Max Verstappen has made the United States Grand Prix his own in recent years, winning four times and claiming seven podiums in 10 appearances at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA).
The Red Bull driver made his Austin debut with Toro Rosso in 2015, finishing an impressive fourth. He has since won four of the five Grand Prix held at the circuit between 2021 and 2025.
| Season | Start | Finish | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | P1 | P1 | Red Bull |
| 2024 | P2 | P3 | Red Bull |
| 2023 | P6 | P1 | Red Bull |
| 2022 | P2 | P1 | Red Bull |
| 2021 | P1 | P1 | Red Bull |
| 2019 | P3 | P3 | Red Bull |
| 2018 | P18 | P2 | Red Bull |
| 2017 | P16 | P4 | Red Bull |
| 2016 | P4 | DNF | Red Bull |
| 2015 | P8 | P4 | Toro Rosso |
A favoured track for Verstappen
Verstappen retired in 2016 in his first race at COTA as a Red Bull driver.
In 2017, he crossed the line in third place after a final-lap overtake on Kimi Räikkönen. However, he received a five-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage, dropping him to fourth. Verstappen had already entered the cooldown room before learning that the penalty had cost him his podium.
He reached the podium in 2018 and 2019, finishing second and third respectively.
His first victory in COTA came in the frenetic 2021 season, when he held off title rival Lewis Hamilton in the closing laps. The then Mercedes driver had eight-lap fresher tyres, but Verstappen held on to win by 1.333 seconds.
He won again in 2022, recovering from an 11-second pit stop that meant he had to overtake both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton for the lead. The following year, he completed a hat trick of Austin wins in the dominant RB19. That victory was the 50th of his career.
The winning run ended in 2024, when Charles Leclerc won for Ferrari ahead of his teammate Carlos Sainz. Verstappen, who produced a strong defence against title challenger Lando Norris, finished third after Norris received a five-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage.
Verstappen returned to the top step in 2025, converting pole position into victory ahead of Norris to keep his faint title hopes alive.
Four victories and seven podiums make Austin one of Verstappen's strongest circuits.
He arrives after winning the Grand Prix in Malaysia and Singapore, putting him among the favourites for another victory at COTA.
