Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN heads to the United States for the first of three races in the Americas as Austin hosts for the 2021 United States Grand Prix, the 17th round of the championship, ahead of back-to-back races in Mexico and Brazil at the beginning of November.
We missed racing in Austin: the last time we went there, in 2019, was another reminder of what a great weekend this event can produce. The circuit is a great test of driver and machine, with an undulating layout that recalls some of the best sections from other epic tracks; the city is a never-ending source of excitement as life turns into a week-long celebration of Formula One; but what makes this event truly great is the fans. Their knowledgeable, passionate presence is what we missed so much in the two years since we last visited Texas.
We’ll return to the Circuit of the Americas eager to experience a great American Welcome: and we hope to return the favour, delivering a great show for the fans that have endured so long without Formula One. We will go out to race hard, race fair, and hopefully bring home points. Because, after all, wouldn’t that be the best way to celebrate our return to Austin and its race?
Frédéric Vasseur, Team Principal of Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN
“We approach the race in Austin with one objective in mind – getting back into the points. We scored in Russia and we went within two corners of doing the same in Turkey, which shows ever race between now and the end of the year is an opportunity to aim for the top ten on Sunday. We are really keen to do well here in the US, we know the allure of the Alfa Romeo brand here in the States and what it would mean for all the fans to have a strong race here.”
Kimi Räikkönen
“I have some good memories of COTA: of course, it was the place where I scored my last win so it’s a nice thing to look back to, but once I get into the car that doesn’t matter. We know we have to do everything well if we want to come away with something from the race, and that starts on Friday. We had two races in which the conditions were changing and we had to react to them, now let’s see what the weekend in America has to offer and where we end up.”
Antonio Giovinazzi
“I’m looking forward to the weekend in Austin. It’s always a nice place to visit, the people are super friendly and the city is great. I remember fondly the time we raced there in 2019, it was a great weekend and I hope this time it will be the same. It was frustrating to miss out on the points for such a small margin in Turkey, we had the pace to bring home a top ten finish but it wasn’t to be. We will need to give 100% this time out too and hopefully we’ll get one better than we did two weeks ago.”