To make matters worse, the weather can be very varied in Texas, with lots of wind and drops in temperature, so this could be a factor. The weather for the area surrounding Austin’s Circuit of the Americas should be warm and dry at this time of year, though rain is possible and the prediction for Sunday says we will be getting some of the wet stuff.
The current forecast is for a peak temperature of 70 degrees F (21 degrees C), cloudy skies and some light showers. Tomorrow’s qualifying looks to be better, with similar temperatures but only partially cloudy skies expected.
The Circuit of the Americas is another track from the pen of expert designer Hermann Tilke. Built in less than two years in Travis County, just outside of the Texas capital, it passed its last inspection as fit to stage the USGP back in September. Being a new surface, grip levels will likely be low, and teams will see a lot of evolution during this inaugural race.
Pirelli has inspected the surface and has decided on its P Zero Silver hard and P Zero White medium tires. However, due to the forecasts, the Italian firm has also brought its Cinturato Green intermediate and Cinturato Blue full wet tires.
Going into qualifying tomorrow, and Sunday’s eventual race, Red Bull Racing’s Sebastian Vettel leads the Drivers’ Championship with 255 points, followed by Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso on 245 points. In third place is Lotus’ Kimi Räikkönen with 198 points.
In the Constructors’ Championship, Red Bull Racing leads the way with 422 points, followed by Ferrari with 340 points and McLaren in third with 318 points.
