Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
18 races down, 6 to go!
Things are starting to get heated, as Formula 1 has arrived in Austin for the 19th race weekend of the season.
The first of four grand prix in the Americas is sure to give us lots of drama, wheel-to-wheel-action and hopefully some answers before heading to Mexico next week.
There’s a lot to look for, and as Austin is also a Spint-weekend, there’s a potential to finish the weekend with 33 points in total. That’s 33 points that can turn everything upside down in the standings.
So here are 5 storylines to look for, when the lights go out on Sunday!
1. Will Norris and Piastri stay calm?
It’s safe to say that the two Orange Knights had very different views on what happened during their lap 1 contact in Singapore.’
Piastri was quick to tell the team, that “that wasn’t very teamlike”, but McLaren chose not to give any team orders, and Norris wasn’t penalized by the stewarts either.
With a difficult and legendary first turn in Austin, Andrea Stella will keep his fingers crossed that Norris will leave more space for his teammate, and that Piastri won’t return the “favor” from Singapore.
2. Will the Silver Arrows consolidate 2nd?
Russel and Antonelli have been confirmed as the Mercedes line up for the 2026 season, but even though McLaren has clinched the Contructer’s Championship in 2025, there’s still plenty to race for for the other teams.’
After Russel’s win and Antonelli’s 5th place in Singapore, Mercedes is now 27 points ahead of Ferrari and 35 points ahead of Red Bull in the Constructor’s Championship – and Toto Wolff will be hoping for another strong race to further increase that lead.
3. Verstappen making a late sprint for the championship?
Just a couple of races ago, it seemed certain that the Driver’s Championship were to be a head-to-head between Piastri and Norris.
But with back-to-back wins at Monza and in baku, followed by 2nd in Singapore, Max Verstappen has gained on the two McLaren drivers. With 273 points, he is now 41 points behind Norris and 63 points behind Piastri.
The reigning World Champions needs some help in order to take the championshop, as six race wins will not be enough, if the McLarens take 2nd and 3rd, but a DNF or two can blow the battle for the championship wide open.
4. 5 teams fighting for 5th
The Constructor’s Championship have split the teams into two: Red Bull in 4th have a staggering 188 points on Williams in 5th.
But Williams only has 30 points on Racing Bulls in 6th, 34 points on Aston Martin in 7th, 47 points on Kick Sauber in 8th and 56 points on Haas in 9th.
Sainz got Williams a single point in Singapore, but Bearmann got Haas two points and Alonso got Aston Martin 6 points, so the fifth place in the constructor’s is not even close to being safe for Williams.
5. Ferrari vs. Red Bull
The difference between Ferrari and Red Bull in the Constructor’s Championship is just 8 points heading into Austin, and even though 1st and 2nd in the Championship looks out of reach, both teams will want to fight with everything they’ve got to secure 3rd.
Red Bull needs another stellar performance from Verstappen and Tsunoda to at least get into the points to have a shot at Ferrari.
Leclerc and Hamilton on the other hand will need to step up their game to secure points, and preferably more than the 12 combined they got in Singapore.
Lights out
Expect a lot of action going on lap 1, especially in turn 1, and don’t be surprised if the Safety Car is deployed several times during the race!
The drivers will race for the Sprint-win on Saturday at 12 PM local (GDT), 5 PM GMT.
The lights go out for the Grand Prix Sunday at 2 PM local (GDT), 7 PM GMT.
This article is made and published by Jens Asbjørn Bogen, which may have used AI in the preparation
