Red Bull eye Mercedes record as Verstappen targets 41-year-old feat - United States GP stats

F1 returns Stateside for the second time this season as Austin plays host to the United States Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen has already wrapped up the drivers' title, but Red Bull still has to secure the constructors' crown in the last four races, though a 165-point advantage over Ferrari makes it highly unlikely the Milton Keynes-based team will fail to clinch the championship in Texas.

But ahead of the race at the Circuit of the Americas, which is quickly becoming a fan favourite, GPFans brings you the best stats and facts.

F1 in America

This weekend's event will be the 73rd F1 race to be held in the US. Only Italy [104], Germany [79], and the United Kingdom [77] have hosted more races.

After the Miami GP, this marks the first time since 1984 that the US has hosted two races in the same season.

The US has hosted F1 at 11 different venues, the most by any one country.

COTA's lengthy challenge

At 5.513 km, COTA is the second-longest circuit in the country to have hosted an F1 race after Sebring, which is 8.369 km long.

With 20 turns, the track is joint-third - alongside Baku - for the most corners on the 2022 calendar, behind Jeddah [27] and Marina Bay [23].

Qualifying is key?

Every United States GP to be held in Austin has been won from the front row of the grid. The pole-sitter has never finished off the podium.

Old guard to be thinned

Only four drivers have taken part in every race at COTA - Lewis Hamilton, Sergio Perez, Sebastian Vettel, and Daniel Ricciardo. Vettel is retiring and Ricciardo is expected to leave the grid at the end of the season.

Verstappen to equal 41-year feat?

Verstappen could become the first driver to win two races in the US in the same year since Alan Jones in 1981. The Dutchman took the honours in Miami earlier this season.

Red Bull eye record

Red Bull has finished either first or second in 17 consecutive races. An 18th would see them surpass the record set by Williams in 1993-1994 and Mercedes in 2014-2015.

Hamilton's happy hunting ground

Lewis Hamilton is the most successful driver on US soil with six victories.

The seven-time champion is set to overtake former team-mate Jenson Button to become the British driver with the most race starts in F1 [307].

Since his debut in 2007, Lewis Hamilton is the only driver to have completed 100% of all race laps in the US, both at Indianapolis and COTA.

Mercedes has never suffered a DNF in the US.

Ferrari's good omen?

Ferrari has 13 wins on US soil, the most by any constructor.

Carlos Sainz has scored in every US race since his debut, with the best finish coming with P3 in Miami.

Can Gasly break American curse?

Pierre Gasly has failed to reach the chequered flag in the last three races stateside.

The Frenchman is yet to score his first points in America.

Will F1 escape red flags?

The last race to be red-flagged in the US was in 1984.

There has been an average of 34 overtakes per race at COTA.

There have been no less than three retirements at each US GP during the hybrid era.

Sundaram Ramaswami -Twitter/Instagram - @f1statsguru