With the United States Grand Prix scheduled to happen next week, Friday 31st October – Sunday 2nd November, we give a technical overview of the circuit and possible setup options to be used by the teams, while completely ignoring the situation over at Caterham F1. FRONT WING:
Turns 16-18 define the front wing levels as understeer is the enemy here. This means more front wing is used than would otherwise be needed for the rest of the circuit layout.
REAR WING:
Similar level of downforce to that used in Abu Dhabi. Maximum speed reached on the straight is over 300 kph, so it has a long straight, but it’s intermingled with a diverse mix of corners, both high speed and low speed needing downforce.
BRAKES:
Need to monitor cooling levels closely so brakes are warm at the end of the long straight, yet don’t overheat in the technical section. Balancing temperatures will be the name of the game. No problems expected in terms of wear.
TYRES:
The most frequent allocation of 2014, the medium and the soft compound Pirelli tyres will be used. This is a change from last season where the hardest allocation of
hard and medium were employed.
SUSPENSION: A balance between the high speed stability for the flat out turns 2-4 and the change of direction requirements later in the lap.
ENGINE: The mix of corners will stress every part of the PU. The pit straight and back straight will tax the ICE while the slower corners in sector three will give the MGU-K
something to think about. Likewise the turbo and MGU-H will have a workout through the faster complexes in sector two.