Track name: Circuit of the Americas (COTA)
Times the race has been held here: 5
First GP: 2012, won by Lewis Hamilton
Total number of race laps: 56
Complete race distance: 308.405 kilometers (191.634 miles)
Pit lane speed limit: 80 kph (50 mph)
Pitlane length: 385m/0.239 miles, estimated time loss 22s
2016 winner: Lewis Hamilton, 1:38:12.618
2016 pole position: Lewis Hamilton, 1:34.999
2016 fastest lap: Sebastien Vettel, 1:39.877
Most wins (Driver) Lewis Hamilton (4)
Most wins(Team): Mercedes(3)
Lap record: Sebastien Vettel – Red Bull– 2012 - 1:39.347
Smallest winning margin: .675s, in 2012.
Circuit Length: 5.515km /3.427 miles
Direction: Clockwise
Turns: 20
Distance to Turn 1: 280m/0.174 miles
Longest straight: 1.09km/0.677 miles, on the approach to the Turn 12
Fastest corner: 260km/h (162mph), Turn 18
Slowest corner: 80km/h (50mph), Turn 15
Top Speed: 330km/h/205mph, on the approach to Turn 12
Full throttle: 63%
DRS Zones: Two, on the approach to Turns One and 12
Key Corner: Turn One. The apex of this left-hander is the highest point on the lap and the steep uphill approach allows the drivers to brake very late.
Fuel consumption: 1.89kg per lap, which is average
ERS Demands: ERS is deployed for around 35 percent of the lap, which is average.
Brake wear: Medium. There are 10 braking zones, but only four of them are heavy.
Gear changes: 54 per lap/3,024 per race
Safety car likelihood: Medium.
Tyre choices: Medium, Soft, Supersoft
Weather: Hot (30).
Chance of rain: 37%
Grip levels: Medium.
Run off: Good.
A lap around COTA
You come into turn one, which is completely uphill. It’s very important to use all the speed on the entry without losing the line for the exit. You come down to turn two, which is flat out, and you come into corners three, four, five and six, which are very similar to Becketts at Silverstone – very high-speed corners. You enter with a lot of speed and you have to slow down as you go through the corners without losing the line. Then you go out of turn nine, which requires very good traction.
Turn 10 is a flat-out corner, very big braking into turn 11 and very important to prepare the exit there as you have the long straight before turn 12 – big braking into turn 12, 90-degree corner to the left using as much of the curb as possible and as much apex speed as possible. Then the technical part of the track comes down, which are (turns) 13, 14 and 15. Very important to change the brake balance as this combination of corners makes it very challenging for the brakes. You have a lot of lateral load when you are braking in the car. The exit of turn 15 is a very unique part of the track.
Then you come into (turns) 16, 17 and 18, which is basically flat out or almost flat out. Hopefully it’s flat out with our car. Turn 19 is a medium-speed corner where you enter with a lot of speed and it’s very easy to miss the apex. It’s a very precise corner. Turn 20 is a little bit uphill with a little bit of small banking. It’s important to get good traction on the exit.
