F1 News
Date: 17/November/2012
The Formula One World Championship
completed its first US laps since 2007 at the brand new Circuit of the Americas
in Austin, Texas on Friday.
It’s been a long road back to the US
for F1 since the final Indianapolis race, and the new Texan circuit faced
several major hurdles in reaching this point.
But the verdict after Friday
practice was overwhelmingly positive, especially in terms of the 5.5km circuit design.
“It’s an enormously challenging
circuit,” said McLaren Team Principal Martin Whitmarsh. “There are a lot of
different corners. I think [Hermann] Tilke has brought an assembly of corners
from the other circuits he has built and tried everything here.
“The topography is great and
there’s something about hills and dips and blind corners that make it very
challenging for drivers and look spectacular for those watching.
“We have to congratulate everyone,
Bernie [Ecclestone] and the organisers, for putting together a great circuit
with great facilities.
“Now we’ve got to make sure we put
on a show this weekend and build this into a fantastic event.”
The only negative words were for
the slippery asphalt, a common issue on a newly constructed circuit and
exacerbated by a conservative tyre choice from Pirelli.
“We have to have understanding for
Pirelli in this case,” said Mercedes boss Norbert Haug. “It's easy to say they
should have brought softer tyres, but I think they just didn't have enough data
about the circuit. So they went on the safe side and that's understandable.”
The drivers’ may dislike the lack
of grip, but the frequent slides and lock-ups promises to keep the crowd on
their feet.
On track, Championship leader
Sebastian Vettel led both practice sessions, despite losing time with a water
leak. Red Bull team-mate Mark Webber was second (+0.757s) with Vettel’s title
rival Fernando Alonso third quickest for Ferrari (+0.765s).
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