Former F1 champ Andretti opens US GP circuit

Austin - Former Formula 1 World Champion Mario Andretti officially opened the new Circuit of the Americas (COTA) here.

The 1978 champion opened the Texas venue Sunday in a ‘First Lap Ceremony’ featuring a collection of celebrity drivers.

“It’s very green, as you could expect. You get offline a bit – it’s a bit slippery. But that’s normal for a new circuit. Overall, my impression is absolutely fantastic,” Andretti was quoted as saying by the F1 website.

Lotus reserve driver Jerome D’Ambrosio became the first person to drive around the circuit as he piloted the team’s 2010 car around the 5.516-km track.

“It’s a very enjoyable layout with a couple of good opportunities for overtaking, some long, fast, sweeping ‘S’ bends and a few really satisfying, high-speed changes of direction similar to the ‘Becketts’ complex at Silverstone,” D’Ambrosio told the Lotus website.

“The first corner is also quite special and it will be interesting to see it when people are dicing for position in the race. It’s an enjoyable layout for a racing driver and also fantastic for the fans as the viewing areas are very well placed to catch all the action; of which there should be plenty!”