“I admit it,” said Tavo Hellmund. “I didn’t think I would, but at 9:01 this morning, I had tears in my eyes.”
At 9:00 a.m., Formula 1 cars first took to the brand-new Circuit of the Americas (COTA) road course in Austin, Texas—and yes, it is in Austin, the area having been annexed by the city a week ago—although two and a half years ago, when this was merely a patch of weed- and mesquite-filled land that wasn’t much good for cattle or crops, it seemed unlikely that Sebastien Vettel would tip-toe around Turn One within 10 years, much less this soon.
Hellmund was a founding partner of COTA, and while he was essentially bought out by his partners, he remains close to the project. He did, after all, design the vast majority of the circuit, although German firm Tilke has been getting much of the credit for the tight, complex layout. Drivers hit an uphill section before arriving at Turn One, a sharp left-hander 133 feet above the start/finish line, all the while being very wary of slow cars coming out of the pits in that same location.
Is the course challenging? “Yes,” said Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso. Fun? “Absolutely.”
He was third in morning practice with a time of 1 minute, 40.337 seconds. McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton was second at 1:39.543, and Vettel’s Red Bull car was fastest at 1:38:125, his time set right at the end of the 30-lap session. The two HRT cars brought up the rear of the 24-car field. Michael Schumacher, incidentally, was 17th in his first and last visit here with a time of 1:42.588.
The day dawned cool and clear, and it’s still that way as the F1 cars are on the track for the second practice session. The warmer track has not helped lap times, and in the soon-to-be-infamous Turn One, there seems to be 24 distinct race lines, one for each car. We’ve observed lots of brake lockup from even the best drivers. It will be the COTA equivalent of the Corkscrew at Mazda Raceway at Laguna Seca.
Track President Steve Sexton said that he is as amazed as everyone else that it all turned out so well, “against so many odds,” including a lengthy construction stoppage while financing was secured and legal issues were settled.
The Friday crowd is robust and enthusiastic, and there seems little doubt that Sunday’s target of 120,000 spectators is within reach. Still unanswered is the big question: Can F1 finally work in America?
So far, definitely so good.
Below, check out a map of the course in Austin, as well as a video walkthrough of a hot lap on the track courtesy of video-game company Codemasters, makers of the official F1 game. It was made using the latest installment in the series, F1 2012.
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