Formula 1 heads to Austin this weekend for the United States Grand Prix, marking the first stop on a triple header in the Americas. Last year's event saw Max Verstappen take a commanding victory to slash Oscar Piastri's lead in the standings, with the Australian settling for fifth place behind his McLaren team mate Lando Norris in P2, and the Ferrari pair of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton.
The Red Bull driver is on a superb run of form this time around too, having won the most recent Grands Prix in Malaysia and Singapore. It looks like he'll have to tackle the hot weather in Austin once again as he targets a fifth victory at the track.
Friday's practice sessions will be warm and dry. Daytime temperatures will range from 16°C to 29.5°C, with track temperatures peaking above 55°C. South to southeasterly winds will be moderate, averaging around 10 km/h with occasional gusts up to 30 km/h, and no rain is anticipated, ensuring ideal conditions for both practice sessions with a maximum temperature expected of 29 Celsius, a minimum temperature expected of 16 Celsius, and a 0% chance of rain.
Saturday brings warm and dry conditions with building cloud cover throughout the day for FP3 and Qualifying. Temperatures will range from 17°C in the morning to a high of 29.5°C in the afternoon, with track temperatures likely exceeding 55°C again given ample sunshine early. Winds will average 15 km/h, with gusts up to 35 km/h possible, and no precipitation is anticipated. The maximum temperature expected is 29 Celsius, the minimum temperature expected is 17 Celsius, and the chance of rain remains at 0%.
Sunday's race forecast indicates favourable weather with increasing clouds. Expect a temperature range of 19°C to 27°C with only a 20% chance of rain as a storm system emerges across the Central U.S. Plains. This system may also increase southerly winds during the afternoon with peak gusts from 35-40 km/h, which could slightly impact vehicle performance. Track temperatures are projected to reach near 50°C but could trend higher with less cloud cover. The maximum temperature expected is 28 Celsius, the minimum temperature expected is 19 Celsius, and the chance of rain is 20%.
