2024 F1 US Grand Prix preview: First of American triple-header

• United States Grand Prix is first of American triple-header
• United States Prix includes Sprint race
• Liam Lawson replaces Daniel Ricciardo at RB

This weekend marks the start of an intense run to the end of the 2024 Formula 1 season.

There are six rounds over the next eight weeks, starting with an American triple-header whose first round is the United States Grand Prix. It takes place at Austin’s Circuit of the Americas, and will include a Sprint race.

The Sprint race is a standalone points race that takes place on Saturday, prior to the qualifying session for Sunday’s main race. It has its own qualifying session that takes place on Friday, after a single practice session.

The Circuit of the Americas, which boasts a 3.4-mile track comprised of 20 corners and a steep elevation change of 134 feet, is one of the best circuits on the calendar, as it was designed primarily with F1 racing in mind. Some of its corners are reminiscent of corners from past and present F1 circuits.

There are also more fast corners than Spa-Francorchamps and more slow corners than the Hungaroring—a combination that makes the track a huge challenge for both teams and drivers.

Another real challenge is an unpredictable surface due to subsidence. Unpredictable weather can also be an issue here, though looking at this weekend’s forecast for Austin, we should be in for fine weather throughout the weekend. Pirelli has nominated its mid-range C2, C3, and C4 tires for the round.

Going into the weekend, Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen leads the 2024 Drivers’ Championship with 331 points. McLaren’s Lando Norris is second with 279 points and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc is third with 245 points. In the Constructors’ Championship, McLaren leads with 516 points. Red Bull is second with 475 points and Ferrari is third with 441 points. Last year’s winner at Austin was Verstappen, driving for Red Bull.

One driver to look out for this weekend is Liam Lawson at Red Bull feeder team RB. Lawson has replaced Daniel Ricciardo, and if he manages to outshine RB’s other driver, Yuki Tsunoda, for the remainder of this season, there’s a chance he’ll eventually be promoted to Red Bull as a replacement for Sergio Perez.