COTA guide: blind Turn 1, tyre loads and two modes on the straights

Formula 1 heads to Austin this weekend for the United States Grand Prix, round 18 of the 2026 season. At Circuit of The Americas, the lap begins with a steep climb to the blind apex of Turn 1, then sweeps through fast changes of direction before tightening into more technical corners.

The circuit is 5.513km long and has 20 turns; the Grand Prix covers 56 laps and 308.405km. Drivers must balance speed and precision, especially through the opening and technical final sectors. Charles Leclerc holds the lap record with 1m 36.169s, set in 2019.

Former Renault F1 driver Jolyon Palmer singles out Turns 13–15 as the circuit’s hardest section. He says finding the line through to Turn 15 is difficult, while Turn 14 puts substantial load on the tyres.

Designed by Hermann Tilke, COTA made its Formula 1 debut in 2012 as the first purpose-built F1 venue in the United States. Its design takes inspiration from Silverstone’s Maggots and Becketts sequence and the sweeping turns in Hockenheim’s stadium section.

Straight Mode reduces drag by changing the front- and rear-wing configuration. It is used in designated zones on every dry lap: between Turns 11 and 12, and along the start/finish straight from Turn 20 into Turn 1.

Overtake Mode works differently: it lets drivers recharge electrical energy and generate an additional electrical power profile to sustain higher speed for longer. The detection point is as drivers leave Turn 20; a driver within one second of the car ahead there can use the mode on the following lap. Its activation line is on the start/finish straight.