United States Grand Prix: Preview

Formula 1’s United States Grand Prix has had a long and storied history and has traversed the breadth of the country, from upstate New York at Watkins Glen, via the streets of Arizona’s Phoenix, to the fabled tarmac of Indianapolis’ Motor Speedway. In 2012, after an absence of several years, Formula 1 found a permanent home at the purpose-built Circuit of the Americas, located just outside of Austin, Texas. 

COTA’s 5.5km layout has been acclaimed by drivers through its first decade of competition. The opening corner, Big Red, takes drivers on a steep climb before cascading rapidly into a sequence of high-speed changes of direction inspired by the likes of Silverstone and Suzuka that continues for almost half of the lap. A lengthy back straight provides overtaking opportunities which frequently leads to side-by-side racing through a more technical stadium section. The long-radius multi-apex right-hander beneath COTA’s iconic Observation Tower is followed by a tricky couple of left-hand turns that complete the lap. 

MoneyGram Haas F1 Team drivers Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen will tackle COTA in a heavily updated VF-23 entry. The long-awaited update package on the VF-23 is wholly aerodynamic-led. Almost the entire bodywork has been revised, including floor, engine cover, sidepod inlet, sidepods, quarter panel and padding gills. The objective of the upgrade is to improve the aerodynamic characteristics of the car as a whole – the team seeking improved consistency as well as better aerodynamic delivery. Crucially the latest-spec package will provide valuable data to inform the overall direction of the team’s 2024 entry – the third year of the current design regulations.

The aesthetics of the VF-23 will look somewhat different too this weekend with a special edition livery being run across both cars. Having previewed the one-off United States Grand Prix race suits to be worn by Hulkenberg and Magnussen last week, the VF-23 will sport a ‘Stars & Stripes’ themed livery including the team’s tagline for the weekend – ‘We The People’ – the opening line of the United States Constitution. In addition to this, MoneyGram will celebrate the one-year anniversary of the announcement of the Dallas-based company becoming the team’s title partner with an additional touch to the livery of the car – to be revealed on Thursday 19 October.

There will be an extra star on the car too with the bright yellow star of the Starlight Children’s Foundation adorning the rear wing of both entries – the team continuing its activations on and off-site over the weekend with the charity formed with a mission to deliver happiness to seriously ill children and their families – now working with over 800 children’s hospitals across America.

Back on-track – MoneyGram Haas F1 Team last season claimed points at home courtesy of ninth place for Kevin Magnussen, who also captured a top 10 result at the Miami Grand Prix earlier in 2023. Nico Hulkenberg, who was part of the starting line-up for COTA’s debut race in 2012, claimed a best of sixth in both 2013 and 2018. COTA will also host F1 Sprint, the fifth of sixth presences in 2023, and the first time in history that the format has been run on successive Grand prix weekends.

Guenther Steiner – Team Principal:

This week MoneyGram Haas F1 Team takes over Austin for the US Grand Prix – a race the team fondly thinks of as its home. With a full roster of commercial activity and events, is this a week where you fully realize the growth of the sport in the US?

“Absolutely, and it’s not only the amount of people who come and watch the sport, it’s unbelievable what COTA has done and how the sport has grown in America, which is a very good thing. I’ve seen this race grow so much over the last 10 years. I first went in its second year, and from then to now, this is a race on the calendar that all of Formula 1 looks forward to. 

“For us, it’s another busy home race with a lot of events happening. Myself, Kevin and Nico are heading to Dallas to meet with the MoneyGram team and celebrate one year of our title partnership being announced. When you get to Austin, you can’t escape the buzz of the event, and every year we go, the team becomes a bigger part of that excitement. Once again, we’ll be changing our look across the car, driver suits, our garage and everything you see online. 

“One thing that is different this season, is our look and feel is encapsulated under the tagline ‘We The People’ – the first line of the American Constitution. There’s obviously a lot of talk about American teams right now, but we’re still currently the only American team on the Formula 1 grid. Many have said for years that we haven’t exploited that fact, but I’ve always said that’s because we want to earn credibility within the paddock first.

"We’ve been through a lot in our short time, but along the way have amassed a very loyal, and growing fanbase, and we want to recognize them. Yes, it’s some nice marketing, but anyone who works with my team knows how passionate they are, and how funny and genuine our fans are. This race is dedicated to them as, we the people, make Haas what it is.”

 

There’s also anticipation for the new upgrade package the team is bringing to COTA. Can you explain the areas this upgrade is meant to improve, and the process behind such a substantial update – for example, its inclusion within the cost cap.

“The upgrade on the VF-23 is aerodynamic. We changed the concept of the car because what we started with, because of the new regulations last year, we couldn’t make any more gains performance-wise. Creating more downforce and less drag, it just wasn’t there anymore, so we needed to change concept, to which is commonly known as the “Red Bull concept” or the “downwash concept”.

"It is a substantial update, and we’re able to do this within the cost cap because we didn’t have any updates at the beginning of the season because again, going back, we couldn’t find any performance that we could make parts to put on the car.”

 

It’s been a year since MoneyGram announced its title sponsorship of Haas F1 Team. How has the partnership bolstered the team and what is still to come? 

“It is fantastic to have MoneyGram on the car and on our first anniversary, they’ve been a very good partner and we are very proud to have them. They do a lot of activations with their brand, which carries our brand as well, and that makes the team stronger. The more exposure you have, the better it is for everyone, for our other partners, for Haas and Haas Automation.”