No victories have been recorded away from the front row at COTA. Here’s everything you need to know about each grid slot’s history at Circuit of The Americas!
THE STATS IN BRIEF
- In 2022, Sainz became first COTA polesitter to not finish on podium
- No wins outside the front row
- 4th retired from 4 years in a row between 2015 and 2018
- 18th has furthest back podium
THE OVERVIEW
| Grid | Last Win | Last Podium | Last Points | Last DNF | Best Finish | Points % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2021 | 2021 | 2021 | 2022 | 1st | 90% |
| 2 | 2022 | 2022 | 2022 | 2019 | 1st | 90% |
| 3 | - | 2022 | 2022 | 2012 | 2nd | 90% |
| 4 | - | - | 2022 | 2018 | 4th | 60% |
| 5 | - | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2nd | 70% |
| 6 | - | - | 2022 | 2015 | 4th | 80% |
| 7 | - | 2012 | 2021 | 2022 | 3rd | 70% |
| 8 | - | - | 2019 | 2021 | 4th | 30% |
| 9 | - | - | 2022 | 2018 | 4th | 70% |
| 10 | - | - | 2022 | 2015 | 6th | 70% |
| 11 | - | - | 2019 | 2021 | 4th | 60% |
| 12 | - | 2022 | 2022 | 2019 | 3rd | 50% |
| 13 | - | 2015 | 2022 | 2018 | 3rd | 20% |
| 14 | - | - | 2022 | 2017 | 7th | 20% |
| 15 | - | - | 2015 | - | 9th | 20% |
| 16 | - | - | 2018 | 2015 | 4th | 20% |
| 17 | - | - | 2016 | - | 10th | 10% |
| 18 | - | 2018 | 2021 | 2017 | 2nd | 22% |
| 19 | - | - | 2022 | 2021 | 9th | 22% |
| 20 | - | - | 2018 | - | 7th | 29% |
Five of the nine ten held so far at the Circuit of The Americas have been won from pole position. In 2022, Carlos Sainz became the first polesitter at COTA to fail to finish on the podium, retiring on the first lap of the race. 2018 is the only other occasion that the COTA polesitter has not finished in the top two. Lewis Hamilton finished third that year.
Second on the grid has given as many wins at Circuit of The Americas as pole and is the furthest back grid slot to win at the circuit. The driver starting here has been victorious on five occasions. Part of the reason behind that is because of the track layout, with second on the grid generally having the better line heading into the first corner of the race.
The driver starting from second has led after the first turn in four of the last six races at the track. In 2019, Sebastian Vettel became the first driver to retire having started from the front row of the grid at COTA. It was the first time that the driver starting here has failed to finish on the podium.
From the ten United States Grands Prix held at Circuit of the Americas, only five have resulted in podium finishes for the driver starting third – though that includes all of the last three races at the circuit.
The driver starting third has never won but has finished as runner up twice. Romain Grosjean finished second in 2013, while Lewis Hamilton finished second in 2022.
The first race here, in 2012, is the only one in which the driver starting third has failed to score. That year, Mark Webber retired having started third on the grid.
With four DNFs in four of the last seven COTA races, fourth had become an unenviable place to start the United States Grand Prix from. Every year between 2015 and 2018 saw a Red Bull start from here, and on all four occasions – Daniil Kvyat in 2015, Max Verstappen in 2016 and Daniel Ricciardo in 2017 and 2018 – the car failed to see the chequered flag.
In the six races which the driver starting here has finished on the podium, they have never finished in a position better than where they started.
The driver starting fifth at COTA usually makes progress during the Grand Prix. Kimi Raikkonen’s retirement in 2016, Carlos Sainz’s seventh place in 2021 and Lace Stroll’s non-finish in 2022 are the only times since 2013 that the driver starting here has not finished in the top four.
This grid slot has celebrated three podium finishes – third places for Daniel Ricciardo and Raikkonen in 2014 and 2017 respectively and the runner-up spot for Lewis Hamilton in 2019.
Of the ten races held so far at the Circuit of the Americas, the driver starting sixth has scored eight times. The times that they failed to score were in 2015 and 2018. Nico Hulkenberg retired from proceedings in 2015, while Esteban Ocon originally finished eighth in 2018 – but was disqualified as his Force India car exceeded fuel flow limits. No driver has finished on the podium from here. The best finishing position from sixth on the grid is fourth, for Sebastian Vettel in 2016.
The first race at Circuit of the Americas resulted in a podium finish for Fernando Alonso, who started seventh. Seventh on the grid has not reached those heights again, with Nico Hulkenberg’s sixth place in 2018 being the best result. There have been three retirements from seventh: for Felipe Massa in 2015, Nico Hulkenberg in 2016 and Valtteri Bottas in 2022.
The driver starting from eighth has retired from three of the last five races at COTA. Fernando Alonso was sidelined with engine problems in 2017, Romain Grosjean was out following an early race collision in 2018 and Pierre Gasly suffered suspension issues in 2021.
The position has only scored points three times, in 2012, 2015 and 2019, with a fourth place finish for Max Verstappen in 2015 being the best result so far.
Sergio Perez recorded the best result to date from ninth on the grid at COTA in 2022, finishing in fourth place. Before that, the grid slot had never previously finished in the top five at the track.
The driver starting ninth in Texas has scored more often than not, with seven points finishes in the ten races here. Two races have resulted in non-finishes for the driver starting ninth. Adrian Sutil was out on the first lap in 2014, while Charles Leclerc retired in 2018.
2019 is the only time since 2015 that the driver starting from tenth failed to score at the United States Grand Prix. 2013, 2015 and 2019 are the only years that this grid slot has not picked up points at COTA, with Romain Grosjean’s retirement in 2015 being the only time that the driver starting here has failed to finish. The best result from tenth on the grid is sixth, recorded by Carlos Sainz in 2016.
11th on the grid has secured points finishes in five of the last seven races in Texas. In 2021, Esteban Ocon became only the second driver to record a DNF from this grid slot. Felipe Massa has the best finish from the 11th grid position so far at COTA, having finished fourth in the inaugural race in 2012. The grid slot’s only other DNF came in 2014, when Sergio Perez retired.
The driver starting 12th has scored five times at COTA, including with a podium finish in 2022. Charles Leclerc’s third place in 2022 made him the first driver to score from 12th on the grid at the circuit since Fernando Alonso in 2016. The grid slot has had five points finishes in total.
Sebastian Vettel scored a podium finish from 13th on the grid at the 2015 United States Grand Prix – but that’s one of only two times that starting from this grid slot has resulted in a points finish.
In 2022, Kevin Magnussen became only the second driver to start 13th at the circuit and score points, coming home in ninth place.
There have been two retirements from this grid slot, for Nico Hulkenberg in 2014 and Fernando Alonso in 2018.
14th on the grid is one of only two grid slots in Texas to have recorded four DNFs. Fernando Alonso recorded the best result to date for the driver starting here in 2022, completing a hard fought race in seventh place. Jean-Eric Vergne’s tenth place finish in 2014 is the only other time a driver starting here has picked up a point.
15th is one of four grid slots to have never recorded a retirement at the Circuit of The Americas. The retirement may be low, but so too is the points rate. The driver starting here has scored only twice, with a tenth place finish for Jenson Button in 2013 and ninth for Felipe Nasr in 2015.
The best result from 16th on the grid at COTA is fourth place, which is where Max Verstappen finished in 2017. Meanwhile, Marcus Ericsson finished tenth in 2018. Those are the only two times that the driver starting from 16th has scored points in Texas. There have been two retirements so far from this grid slot – in 2013 and 2015.
17th on the grid at COTA has never failed to reach the end of the race. Despite this, the driver starting here has scored only once, with Romain Grosjean finishing tenth for Haas in 2016.
18th is the furthest back grid slot from which a podium finish has been recorded at the Circuit of the Americas. Max Verstappen finished as runner-up in 2018 having started back in 18th. Sebastian Vettel’s tenth place in 2021 is the only other time that this grid slot has scored. 18th on the grid has retired from the race twice.
Jenson Button’s ninth place finish in 2016 and Yuki Tsunoda’s tenth place in 2022 are the only times that the driver starting 19th at Circuit of The Americas has scored. Three retirements have been recorded from this grid slot, including two in the last three COTA races. Will Stevens was out in 2015, Robert Kubica retired in 2019 and Fernando Alonso failed to reach the end of the race in 2021.
During the United States Grand Prix’s tenure at COTA, the 20th grid slot has never retired. It has had two points-scoring finishes. Carlos Sainz finished seventh in 2015, while Brendon Hartley finished ninth in 2018. The grid slot has been left vacant three times – in 2014, due to a shorter entry list than usual, in 2019 due to Sergio Perez starting from the pit lane and in 2022 as a result of Esteban Ocon starting from the pits.
Three pit lane starts have been made at the Circuit of the Americas, with two of them resulting in points-scoring races. Sebastian Vettel finished seventh having started from the pit lane in 2014, while Sergio Perez finished tenth from the pits in 2019. Esteban Ocon is the most recent pit lane starter at COTA. He just missed out on points in 2022, finishing in 11th place.
