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F1 insider and former Aston Martin strategy engineer Bernadette Collins has highlighted the key factors to watch during the 2024 United States Grand Prix. The competition within the teams is currently heating up with most bringing upgrades to their cars.
After a three-week hiatus from racing, F1 is back in action at the beloved Circuit of The Americas for the 2024 United States Grand Prix. This is set to be a Sprint weekend, meaning the drivers will get only one practice session to test their cars and the upgrades, setting it up accordingly.
Bernie Collins pointed out what she feels could be the factors to keep an eye on during the race weekend.
#1 The 2024 United States Grand Prix is a sprint weekend
"There's more points on the board and does that mean that Norris can continue to close that gap on Verstappen?" Collins said on Sky Sports.
The championship battle unexpectedly started to heat up after Red Bull lost its dominance mid-season and McLaren developed positively. McLaren has taken the lead in the constructors' championship and Lando Norris has closed the gap between himself and reigning champion Max Verstappen by quite a bit. The Sprint weekend offers a driver a maximum of 34 points if they win both the Sprint and the main race with the fastest lap. With 52 points separating the two contenders, it could be a positive weekend for Norris.
#2 The track is resurfaced
"It's going to change how track limits affect all of the drivers out there."
F1 tracks are resurfaced occasionally and it can prove to be a challenge for the drivers. As was noticed in Monza earlier this season, the strategies changed massively because of the higher levels of degradation on the resurfaced track. Moreover, COTA witnessed quite a few drivers extending track limits during the Free Practice session earlier today for the same reason. This will bring more competition amongst the teams as the strategies will have to be modified.
#3 Multi-stop race
"There's a lot of strategy to play out and lots to watch out for through the pit stops."
The United States Grand Prix is usually a multi-stop race. As mentioned above, a resurfaced track challenges teams with new strategies. Discussing the Monza example once again; the Italian GP is usually a one-stop race but most drivers struggled and had to stop twice. Meanwhile, the United States Grand Prix being a multi-stop race on a usual basis, could turn out to be a difficult one for the drivers. Tire management could be the priority, yet, much activity can be expected in the pits.
