Verstappen eyes overtaking chances in Austin

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Max Verstappen is hoping that the Circuit of the Americas will be a place where he can get his teeth into some serious racing, with some juicy overtaking possibilities in prospect next weekend in the United States Grand Prix.

Verstappen finished in second place last weekend in Suzuka, and he is hoping that the track layout will enable him to do the same again - or maybe even go one better.

"The COTA track is very special, it’s a new track but with a lot of old school corners in it," he said, adding that it had the benefit of greater run-off areas for safety and driver protection.

"[That] makes it really cool to drive," he added. "Turn 1 has such a big radius it gives a lot of overtaking opportunities, and then the whole of the first sector has the Esses, it’s a bit like Silverstone or Suzuka.

"It is a really fun circuit to race," he summed up.

It's not just the track that has Verstappen salivating, however, with the 19-year-old also eager to get a taste of the city itself - and also some traditional Texan cuisine.

"I had a good look around Austin last year and really liked it," he said. "I love America in general, the people are so friendly and I always feel comfortable and relaxed there.

"Burgers and meat, it is so good there!" he added. "I will probably have to be a bit careful to watch my weight as you can eat so well in Austin. I am sure I will find time for a nice steak though."

Verstappen is aiming for his second win of the season in Austin, having had his first taste of success earlier in the year at Catalunya in his first outing with Red Bull Racing.

The Dutch driver is currently in fifth place in the championship standings, just five points away from overhauling Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen with five races remaining until the end of the season.

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.