Circuit of the Americas guide

Circuits

Round 18 · United States Grand Prix

Circuit of the Americas

Name: Circuit of the Americas
Address: Austin, USA

Austin, USA

5.513 km

Lap length

Corners

11 left, 9 right

Anticlockwise

Direction

F1 races held

since 2012

What makes it different

Turn 1 climbs about 40 m from the grid - steep enough that drivers cannot see the apex on the approach.
The Turn 3–6 esses were modelled on Silverstone’s Maggotts–Becketts, and Turns 16–18 on Istanbul’s Turn 8, making it a deliberate compilation of other circuits.
Built on soft Texas ground that keeps settling, so the surface develops bumps faster than most purpose-built tracks.
Circuit of the Americas was the first Grand Prix circuit purpose-built for Formula 1 in the United States, going from a 2010 proposal to hosting its first race in under two years.

Home race

Home to Haas, Cadillac — 2 of the grid's 11 teams.

The records

350.5 km/h

Top speed

Charles Leclerc, 2023

Lewis Hamilton · 5 wins

Most wins

2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2012

1:32.510

Latest pole time

Max Verstappen, 2025

Different winners

from 13 races

Youngest winner

Max Verstappen, 2021

Oldest winner

Kimi Räikkönen, 2018

10% — roughly 1 car in 10

Cars that don't finish

last 4 races here, since 2022

3.7 places

How much the order changes

up or down from the grid slot, on average — more than most circuits

"Cars that don't finish" and "How much the order changes" both cover the 4 Grands Prix run here since 2022. Movement is the distance between a car’s grid slot and its finish, in either direction — not a count of overtakes, since a car retiring ahead of a driver moves that driver up too.

This grid’s history here

Driver	Wins	Podiums	Poles
Lewis Hamilton	5 wins · 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2012	8 podiums · 2022, 2021, 2019, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2012	3 poles · 2018, 2017, 2016
Max Verstappen	4 wins · 2025, 2023, 2022, 2021	5 podiums · 2025, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2018	2 poles · 2025, 2021
Charles Leclerc	1 win · 2024	1 podium · 2024	1 pole · 2023
Valtteri Bottas	1 win · 2019	1 podium · 2019	1 pole · 2019
Lando Norris	—	2 podiums · 2025, 2023	1 pole · 2024
Carlos Sainz	—	1 podium · 2024	1 pole · 2022

Recent form at this circuit

Last winners

2025Max Verstappen · Red Bull
2024Charles Leclerc · Ferrari
2023Max Verstappen · Red Bull
2022Max Verstappen · Red Bull
2021Max Verstappen · Red Bull

Last pole times

2025Max Verstappen · Red Bull · 1:32.510
2024Lando Norris · McLaren · 1:32.330
2023Charles Leclerc · Ferrari · 1:34.723
2022Carlos Sainz · Ferrari · 1:34.356
2021Max Verstappen · Red Bull · 1:32.910

Historic moments

2023 · Two podium cars thrown out for a worn plank

Max Verstappen won, and then scrutineering found the skid blocks under Lewis Hamilton's second-placed Mercedes and Charles Leclerc's Ferrari worn beyond the legal limit. Both were disqualified, promoting Lando Norris to second on his 100th start; the sprint weekend's single practice session took much of the blame for teams misjudging ride height.

2018 · Räikkönen ends F1's longest winless run

Kimi Räikkönen won the 2018 United States Grand Prix from second on the grid, his first win in over five years and 113 races going back to the 2013 Australian Grand Prix. It denied Lewis Hamilton the chance to clinch that year's title on home-crowd-adjacent soil, and turned out to be the final win of Räikkönen's career.

2012 · Hamilton denies Vettel at COTA's debut

Circuit of the Americas hosted its first Grand Prix in 2012, and Lewis Hamilton spoiled it for the home crowd's title favourite - passing pole-sitter Sebastian Vettel with 14 laps left to win by well under a second.