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Irwin D. Trenton, a grizzled Formula 1 journo for the obscure Portuguese site Iberianmph, stood soaked in the Singapore paddock, penniless after another Grand Prix. His wallet was as empty as the track after the race, and the looming US Grand Prix in Austin felt a million miles away. As rain pelted down, he fished a tattered MAGA hat from a garbage bin, plopping it on his head with a shrug. While lost in thought, a sharp pain jolted him—a giant lizard, the same one that had darted across Verstappen’s path, sank its teeth into his leg. Snapping out of his melancholy, Irwin hatched a wild plan, limping toward Changi Airport with the hat as his unlikely talisman.
At the airport, fortune flipped like a well-timed pit stop. The MAGA hat, paired with Irwin’s weathered journo swagger, led to a case of mistaken identity: security pegged him as a high-ranking US official. Before he could blink, he was whisked onto a private jet bound for the States, no questions asked. Mid-flight, a nervous aide, mistaking him for someone with clearance, spilled details on classified JFK files—dark secrets Irwin swore to keep, lest the truth unravel history. He sat back, sipping a complimentary bourbon, the lizard bite throbbing as he marveled at his bizarre luck.
Landing in the US, Irwin’s first stop was a dive in upstate New York for a Rochester-style Garbage Plate—greasy piles of macaroni, fries, and mystery meat drowned in sauce. He washed it down with ten cans of Coke, the carbonation triggering a symphony of burps and farts that got him promptly ejected from the joint.
Undeterred, Irwin hitchhiked to Austin, the MAGA hat working like a charm, scoring him rides from truckers and bikers who assumed he was one of their own. By the time he rolled into COTA, dusty and disheveled, he was ready to cover the race, the JFK secrets locked tight in his mind and the lizard bite a badge of his wild ride.
At the Circuit of the Americas, Irwin blended into the press corps, his hat now a quirky trademark. He scribbled notes with a grin, the absurdity of his journey fueling his prose. The lizard, the jet, the forbidden files, and the Garbage Plate fiasco—it was a story he’d never write, but it would give his race report an electric edge. As American V8-powered cars roared past downtown Austin, he tipped his hat to the chaos, knowing he’d made it to COTA on luck, grit, and a discarded symbol that opened doors he’d never dared knock on.
PREVIEW
The 2025 United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) promises a thrilling spectacle, blending high-octane racing with the event’s signature American flair. As the 19th round of the season on October 17-19, fans can look forward to a packed weekend featuring just one practice session on Friday, followed by Sprint Qualifying, the Sprint race on Saturday morning, Grand Prix Qualifying in the afternoon, and the full 56-lap main race on Sunday. COTA’s iconic layout— with its sweeping uphill Turn 1, flowing Esses, and high-speed back straight—delivers overtaking opportunities and strategic depth, while off-track highlights (such as new music) alongside a carnival atmosphere drawing over 400,000 spectators. With McLaren having clinched the Constructors’ Championship in Singapore, the focus intensifies on the Drivers’ title fight, where Oscar Piastri leads Lando Norris by 22 points and Max Verstappen lurks 63 points back, setting the stage for potential drama under soaring temperatures up to 35°C.
The Sprint weekend format injects extra intensity and unpredictability into proceedings, compressing the schedule to heighten strategic gambles and tire management. Friday’s single hour of free practice limits setup tweaks, forcing teams to rely heavily on simulator data and pushing for bold calls in Sprint Qualifying to secure a favorable starting spot for Saturday’s short race, which awards points to the top eight (8-7-6 down to 1). The Sprint’s no-mandatory-pit-stop rule often leads to aggressive racing and early tire degradation battles on COTA’s abrasive surface, potentially shuffling the grid for Grand Prix Qualifying later that day under parc fermé rules that lock in setups. This double-header of qualifying and racing across Saturday could exhaust resources, amplify mistakes from fatigued crews, and hand advantages to adaptable teams like McLaren, while outsiders like Mercedes or Ferrari might exploit any McLaren missteps in the heat—ultimately deciding up to 33 points that could swing the championship.
For the Sprint, Max Verstappen emerges as the frontrunner, leveraging Red Bull’s recent resurgence and his unmatched COTA pedigree to capitalize on the format’s demand for qualifying sharpness and short-burst pace. Lando Norris poses a close threat for Red Bull, thanks to his strong one-lap speed and consistency in sprints, but Piastri’s slight edge in racecraft could see him podium if tire strategy clicks. In the main Grand Prix, Oscar Piastri stands out as the likely victor, riding McLaren’s dominant car balance and his seven season wins to control from the front, especially as COTA rewards the low-drag efficiency that’s favored his aggressive style. Verstappen remains a wildcard for the win if he nails qualifying, while Norris might settle for a strong second amid teammate pressure; George Russell could surprise on the podium for Mercedes, building on his Singapore triumph, but Ferrari’s duo of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton are poised for top-six finishes at best, hampered by setup compromises on the bumpy track.
REVIEW (COMING ON MONDAY)
And the winner was…
Sprint Race
The 2025 United States Formula 1 Grand Prix Sprint on Saturday at Circuit of the Americas turned into a star-studded spectacle off the track, drawing a mix of Hollywood and music icons amid the high-speed action. Local legend Matthew McConaughey was spotted mingling in the paddock early in the weekend, chatting up McLaren CEO Zak Brown alongside comedy icon Jay Leno during Friday practice, setting a casual Texas tone before the Sprint kicked off. As the grid formed, country singer Kane Brown added a Nashville flair, fresh from performing at the Uber One Rodeo pre-event party the night before, where he was joined by a glamorous trio of actresses—Brittany Snow, Brooks Nader, and Malin Akerman—turning heads in cowboy chic attire. These A-listers brought an electric energy to the Austin vibe, with Brown later posting about his excitement for the “fastest party on wheels.”
While Max Verstappen dominated the 24-lap Sprint to claim victory ahead of George Russell and Carlos Sainz, the celebrity buzz overshadowed much of the on-track drama, including the shocking Lap 1 collision that took out both McLarens. Internet sensation Hannah Stocking roamed the paddock with her signature humor, snapping selfies near the garages and hyping the crowd via social media, while rising motocross stars Jett and Hunter Lawrence made their F1 debut appearance, bridging the worlds of extreme sports. The pre-Sprint Uber One Rodeo event had already primed the celebrity influx, with Akerman and Snow sharing laughs over Austin’s barbecue scene, emphasizing how the Sprint weekend transformed COTA into a hybrid music festival and red-carpet runway. This blend of glamour and grit underscored Austin’s role as F1’s ultimate U.S. party stop.
Main Race
Sunday’s main Grand Prix elevated the celebrity wattage even further, with Austin’s Circuit of the Americas serving as a glittering backdrop for a who’s-who of entertainment royalty. Podcaster extraordinaire Joe Rogan teamed up with hometown hero Matthew McConaughey for a grid walk that had fans buzzing, the duo’s easy banter captured in viral clips as they waved from the front row—Rogan in his signature casual tee, McConaughey channeling his “Alright, alright, alright” charisma. Over in the Oracle Red Bull Racing garage, Gossip Girl alum Chace Crawford arrived arm-in-arm with model girlfriend Kelsey Merritt, the Texas native flashing a grin amid the pre-race frenzy, while Shazam! star Zachary Levi geeked out nearby, posing with team mechanics and hyping Verstappen’s pole-to-flag dominance. These sightings added a Hollywood sheen to the 56-lap thriller, where Verstappen extended his championship charge with a wire-to-wire win.
As the checkered flag waved on Lando Norris in second and Charles Leclerc in third, the post-race glamour peaked with country breakout Shaboozey stealing the show on the grid, snapping selfies with fans and drivers alike in a nod to Austin’s live music legacy—his presence a perfect bookend to the weekend’s inaugural F1 Grid Gigs featuring Texas native Drake Milligan’s pre-race set. Grammy powerhouse Adele made a low-key but buzzworthy appearance in the VIP suites, spotted cheering from the shadows with a signature cocktail, while Warren Zeiders posed grid-side with the Visa Cash App Racing Bulls crew, blending rising country stardom with F1 flair. The star power not only amplified the event’s electric atmosphere but highlighted how the U.S. Grand Prix has evolved into a cultural juggernaut, drawing over 400,000 attendees for a fusion of speed, sound, and celebrity that keeps Austin at the heart of F1’s American renaissance.
Photos by Diego Merino, actual photos from the track and the paddock: CLICK HERE.
Mexico?
The 2025 Formula 1 Mexican Grand Prix at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez promises a high-stakes showdown shaped by the circuit’s punishing 2,285-meter elevation, which drastically alters car performance and demands meticulous preparation from teams. The thin air—about 23% less dense than at sea level—reduces engine power output by roughly 20-25%, forcing power units to spin harder and increasing fuel consumption, while exacerbating cooling challenges for brakes, radiators, and electronics that rely on airflow for heat dissipation. Teams like McLaren are introducing circuit-specific upgrades to the engine cover and cooling louvres to enhance airflow management under these extreme conditions, building on recent packages tested in Austin; Mercedes, meanwhile, will run maximum downforce setups akin to Monaco’s to compensate for the 30% drop in aerodynamic grip, with rookie Kimi Antonelli’s FP1 outing providing valuable data for their 2025 preparations. Strategically, Pirelli’s tire allocation favors a one-stop approach on the 4.3-km track’s medium-to-high degradation profile, where the long Turn 1 straight (nearly 10 seconds at full throttle) rewards bold qualifying but punishes early-race aggression amid lower tire wear from reduced downforce loads; Haas and Alpine are tweaking front wing endplates and brake ducting for better thermal control, potentially giving midfield runners an edge if temperatures climb into the mid-20s Celsius, turning the 71-lap race into a chess match of pit timing and energy deployment.
Amid the altitude-fueled drama, the fallout from Franco Colapinto’s defiant overtake on Pierre Gasly in the closing laps of the United States Grand Prix—ignoring explicit team orders to hold position in a futile battle for 17th—looms large, particularly for his Alpine future in 2026. Alpine’s managing director Steve Nielsen labeled the move “disappointing,” emphasizing that pit wall instructions are “final,” and the team has initiated an internal review to address Colapinto’s judgment, especially as fresher soft tires gave him pace but left Gasly vulnerable to Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto; Gasly, post-race, dismissed the drama as secondary to Alpine’s broader woes, but the incident has strained intra-team dynamics at a squad already mired at the constructors’ bottom, shifting focus to next year’s Mercedes-powered revival. While Colapinto’s recent uptick—out-qualifying Gasly in four of the last five races and showing promise in Singapore—bolsters his case as a high-upside talent backed by South American sponsorships, Flavio Briatore’s hints at alternatives like Paul Aron suggest the scandal could tip the scales; however, analysts view it as a minor hiccup unlikely to derail his prospects outright, provided he channels the aggression productively in Mexico, where Alpine’s cooling tweaks might finally unlock points and reaffirm his role as Gasly’s long-term foil.
iberianmph.com 