The Best of Austin

With this weekend’s Austin race taking place in its usual spot of October since 2012, let’s take a look back on some of the best races at the Circuit of the Americas over the years, including cowboy hats, gusts of wind, and hat throwing.

3 Legends Stand Together

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The inaugural Austin race wasn’t a thriller but noteworthy. Taking place in the twilight of the 2012 season, a season so unpredictable even Sauber and Williams won races. Fernando Alonso (then Ferrari) and Sebastian Vettel (then Red Bull) were fighting for the world championship, with Vettel firmly in the hot seat.

He had a 10-point lead over Alonso going into the penultimate race of the season and took pole on Saturday, while Alonso only managed 9th, giving Vettel a chance to seal the title. Alonso was moved up the grid thanks to his teammate Felipe Massa taking a voluntary gearbox after qualifying ahead of him to give the Spaniard the best chance to keep the championship alive. Yes, back then Ferrari were serious about winning championships.

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Alonso made the most of it, gaining 3 places on the first lap. The two Red Bulls led the race before Vettel’s teammate Mark Webber continued his bad luck fortunes with an alternator. This left Vettel on his own to fight Lewis Hamilton (then McLaren). After the pitstops, Hamilton closed in on Vettel towards the closing stages, overtaking him on the long back straight on Lap 42.

Hamilton would go on to win ahead of Vettel and Alonso, who minimised points lost in the championship race. This race was significant. It was the last time Hamilton won a race with McLaren before making a career-defining move to Mercedes, and McLaren would have to wait 12 years for another win on American soil (Lando Norris in Miami this year).

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It was, more shockingly, the first and only time that Vettel, Alonso, and Hamilton stood on the podium together. Remarkable given their dominance of the sport at that time.

A gust of wind decides the title.

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The 2015 US Grand Prix probably goes down as Austin’s best race and contained many incidents. Red Bull and Mercedes fought for the lead over and over in the opening wet stages. As the track dried, Red Bull’s power deficit began to show, and their drivers’ Ricciardo and Kvyat dropped back before the Russian had his familiar crash.

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Several other drivers were caught out by the conditions. Raikkonen, Bottas, and Hulkenberg were also caught out, leading to their retirements. Max Verstappen showed his early promise, coming home in fourth during his rookie season at Toro Rosso.

Amidst a lot of drama that this article looks over, there was also championship at stake. Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes could seal a third title if he finished ahead of his teammate Nico Rosberg and Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel.

Vettel took an engine penalty, meaning he could only recover to third after making his way through the pack. Rosberg led Hamilton in the closing stages, before a mistake by the German at Turn 16 reversed the positions, resulting in Hamilton sealing the title.

Rosberg later blamed the mistake on a gust of wind, which then became a bit of a meme. In the podium cooldown room, Hamilton tossed Rosberg the second-place cap, which the German then threw at his teammate in anger. At least he didn’t swear.

Kimi’s Final Win

The 2018 US Grand Prix will be memorable for Kimi Raikkonen fans. Still set during the Hamilton-Mercedes era of the sport, Raikkonen overtake pole sitter Hamilton in the first corner.

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His teammate Sebastian Vettel also looked to recover after receiving a grid penalty in qualifying. Unfortunately, he had his usual spin (spinalla) after tangling with Daniel Ricciardo (still Red Bull) on the opening lap. Lance Stroll collided with Fernando Alonso as well, ensuring another retirement for F1's unluckiest driver.

Max Verstappen started from the back after the engine penalty and stormed through the field. His teammate, Ricciardo, opted not for an engine penalty but retired with a battery failure. Hamilton would later use a virtual safety car to convert to a 2-stop strategy. Raikkonen defended his lead with the Brit on new tires.

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Hamilton closed up on Raikkonen again after his second stop but was unable to overtake Max Verstappen at the end, and that’s the order it finished. Raikkonen, Verstappen, Hamilton. This was Kimi’s last chance to win in Formula 1, knowing he would be replaced by Charles Leclerc in 2019.