Another year means another United States Grand Prix, where thousands of fans from all over America come together to support their favorite teams. As the weekend of October 20-22, 2023 gets closer, Austinites prepare for the extraordinary race down in the Circuits of The Americas. Thousands of fans attend every year to enjoy the sunset while watching the adrenaline-pumping and endurance-challenging cars speed by in their patriotic designs.
With only 23 rounds on its calendar, Formula 1 heads back to the States to take on its 19th race of the season. For 11 years now, the Circuit of the Americas has hosted Formula 1 during the month of October. This extraordinary circuit is 5.513 km with 20 turns and an uphill with an elevation of 133 ft that leads into a wide Turn 1. The US Grand Prix is a favorite to many fans because of turns 3-5 where the famous stars and stripes run along paired with incredible views of Downtown Austin. What makes this Grand Prix so special this year is that F1 Academy (F1 feeder series for women) got to end their season alongside F1, which was their first race to be broadcast live.
As the week went on and the weekend got closer, drivers began to show up to the track where they were greeted by excited fans. Nothing beats the energy that is brought onto the track during Race Day (Sunday). The circuit was packed with devoted fans, celebrities, entertainment, and media. With this many people, the environment was filled with adrenaline and excitement. Fans began to find their seats and teams started to send their drivers out onto the grid where everyone waited anxiously for the clock to strike 2 PM. Once the last driver lined up on the grid the fans prepared for the five red lights to go out.
Out went the lights, sending off the US Grand Prix with only 56 laps to complete. The 20 drivers began to make their way to the first turn where they battled it out for positions. The race had only just started and many drivers were still making their way through the opening lap when suddenly McLaren driver, Oscar Piastri, and Alpine driver, Estaban Ocon, came into contact leading to both of them retiring from the race. While one McLaren driver wasn’t having the best of luck, another, Lando Norris, had just made a move on Ferrari driver, Charles Leclerc, gaining him the lead of the race. About 28 laps later, he locked up on turn 11 allowing Red Bull driver, Max Verstappen, to take the lead of the race.
With this race being in the States, it’s important to take a look at the star of the weekend. The American driver for the Williams F1 team, Logan Sargeant, had started from the back of the grid, in 16th position, where he was later able to gain five positions by the end of the race. This put him outside of the points by one place, which is one of his best results this season. As a rookie in Formula One who hasn’t had the best season so far, it’s amazing to see him make his way up the grid.
The crowd cheers as the end of the race approaches, with only 10 laps left almost anything can happen. With Max Verstappen leading the race and Lando Norris losing pace, it was clear who the winner would be. By lap 48, Mercedes driver, Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris, battled it out for second position. As quick as Lewis Hamilton is, he was able to catch Lando Norris and snatch second place in turn 2, leaving Lando Norris in third position.
The race ended with fans on the edge of their seats, cheering for their favorite drivers as they crossed the finish line. However, what many fans didn’t know was that the cheerful podium winners and champagne celebrations were going to change four hours later. Around 8 P.M. CST, it was announced that Mercedes driver, Lewis Hamilton, and Ferrari driver, Charles Leclerc, had been disqualified from the race, meaning that Lewis Hamilton was stripped of his second-place podium and Charles Leclerc no longer had his points for sixth place. These disqualifications allowed Lando Norris to be moved up to second place and Ferrari driver, Carlos Sainz, to be promoted to the podium in third place. Cheerfully, Williams and Logan Sargeant fans may have thought that his weekend ended in 11th position, but thanks to these disqualifications, Sargeant was able to gain his first points of the season.
Even though the end of the race weekend was chaotic, great memories were made and milestones were reached. Logan Sargeant gained his first points at home in the States and Lando Norris finished his 100th race in his Formula 1 career on the podium.