Pirelli United States Grand Prix
Location: Austin, Texas
Course: Circuit of the Americas
Course Length: 5.51km
Laps: 56
United States Grand Prix Race Preview
The 2024 Formula 1 series gets back to action this weekend at the United States Grand Prix, kicking off a six-race run to the end of the season. McLaren's Lando Norris dominated the field last time out at Singapore, but Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen drove home as the clear second-place finisher despite the circuit being one of the worst for the defending champion. This week's return, and the majority of the remaining six races, are at more traditional circuits where Red Bull's problems aren't expected to be as amplified as Singapore and Azerbaijan, which could set up an exciting battle for the driver's championship. The long break also means a plethora of upgrades are expected to be deployed this week, which could see Ferrari or Mercedes inserting themselves into the conversation again. This could be one of the last chances for teams to deliver that final push to improve before the season draws to a close. Teams will have to get on top of their changes quickly, though. This week's race is one of three sprint-race weekends left to run, which gives teams just one Friday practice session to get their setups completed before qualifying for Saturday's sprint commences.
Key Stats at Circuit of the Americas
- Races: 11
- Winners from pole: 5
- Winners from top-5 starters: 10
- Winners from top-10 starters: 10
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 0
- Fastest race: 197.212 kph
Previous 10 Circuit of the Americas Winners
2023 - Max Verstappen
2022 - Max Verstappen
2021 - Max Verstappen
2019 - Valtteri Bottas
2018 - Kimi Raikkonen
2017 - Lewis Hamilton
2016 - Lewis Hamilton
2015 - Lewis Hamilton
2014 - Lewis Hamilton
2013 - Sebastian Vettel
Formula 1 returns to Circuit of the Americas for the 12th time this week. The circuit marks a return to the more traditional natural-terrain road courses versus the street courses that took the series into its latest break. The circuit features 20 turns, which were mostly modeled after some of the most recognizable corners from race tracks around the world, and is a mix of medium- to high-speed turns. Last year's winner, Max Verstappen, was the first driver to win the race from any starting position other than the front row. The track has continued work to resurface the aging asphalt, which has grown bumpy during its years of wear. The project's work is expected to create a smoother lap for drivers and faster lap times this season, but could throw some questions at teams in terms of tire wear. Those changes will place extra emphasis on Friday's practice session since this is also a sprint weekend. Teams will need to gauge tire wear to decide their race strategies, while finding the optimal setup and feeling out any upgrades brought to the race. It will be a busy weekend for the teams as the run to the end of the season begins picking up pace.
DRAFTKINGS VALUE PICKS for the Pirelli United States Grand Prix (Based on Standard $50k Salary Cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Lando Norris - $13,600
Max Verstappen - $11,600
Oscar Piastri - $11,000
Charles Leclerc - $10,600
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
George Russell - $9,800
Carlos Sainz Jr. - $8,800
Fernando Alonso - $6,200
Sergio Perez - $6,000
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Nico Hulkenberg - $5,200
Alex Albon - $5,000
Yuki Tsunoda - $4,400
Liam Lawson - $4,200
DraftKings Constructor Values
McLaren - $13,600
Ferrari - $10,400
Red Bull Racing - $10,200
Formula 1 DFS Picks for the Pirelli United States Grand Prix
Team Captain - Lando Norris - $20,400
Fernando Alonso - $6,200
Nico Hulkenberg - $5,200
Alex Albon - $5,000
Valtteri Bottas - $3,000
Constructor - Red Bull Racing - $10,200
Lando Norris and his McLaren racing machine have firmly established themselves as the fastest pairing in Formula 1 right now. Their significant gap over Max Verstappen at Singapore is evidence that even while Red Bull is recovering, McLaren are still the team to beat. As the season winds down, Norris is in the best position to challenge Verstappen for the driver's title, and the team should rally around him. This week's United States Grand Prix is the best time for them to commit to doing that, putting Norris in position to gain as many points on Verstappen as possible. Norris has never won at COTA, but he started and finished second in last year's race. Fernando Alonso also made a statement at Singapore. The Aston Martin driver returned to his position as the best outside of McLaren, Red Bull, Ferrari, and Mercedes by finishing eighth. Aston Martin is in a comfortable fifth position behind the big teams in the manufacturer's championship, with a 52-point lead over RB Honda. Fantasy players should expect Alonso and Aston Martin to consolidate that position further in the final six races. Haas Ferrari's Nico Hulkenberg may help Alonso and Aston Martin as they chase the RB Honda team for that sixth position, too. Haas is only three points behind RB, and that comes largely on the back of Hulkenberg, who has scored 24 of the team's 31 points. Hulkenberg continues to be the lead driver at Haas and the team is going to do everything they can to maximize his points in the run to the championship. If Haas and Hulkenberg press RB, Alonso and Aston Martin can pull away.
Alex Albon and Valtteri Bottas round out this lineup's driver selections. In order to select Norris, Red Bull, McLaren, or Ferrari, fantasy managers will have to make concessions. Albon isn't a big concession, though. The Williams driver failed to finish at Singapore but finished in the points the two races prior to that. Bottas is not often in the mix for points, but his experience at this track, and being a former winner, could give him a boost to be closer to the top 10 than he has been recently. He generally is able to finish higher than where he starts, and finished 12th in this race last season. Choosing those last two drivers enables the roster to afford Red Bull Racing as the constructor. While Red Bull is still behind McLaren in the standings, they have been improving in recent races. Their second-place finish with Verstappen at their worst track in Singapore is evidence of that. Five of the next six tracks, including this week's, will suit their car better, too. While we don't expect Red Bull to leapfrog McLaren quite yet, both drivers could be fighting for the podium this weekend.
Formula 1 Betting Picks for the Pirelli United States Grand Prix
Race Winner - Lando Norris -110, Max Verstappen +450
Winning Constructor - McLaren -200, Red Bull Racing +400, Ferrari +550
Winning Margin - Over 12 seconds +340
Sprint Winner - Lando Norris +110, Max Verstappen +250
Lando Norris remains the weekly favorite after a dominating race in Singapore. While Verstappen and Red Bull may be closer this week, Norris should still have the edge. The team is likely to treat him as their best shot at catching Verstappen in the driver's points, too. While Norris is the favorite, Verstappen and Red Bull should be closer this week, and any mistakes from Norris or McLaren could give Verstappen and Red Bull another 2024 victory. However, a twist that may come into play is Ferrari. The team is expected to bring their final large upgrade to this week's race. If the upgrade pays off, Ferrari may be more competitive for the race win. Single-lap speed is still Ferrari's strength, which means they could be in play for pole position, too. Watch sprint qualifying Friday afternoon and the sprint itself on Saturday to see if Ferrari is able to force themselves into the mix. Even still, wagerers can choose both Red Bull and Ferrari as winning constructor this week and still get a better return than putting all their eggs into the McLaren basket should McLaren stumble. Any selections for Saturday's sprint should be similar as above. However, wagerers will get better returns making those choices Saturday when compared with Sunday's race due to the greater number of unknowns. Most questions are likely to be answered in the sprint and odds will tighten for Sunday. For that reason, Lando Norris to win the sprint is likely a better option early this the week than choosing Norris to win on Sunday.
Another option fans may want to consider is a larger winning margin. Norris won at Singapore by nearly 21 seconds. That same margin should not be expected this week at a track that is more favorable to Red Bull, but the margin could still be over 10 seconds. The last two races here were won by less than 10 seconds, but McLaren didn't have the legs on Red Bull that they do this time around.
