pair making contact as the Aussie was squeezed towards the wall.

The Brit was able to gain the third-place position from his teammate in a move that could prove crucial for the pair’s fight for the drivers’ championship.

Three other drivers still remain in contention for the title, with Max Verstappen, George Russell and Charles Leclerc hoping to deny McLaren both 2025 championship victories.

Read more: United States Grand Prix race predictions as F1 experts share who they think will dominate at COTA

Circuit of the Americas to host its 13th United States Grand Prix

The United States Grand Prix is one of the older races on the 2025 Formula 1 calendar, hosting 46 editions of the race since 1958. Only six countries have hosted more grands prix, with the United Kingdom and Germany leading the table with 76 and 72 seasons respectively.

Six tracks have hosted the United States Grand Prix, including the Sebring International Raceway, Riverside International Raceway, Watkins Glen International, Phoenix Street Circuit and

Although there have been 46 United States Grand Prix events, there have been 71 grands prix held in the country under six different names, visiting ten different circuits.

There have been several unforgettable moments from the race at COTA including the tense cooldown room situation at the 2015 United States Grand Prix, when Nico Rosberg threw his second place cap at Lewis Hamilton after losing the event and ultimately that year’s championship.

It is the third consecutive year that the United States Grand Prix will also host a Sprint race around the iconic COTA track.

Circuit of the Americas stats and history

The Circuit of the Americas is a 5.513km (3.426 mi) track that sits on the outskirts of Austin, Texas in the United States. The track was designed by Tavo Hellmund and Kevin Schwantz, with the help of iconic F1 circuit designer Hermann Tilke, who has worked on the Shanghai International Circuit, Yas Marina and the Bahrain International Circuit.

COTA has hosted the United States Grand Prix since 2012, although the contract with F1 is set to expire in 2026. There are ongoing negotiations to extend the contract with Formula 1, with reports the track could host the event until 2034.

The circuit has the second-most corners on the 2025 calendar with 20 turns, tying with the Baku City Circuit in Azerbaijan. The two tracks are only beaten by the Jeddah Corniche Circuit which has 27 corners.

The Circuit of the Americas runs anticlockwise, making it one of nine to do so in 2025, which includes Imola, Brazil, Baku, Jeddah, Las Vegas, Singapore, Miami and Abu Dhabi.

It also has the sixth biggest elevation change on the calendar with a difference of 30.9m, with Spa-Francorchamps taking the lead with 102.2m.

At the last five United States Grand Prix, the driver starting from pole position has not held the lead of the race after the opening lap.

What have the F1 drivers said about the United States Grand Prix?

Alex Albon: “Austin is a special place and somewhere that I always enjoy visiting. Not only is the food always good, but the city is great and the fans definitely bring the Texas energy. It’s the return of the Sprint format this weekend, so we’ll need to get up to speed quickly with only one practice session. It is a challenging and fun track, and it looks to be very hot this weekend, but it is a track that offers overtaking opportunities and has a great flow to it so anything can happen.”

Franco Colapinto: “The Circuit of The Americas is an incredible track to drive and with the event being a Sprint weekend it will be great to have two opportunities to race around the circuit. The fans in America are also always great to interact with and there is always a good following of Argentinians in the crowd which I love to see. We will be working hard right from the word go to put on a show and, hopefully, we can take a nice reward from it.”

Nico Hulkenberg: “Austin is always a highlight, one of my favourites on the calendar. The atmosphere, the fans, the track: it’s all good fun and it’s overall a great week. After some up’s and down’s in Singapore, we reset and put everything behind us, looking to extract everything from the car. The Sprint format gives us less time to get everything together, but it’s the same for everyone, and we’ll be pushing to make every lap count, putting ourselves in a good place for both the Sprint and the main race.”

Esteban Ocon: “I’m excited to head back to Austin, especially as a MoneyGram Haas F1 Team driver. It is such a cool city with so much energy, and I always look forward to coming back. This is one of our home races so we know the American fans will again provide an amazing atmosphere throughout the weekend. COTA is a fun but challenging circuit which always produces some entertaining racing.”

Records that could be broken at the 2025 United States Grand Prix

Although no direct records could be broken at the 2025 United States Grand Prix, Max Verstappen has the opportunity to mark two important feats for the Dutchman.

If Max Verstappen takes pole position, it will mark his 47th first-place start for Red Bull Racing. It would place the Dutchman in third for the most pole positions with one team, overtaking Ayrton Senna with McLaren between 1988 and 1993.

A podium finish at COTA would give Verstappen his 122nd career podium, which would see him tied with Sebastian Vettel for third on the all-time list, only beaten by Michael Schumacher with 155 and Lewis Hamilton with 202.

A win for Mercedes will extend their lead for the most wins at COTA to six, with the team currently holding four wins from Hamilton and one from Valtteri Bottas. However, if Verstappen or Yuki Tsunoda take victory, it will tie Red Bull with Mercedes’ record five wins.

Hamilton could also extend his lead for the most wins at the United States Grand Prix, with the Brit currently holding six victories, five of which have come at COTA.

The 2025 United States Grand Prix will also mark the 500th for the Mercedes-Benz Safety Car after it made its Formula 1 debut at the 1996 Australian Grand Prix. Despite being introduced at the season opener, it wasn’t deployed until 13 races later at the Belgian Grand Prix.