Formula 1 returns to the States, this time to Austin, Texas for the United States Grand Prix.
After taking a week to debrief and recharge from three physically demanding races in Azerbaijan, Malaysia and Singapore, the McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team head to the Lone Star State for the start of the penultimate triple-header of the 2026 season.
At 5.513km, the Circuit of The Americas is a popular track among drivers and fans, with some characteristics borrowed from other circuits. From the S Curves of Suzuka to the similarities of Silverstone's Maggots/Becketts, the United States Grand Prix offers a challenging competition.
Last week was very important for the whole team, not only to recharge our batteries and prepare for the upcoming triple-header, but also to reflect on what happened in the final stretch of the season when, regardless of whether the various circuits were more or less suited to the MCL40's characteristics, the results fell significantly short of expectations, with a points haul (33) that was significantly lower than anticipated. "After a difficult triple-header, we take the lessons learned from both our performance and execution and put them into action," said Team Principal Andrea Stella. "In Formula 1, success is never guaranteed - so our response is to keep building, keep developing, and keep pushing forward together as one team."
Lando, too, reflected on what had happened, emphasising how aware he is that, in a team sport like Formula 1, the work of hundreds of people ultimately depends on what the drivers do on the track: "Everything we do only matters if I perform well on the track. I take responsibility for my mistakes, and I learn from them. This team is my motivation every weekend, and my aim is to repay the hard work everyone puts in by improving, making better decisions, and representing the team in the best possible way."
With this chapter of the season now closed, the team is fully focused on the final phase of the year. There are still six races to go and the chance to fight for podium positions in the Constructors' Championship; above all, there are still plenty of opportunities to continue to understand the potential of this car, not only in the immediate term but also because the lessons learned now will be invaluable in the design and development of the 2027 car.
Rob Marshall - Chief Technical Officer & Chief Designer: "The Circuit of The Americas is physically demanding for driver and car. The series of high-speed corners with temping kerbs generate high loads, which can unsettle the driver and cause damage.
"We're bringing a modest selection of upgrades for this event, aimed at improving some braking reliability and performance issues. We also have some small floor changes to test. We have all seen how difficult it is to predict the relative performance of the top teams over the last five or six races. Obviously, there are many factors in play here: cars being upgraded, cars suiting and drivers liking certain circuits among other factors. The last few races have not been great for us, but I think we're getting stronger again and Austin is probably a better circuit for our car.
"Practice will be important for correlating what we've seen in our development tools with the track. We are still learning how best to extract performance from this car. We have the full range of corner types here so getting the best balance for the whole lap will be our main focus.
"As we start looking ahead to next year, there are many things the team have learned from this first season of the new era. The regulation changes for 2027 are quite modest so most of the parts and philosophies on this car are relevant to the direction for next year. Even where the hardware itself doesn't carry across, the learning and correlation do. Every time we can compare simulation, tunnel and track results, we improve the tools and understanding we're using to develop 2027."
McLaren Racing Heritage - United States Grand Prix
8 wins, 8 Poles, 17 podiums, 5 Fastest Laps
Most recent win: 2012, Lewis Hamilton in the MP4-27
Special & standout race: 1976, James Hunt's win in the M23
In early autumn, the Finger Lakes in Upstate New York are a beautiful place to visit. Harvest is in full swing at the vineyards surrounding the water, and the brave may still fancy a dip when the sun is out. Still, the noise of summer has died down, and it's a calmer, more tranquil corner of the world. Except at Watkins Glen when there's a race meeting, and especially in early October 1976 when 100,000 paying spectators descended on the tiny town to witness the penultimate round of the Drivers' Championship, with the battle between McLaren's James Hunt and the resurrected Niki Lauda likely to go to the wire.
"The race weekend could not be more tense for the team, with the pressure very high on all the team to take a second Drivers' Championship in three years," says Technical Consultant Neil Oatley.
Hunt had won seven days earlier, keeping his Championship hopes alive with victory in Canada, and he maintained his challenge with Pole position at Watkins Glen. Surprisingly, snow fell on the circuit during Saturday night, but Sunday was sunny with blue skies and scattered cloud. Hunt lost the lead at the start to Jody Scheckter, and the pair pulled away from the chasing pack. In a highly attritional race, including a massive crash for Jacky Ickx, Scheckter and Hunt stayed healthy. Scheckter initially pulled out a lead, but Hunt reeled him in mid-race and seemed to have the quicker car as they threaded their way through back-markers.
The lead switched back and forth. Hunt regained it on Lap 37; Scheckter was back in front on 41. Hunt decisively took to the front on Lap 46 of the 59, and was able to gradually edge away, eventually taking the victory by eight seconds. Lauda had an anonymous race, finishing third, a minute down on his championship rival - but his eyes were on the bigger prize and the four points he scored ensured a three-point advantage for the Ferrari driver heading to the final round.
"The whole season was most dramatic with the very well-known denouement in the race following the USA, in a very wet Japan," says Neil. That race, the inaugural World Championship Japanese Grand Prix, is one of the touchstones from F1's age of legends. Held in torrential rain on the high-speed, banked Fuji Speedway Circuit, it provided a suitably dramatic locale for one of the great Championship deciders... but without Hunt's tenacity at Watkins Glen, the Hollywood ending would have required a rather different script.
This week, the team celebrate 50 years since James Hunt's iconic Drivers' Championship victory, with the anniversary falling on 24 October.
Circuit of The Americas
Race laps: 56
Circuit length: 5.513 km/3.426 miles
Total race distance: 308.405 km/191.634 miles
Number of corners: 20 (9 right, 11 left)
Pit loss: +20s
Safety Car L1 pit loss: +10s
Energy management required: Medium
Allocated tyre compounds: Hard: C2, Medium: C3 & Soft: C4
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