After what can be considered an autumn break during the 2024 season there are lots of teams bringing updates to Austin for the final batch of races. Perhaps not the easiest weekend, as the United States Grand Prix is a Sprint weekend, but given that it is the start of a triple header it might make the most sense to introduce the new packages here.
Haas’ update package consists of an upgrade of the floor and the bodywork of the car, hoping to give the aerodynamic performance a boost, says technical director Andrea De Zordo.
“In Austin we’re bringing our main update for the final part of the season which will mainly involve another step of development in the floor and bodywork. The target, as always, will be to improve aero load in order to make the car faster.
“It’s difficult to be making a big step in lap time,” he explains. “So we’re speaking about small numbers, but in the tight midfield fight everything is an important step, and we hope to deliver. This is a development and further evolution of our package, not something new although the car will look a bit different.“
Despite being on the calender for quite while now, it is always a bit of a surprise how the state of the track is, as the Circuit of the Americas is built on clay resulting in significant bumps.
“The Circuit of The Americas is quite a demanding track on cars, on tires and also for the driver as historically, it’s been a very bumpy track. Last year we didn’t score a point, but it was a decent race for us and I think it should be a good race for us again. We’re fighting for P6 and that’s a very nice feeling. We really need to put everything in we can to achieve that because it would be amazing for everyone at this team who’s put so much work into making this season a success.”
Driver Nico Hülkenberg emphasises the importance of putting in the laps on Friday morning, as a Sprint weekend only has a single free practice.
“The United States Grand Prix is definitely one of the highlight races of the year for us,” he says. “We have a lot of American partners, and of course our home fans. It’s a race where the fans are very knowledgeable about F1 and it’s really motivating to see the support of more than 400,000 people during the weekend. We have another update to bring this race and it’s a Sprint weekend, so every lap will count out on track.”
Mercedes also brings updates to Texas, in a bid to end the year in the best form possible, and say goodbye to Lewis Hamilton in a way that is fit for the eight-time constructors’ world champions.
“This weekend marks the start of an intense run to the end of the year,” team boss Toto Wolff says. “We have six races over the next eight weeks, ending with the season finale in Abu Dhabi. Although we are not in contention for the championships, there is still plenty to fight for and the opportunity to create a few highlights along the way. We want to end this year as strongly as possible, build momentum for 2025, and bid farewell to Lewis in the best way possible.
“We have therefore been hard at work since Singapore analysing our performance and how we can improve. We bring our final update package of the season to Texas and our aim is to close the gap to the front. It will also provide useful information that will help guide our development direction for 2025.”
Despite the disqualification of Hamilton last year, Wolff looks forward to the Sprint weekend in Austin.
“The Sprint format returns this weekend, and we will have to be at our best to introduce the update package effectively. The Circuit of the Americas is a fantastic track but one that caught us out last year. Its high-speed layout, combined with its bumpy surface, make it a challenge for both the car and driver. It is one we are looking forward to.”
