F1 in USA is huge for brands - but where’s the next American driver?

Ferrari stole the show on Sunday at Austin’s Circuit of the Americas, with Charles Leclerc leading home teammate Carlos Sainz for the Prancing Horse’s first United States Grand Prix one-two for 18 years.

But, while Leclerc’s dominance was impressive, so was the flow of blood, sweat and tears from across the Atlantic at Ferrari’s Maranello HQ – where people like reserve driver Robert Shwartzman worked on solutions in the team’s simulator until 4.11am on Saturday morning.

Back in the Austin paddock, the weather was warm. But, amid the furious battle for both titles, the pit lane saw a huge storm in a technical teacup emerge at Red Bull early in the weekend after it was discovered the RB20 had a secret device it could use to change the height of the front bib.

Naturally, rumours ran wild that the squad could use the device to change the front bib’s height between qualifying and the race, under parc fermé conditions, which would be illegal.

The squad, though, poured cold water on that wildfire, with a demonstration in the garage proving changes couldn’t be made easily – or secretly – with parts to be removed and a long tool required to wind it.

“Yes, it exists,” a senior Red Bull spokesperson said. “Although it is inaccessible once the [RB20] car is fully assembled and ready to run.

“In the numerous correspondence we have had with the FIA, this part came up and we have agreed a plan going forward.”

Red Bull didn’t hold back in its own attempts to destabilise rivals, though, with Max Verstappen suggesting that McLaren’s Oscar Piastri shouldn’t support his teammate Lando Norris’ title campaign as he’s not a number two driver.

While its motorsport consultant Helmut Marko said Norris has “some mental weaknesses,” hinting at his pre-race nerves.

McLaren took the high ground this time, despite coming under fire for its own “mini DRS system” revelation in Singapore.

“Poking at that situation I think is pretty inappropriate and kind of sets us back 10-20 years,” said McLaren CEO Zak Brown. “It’s all fun and games in how some people go racing and what tactics they [will] use from a sporting perspective, but I thought that one was in pretty poor taste.”

Verstappen’s contentious podium result, which came after Norris was handed a five-second time penalty for passing the Dutchman off-track for third at turn 12 four laps from home didn’t help the ongoing feud, though.

Political games aside, the sport was thrilled to be back in the USA – and beyond the on-track stoushes, the fight was on to see who could be the most American. Alpine was a strong contender, with a tweaked one-off livery (that made it look like the McLaren) to promote the soon-to-be-released Indiana Jones video game. It also had a cowboy photo-shoot with both its drivers at a favourite stop on the Austin PR trail, Allens Boots…

Home team Haas, was the natural winner, with its own US-themed livery, and a get together for the media on the Thursday ahead of the race – where it served up sponsor Chipotle’s burgers, chips and guac.

It all made a lot of sense, with Austin a big chance for the teams to service their American partners, with 46.8 percent of the sport’s brands – at the start of the current season – based in the USA, double what it was pre-Liberty Media.

Of course, there were no American drivers on the grid this year. But, green team Aston Martin went big with its development driver Jak Crawford via a show run in the AMR22 at five different locations across his home city of Houston.

The Houston pre-race event also marked the 50th anniversary of Aston Martin partner Aramco’s US headquarters – and the launch of a new, shared initiative, ‘Generation 3,’ which aims to deliver innovation and social impact.

For Crawford, though, it was about bringing his dream home.

“I was able to wake up in my own bed this morning, and [then] drive a Formula One car. So that’s pretty cool,” he said.

The good news kept coming for Crawford, with the 19-year-old also confirmed for the Abu Dhabi postseason test, where he’ll drive the AMR24.

Fans won’t have to wait long for more news, with the sport flying onto Mexico City, for the second leg in the opening triple-header – held this weekend at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez (October 25-27).