The Circuit of the Americas is one of the most demanding tracks for tyres, so tire management and strategy will be key at this Sunday’s F1 United States GP.
And the engine penalties (to drivers like Sergio Pérez, Charles Leclerc, Fernando Alonso or Esteban Ocon) have left a somewhat messy grid that makes the tactics that the teams will use to advance up the grid more interesting.
The race is on a track that allows overtaking due to its design and width, but it is also important to hit the nail on the head when choosing how many stops to make in the United States and which tires to use .
What is the best strategy for the United States F1 GP? How many stops to make in Austin and what tires to use for the race?
The race in the United States is 56 laps, and from Pirelli , the F1 tire supplier, they point to a strategy of two or even three stops.
Thus, it is expected that almost everyone will be forced to make two stops, in fact, the favorites saved two sets of hard tires to alternate them with the medium ones this Sunday.
Among the possible strategies, for the 2022 F1 United States GP the best seems to go out with mediums (the yellow ones), and then do two stints with the hard ones (the white ones). If someone manages to make the tires last longer than expected, it may also be a good strategy for Austin to go out on mediums, switch to hards and use a last set of mediums.
With that strategy outlined, there will be a part of the race where the medium drivers will go on the attack against those who use hard in the second stint, although then the roles will change towards the end of the test.
The pitlane of the Circuit of the Americas means that not too much time is lost in a pitstop, so Pirelli does not rule out going to three stops. In that case, we could see the soft tire compound (the red one) in play.
Of course, and despite the huge loopholes that surround the track, we must never forget the possible departure of a Safety Car that completely changes strategies.
The best pitstop strategies for the 2022 F1 United States GP
| Number of stops | What tire to go with? | When to stop? | Second stop | Third stop? |
| two stops |  Medium (yellow) |
Return between 14 and 19 (make hard |
lap between 35 and 42 (put media |
There are only two stops |
| two stops | Medium (yellow) |
Return between 12 and 18 (make hard |
Lap between 32 and 38 (make hard |
There are only two stops |
| three stops |
Medium (yellow) |
return between 10 and 15 (make hard |
return between 25 and 30 (put media |
lap between 40 and 45 (put soft |
)
)One aspect to take into account in the race in Austin is the strong wind that affects the drivers’ laps, and that on Sunday is expected to be similar to that of Saturday. In addition, the strange day on Friday, with an FP2 where only three drivers tested the 2022 tires while the rest did a test of less than 30 laps with the 2023 Pirelli , prevented the typical rounds of long runs to test race pace, something that some did in FP1.
What tires does each driver have left for the 2022 F1 United States GP race?
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