2018 United States GP : Preview

FF1M begins its now traditional post-Monaco pilgrimage to the North American continent, except the double header begins in the USA rather than Canada, just to mix things up a little bit compared to previous seasons. One of the oldest circuits to retain its original layout, Road America is also one of the more action-friendly circuits with three long straights to provide great overtaking opportunities, although dramatic collisions can still occur, such as the one between Lewis Hamilton and Nolan Bryant on the final lap last season which resulted in Tomas Gonzalez stealing a podium finish from the pair of them.

Shake ‘n’ Bake arrest Gojira AutoSport’s momentum at Monaco

Getting the balance between qualifying vs. the race proved crucial at Monaco with Tomas Gonzalez’s pole position advantage being eradicated thanks to Fernando Alonso’s demon out braking manoeuvre into Saint Devote on the first lap, and this proved crucial for the race as Alonso was able to dictate the race by building a lead in the first half of the race as the field got stuck behind the qualifying-heavy Gonzalez and Kevin Magnussen. The complexion of the race then changed when Vaino Kimminen moved up to 2nd place after the second round of pitstops and started to close the gap to the point where he could attempt to pressure Alonso for the lead, but technical issues forced him into the pits and dropped him down to 7th behind his teammate. James Clark then took over as the hunter but with Monaco being almost impossible to overtake on, Alonso was able to hold on for back-to-back Monaco wins and his fourth in six seasons.

Most of the field opted for three-stop strategies, but Sebastian Vettel opted to pit just twice and his race subsequently came alive at half distance when he moved up into the points and some good inlaps allowed him to jump Magnussen and Charles Leclerc and pressure Gonzalez for 4th towards the end of the race. By mild contrast, championship leader Alessandro Farina could consider himself frustrated with 3rd place as he spent most the race staring at rear wings and wasn’t too pleased when teammate Clark jumped him during the second round of pitstops. Similarly, Magnussen was perplexed by his FJR’s pace after the promise of being fastest overall in first practice wasn’t fulfilled with a poor run to 8th. FJR team boss James Brickles later admitted that the JB-18 chassis has a “fundamental issue that will hopefully be sorted out soon.” They remain in Group B for the practice sessions with the rest of the running being as follows:

Group A

Gojira AutoSport

Shake ‘n’ Bake Motorsport

CBA Racing

Andrew Racing

GRM

Tildesley GP

Galaxy Grand Prix

Group B

Tornado Motorsport

FJR

Ajay Motorsports

Mitchell

Willows Racing

Monolith Racing System

Paddock News

• Judd have brought their second of four free engine upgrades this season, bringing new ICE, ERS, and CE components.

Who will risk high ERS for the race?

With three long straights and relatively few corners compared to other circuits, Road America is a circuit that favours those with good top speeds, such as Shake ‘n’ Bake and CBA Racing, although both teams have tended to approach the races differently this season with CBA more than willing to go aggressive with the extra power available and Shake ‘n’ Bake taking a more cautious perspective in the races, particularly in Melbourne when they went conservative on the tyre choice. It hasn’t done them any harm so far with Alonso and Bryant consistently scoring points and they sit just one point behind Tornado in the Teams Championship, but both teams are a fair way behind Gojira AutoSport who have the same amount of points as their two rivals put together. Can they continue to build on their advantage or will Road America throw a double six?

Support Races

FF2M returns after a minor break in the schedule where Lando Norris is looking to keep up his feature race win record after securing his third at Aragon, while Alexander Albon took his maiden win in the sprint. In the Teams Championship, Willows Junior’s consistency means that they are knocking on the door of STV Racing’s lead.

FF4M also makes an appearance this weekend as the NA series enters its fifth of seven meetings, and Leon Burgmeister currently holds a healthy lead over Enzo Moreira.

Coverage Details

Race highlights will be broadcast on Sunday at 17:00 with FJR’s James Brickles and Willows Racing’s Joseph Willows in the commentary box.

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