Ferrari to Run Special HP Livery at Austin as Vasseur Warns of COTA Test

Ferrari will line up for this weekend's United States Grand Prix with a special one-off livery on its SF-26 cars, the team confirmed ahead of the Austin race weekend. The design, developed with title sponsor HP, will be carried by Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton for the round at the Circuit of the Americas from October 23 to 25. According to the announcement made on Wednesday, the livery highlights the engineering and creative processes behind the development of a Formula 1 car, giving the team's American race a distinctive look. Team principal Fred Vasseur used the announcement to preview what he called one of the most demanding races on the calendar. After what he described as two encouraging weekends in Asia that delivered solid points, Vasseur said the team had worked hard to consolidate those gains — but cautioned that Austin's mix of very different types of corners would provide a different examination of the SF-26. The Italian outfit's stated aim for the weekend is to string together another solid performance across every area, from car setup to strategy to execution. Vasseur added that the team was looking forward to racing in front of the enthusiastic American fans as the championship begins its American leg. Ferrari's Austin appearance also comes as the FIA confirmed two Straight Mode active-aero zones for the event, with Overtake Mode detection set 30 metres after Turn 20.