Can Oscar Piastri Once Again Shine on a Sprint Saturday?
Whilst Oscar Piastri has really impressed since the British Grand Prix, Oscar’s actually been pretty terrific on a Sprint Saturday, and in my Driver Ratings, only Max Verstappen has scored more points (73-70). Because of this, I fully expect Oscar to be really strong on Saturday, but that also doesn’t mean that he can’t be strong over the entire weekend.
Can Haas recapture 8th in the Constructors’ Championship at their Home Race?
It’s fair to say that Haas haven’t had the best of seasons as they’ve only collected 12 points over the 2023 Formula 1 Season and they’ve only scored one point since Austria (P10 for Magnussen in Singapore). Also, due to Alfa Romeo having a superb weekend in Qatar, Haas are now 9th in the Constructors’ Championship which just isn’t good enough for/from the American outfit. With (just) 5 Rounds to go and new upgrades on the car this weekend (as well as a special livery), Haas really need to end up scoring some points in some capacity.
Daniel Ricciardo Returns!
After an unfortunate crash in Friday Practice at Zandvoort, Daniel Ricciardo broke a bone in his left hand which forced him to miss a total of 5 races. However, The Honey Badger is now back in the Alpha Tauri for one of his favourite races of the season and I’m really intrigued to see how he gets on when you consider what’s played out for Danny Ric in the past couple of years.
Logan Sargeant Must Have a Good Weekend at Home!
I’ve been very honest when it comes to how I rate Logan Sargeant as a driver throughout his Rookie Season and it’s getting to the point where it feels like Logan needs a miracle to save his seat. However, COTA is one of three home races for Sargeant in 2023 and it’s vital that he has a really good weekend at a track he has driven a Williams car around before (Practice 1 last year).
Will Lewis Hamilton Bounce Back after a Difficult Weekend in Qatar?
In my opinion, Lewis Hamilton's had a good 2023 Season, but his worst weekend (or certainly race) definitely came last time out at Qatar when he collided with his Mercedes teammate George Russell at Turn 1, Lap 1. Lewis will certainly now be aiming to bounce back in a strong manner and there’s no reason why he can’t considering how good Lewis is around COTA. In 10 races around the Circuit of the Americas, Hamilton has only failed to finish on the Podium once and 5 of those 9 trips to the Podium have been on the top step and I get the feeling that he’ll be looking to add to that this weekend.
My Predictions for COTA Qualifying
Max Verstappen
Lewis Hamilton
George Russell
Lando Norris
Oscar Piastri
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