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In recent days - especially following the first-lap contact between Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris at the Singapore GP and the ensuing controversy - doubts have increasingly grown over who will ultimately be crowned World Champion this season. Leaving aside the Constructors’ Championship, already clinched by McLaren at Marina Bay, the title battle now seems to be an intra-team affair between the two McLaren drivers. However, looming behind them is the ever-present threat of Max Verstappen, who is not far behind in the standings with six races to go, and who is determined to claw back vital points in pursuit of his fifth consecutive world title. It’s certainly a difficult challenge, but the Dutch driver heads into the United States Grand Prix with far more optimism than the clear frustration he showed after Singapore:
"We made progress in Singapore, we've had a string of positive races recently, and we want to maintain that momentum, hoping we can do even better this weekend. I was back at the factory this week to prepare on the simulator, and the team has been working hard, analyzing where we can improve. This circuit is all about finding the right balance between straight-line speed and downforce for the fast, sweeping corners - plus the bumps can make things tricky. Austin is a fantastic city with great food, so it’s always a fun place to race. It’s another Sprint weekend, so we’ll need to get up to speed quickly as there’s less time to fine-tune the setup - but that’s the same challenge for everyone".
As for his title hopes, Verstappen doesn’t downplay the possibility of keeping the number 1 on his car heading into 2026:
"What are my chances of winning the title? I'd say it's 50-50 - either I do or I don't. When the car is competitive and I can fight at the front, I know I can be there. It’s that simple. We’re coming off a good run of races, and in Singapore, we didn’t fully exploit the car’s potential. I’m curious to see how it goes here in Austin. The Sprint weekend makes it all a bit more hectic. It’s a fantastic track, a real pleasure to drive. The car is no longer overly oversteery or understeery - in recent weekends, we’ve been able to fine-tune the setup without needing big changes, and the car feels more balanced".
The challenge extends to his teammate, Yuki Tsunoda, whose best result remains sixth in Baku, and who failed to score points in Singapore:
"I’m really looking forward to this weekend in Austin. It’s always fun - demanding off the track but enjoyable. At some point, I’ll relax with a classic Texan BBQ, but my full focus is on the track and maximizing the weekend. Sprint weekends present unique challenges, so Friday’s work in the car has to really count. Since Baku, I feel I’ve built real confidence with the car, and things have started to click for me and the team. I’ve found a good rhythm. Singapore brought its own battles, but here in Austin, I hope the circuit puts us back in that performance window where I can get the most out of myself and the car".
The first-lap contact in Singapore left its mark on the relationship between Norris and Piastri. McLaren conducted an internal debrief with both drivers, concluding that the wheel-to-wheel moment at Turn 3, in which Lando clipped Oscar, was a risk that could and should have been avoided. While the incident didn’t cost the team points - McLaren still secured the Constructors’ title at the end of the race - the episode was viewed seriously. Lando Norris expressed clear regret over what happened:
"We reviewed the incident, and I can say there will be repercussions for me from now until the end of the season. So no, I didn’t just get away with it. It was a minor incident, but one that could’ve been avoided. As I said after the race, it’s not something I wanted to happen. I can’t afford to get into contact and let things like that occur again. It puts my entire championship at risk if something goes wrong - and I also risk the championship of whoever I’m racing against. There will be consequences, but beyond that, my commitment and approach to racing are unchanged".
Norris didn’t clarify what these repercussions entail. Oscar Piastri also spoke about the internal discussions - without going into specifics:
"I think the talks in Singapore were very productive for everyone involved. The conclusion was that what happened isn’t how we want to race as a team. Lando took responsibility for his part. But it’s in the past now, and I don’t think our internal rules will change. The so-called Papaya Rules we have at McLaren? At the end of the day, we put that framework in place for a reason, and there’s no reason to change it now. It’s been addressed, and now we move forward. What exactly these consequences are remains unclear. Norris himself hinted that McLaren will not disclose details, in order to protect internal strategy. We’re racing against nine other teams and 18 other drivers, and we don’t want to give away anything sensitive. I think it’s fair to keep that to ourselves. We’ll just try to race to the best of our abilities within what we as a team consider acceptable. That’s all we can do. But of course, I wasn’t very happy with how things went in the last race. The team decided it wasn’t an acceptable first lap, and we addressed it".
Adding more tension to an already heated atmosphere in Austin, McLaren confirmed that Lando Norris will face repercussions following the incident at the start of the Singapore GP. While the team hasn't made them public, Team Principal Andrea Stella spoke positively about how the internal discussions played out:
"The conversations after Singapore were very positive and constructive. We had a situation where our cars came into contact, and so it was necessary to review everything under the framework we use to race together as a team. It’s a framework that Lando, Oscar, and the team built together - and ultimately it’s my and Zak Brown’s responsibility to ensure it’s applied consistently. We examined the incident and determined that Lando was at fault for the contact - he went in too deep at Turn 3, clipped Verstappen, and then oversteered into Oscar. There was no malice in the move, but both drivers accepted the review, and we now move forward from it stronger, just as we did after Canada. Repercussions? They’re part of our internal framework. This was something both drivers wanted included in how we race. It was part of the necessary review to discuss this aspect. Now we’re focused on maximizing car performance and getting back to winning ways".
After all, the Verstappen threat remains real:
"Max is Max, and Red Bull is Red Bull. We’re talking about a four-time reigning World Champion - we were never naïve enough to think he was out of the title fight. That was always clear to us. But once you accept that, the focus shifts to ourselves. And I have to say, I’m impressed by how well Lando and Oscar have blocked out the noise and stayed focused on themselves. They know that if they maximize their potential, they can have strong weekends and control their own destiny in this title chase. Of course, there’s pressure - all F1 drivers dream of becoming World Champion. For Oscar and Lando, that dream is now within reach. As a team, we just want to ensure we’re 1-2 in the standings and then may the best man win. I’m impressed by the maturity both drivers have shown throughout this campaign. We want to give Lando and Oscar a car fast enough to keep Verstappen under control and make sure he doesn’t become too much of a threat. For me, what matters is that all of this happens in a spirit of fairness, sportsmanship, and in line with the values that define how we race at McLaren - and then, let the best driver win".
The story regarding Mercedes' driver line-up for the 2026 season is now complete: it will once again be George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli racing for the Brackley-based team.
"George and Kimi are both graduates of the team's junior system, having joined the programme in 2017 and 2019 respectively. George claimed the GP3 and Formula 2 titles en route to F1 and, following three years at Williams, has won five races since stepping up to a race seat with the works Mercedes team. Kimi meanwhile secured multiple Formula 4 championships, the Formula Regional title and race wins in Formula 2 before making his F1 debut at the start of this year. Since then, he has gone on to become the third youngest podium finisher in the sport's history and leads one of the strongest rookie crops in many seasons".
For Team Principal Toto Wolff, and for both drivers, this is a logical decision. Neither side could have hoped for a better solution, and both are confident they can be competitive together when the sport enters a new era in 2026. Notably, the contract extension is again for just one year, even though Russell had pushed for a multi-year deal to avoid facing renewed uncertainty in a few months. Still, Toto Wolff commented:
"Confirming our driver line-up was always just a matter of when, not if. We wanted to take our time, handle the negotiations properly and make sure everyone, on all sides, was happy. I'm pleased we have done that. George and Kimi have proved a strong pairing and we're excited to continue our journey together. Our focus is now on the final six races of the year, as we fight for second in the Constructors', and onwards to 2026 and a new era in F1".
For the tenth consecutive year, George Russell will be a Mercedes driver. The Briton will race the W17, the team's upcoming challenger, with which he hopes to achieve success under the new technical regulations. Russell could not hide his pride about renewing with the team that launched his F1 career and is eager to face the challenges of 2026 alongside Andrea Kimi Antonelli:
"I am really proud to be continuing our journey together. Next year will mark my 10th since I signed with Mercedes back in 2017. It has been such a long and successful partnership with the team so far and I can't wait to see what lies ahead, particularly as we embark on one of the largest regulation changes in the sport's history next year. We are all incredibly focused on making that a success and, for me personally, building on what has been my strongest season in F1 to date".
2026 will be Kimi Antonelli’s second year in Formula 1. Mercedes has officially extended the Italian driver’s contract for another season, showing continued trust in a young talent who has experienced both highs and lows during his debut year in the sport. Despite a difficult European campaign, Toto Wolff remains confident in Antonelli, whose recent performances have certainly improved:
"I'm super excited to be continuing with the team. I've learnt so much in my first season in F1, both in the good moments and the more challenging ones. Those have all made me stronger, not only as a driver but as a team-mate too. I want to say thank you to Toto and everyone at Brackley and Brixworth for their continued support and faith in me. Our focus now is to finish this year strongly and secure second in the Constructors' Championship, before we then turn our full attention to 2026. There's plenty for us still to achieve in these final six races and we will be giving it our all".
Speaking at the Autosport Business Exchange event in New York, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff expressed satisfaction at concluding the negotiations and strongly defended the team’s decision to retain both drivers:
“First of all, I think there was a lot of noise around Lewis leaving and us putting an 18-year-old in the car, and the supposed risk we were taking. But in reality, it wasn’t much of a risk - because we still had George. In a way, George has been underestimated over the years, maybe because of his more introverted personality... And of course, when your teammate is Lewis Hamilton, it’s only natural not to get much attention. I mean, if George had Lewis' style, maybe he’d get more photos. But he’s just not like that.
It’s a fair and reasonable explanation - Russell has often flown under the radar despite his standout performances this year - though it does contrast somewhat with Mercedes' communication strategy of announcing only a one-year renewal for now. Wolff also took the opportunity to reaffirm the team’s long-term commitment to Andrea Kimi Antonelli:
"We have long-term plans for Kimi. We knew this year would be tough for him under the current regulations, because all the other drivers have much more experience with ground-effect cars. The tyres are complex, many of the circuits are completely new to him, and then there’s the immense media pressure that comes with being Italian. Italy hasn’t had a world champion in, God knows, 50 or 60 years. All that considered, he’s had a solid first season in F1. I think the highlight was the pole in the Miami Sprint and the podium in Montreal, but also some very tough races. The media pressure in Europe was enormous, but we’ve learned our lesson. We protected him a bit, and the last few races have been really positive. Next year will be a completely different starting point".
With the shadow of Christian Horner becoming ever more threatening behind the scenes - not necessarily in view of an immediate replacement, but more for what could happen after the first races of 2026 should the cars built in Maranello fail to be truly competitive - Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur once again finds himself at the center of media scrutiny. Vasseur, however, defends both his own work and that of the engineers closest to him:
"I've been in this sport for 30 years and I knew perfectly well that I’d be exposed to criticism - that a load of shit would be thrown my way. The attacks during the Montreal weekend? They didn’t really hurt the team, even if they were very negative for us. I knew I'd have to live with the pressure, because it's part of the DNA of F1. But I think there's already enough pressure at the track - we shouldn't have to deal with more of it when we're at home. We already know very well that we need to deliver results. The media? I don’t read the newspapers, I don’t even watch TV - I only hear what the press office tells me. And that’s fine by me. In any case, that’s the past - we’re focused on the future".
That future depends on executing one of the French team principal’s favorite mantras: perfect execution of the weekend’s work plan:
"I think the biggest problem is that we've missed some good opportunities. In a weekend like Baku, for example, we had the pace to do much, much better. But it went the way it did. We now need to pay much more attention to execution to be able to have a proper weekend".
Also because, in Vasseur’s opinion, McLaren - now dominating - isn’t actually so much stronger than Ferrari:
"All teams go through ups and downs, although I’d say that when they have a poor weekend, they're still right up there fighting, and when they’re on form, they’re basically flying. But there’s no magic button - and when you have a big issue at the start of a weekend, you end up losing the right path and have to play it safe with the setup, losing some confidence and everything that comes with it".
In the week leading up to the United States Grand Prix, rumors resurfaced about Christian Horner potentially joining Ferrari. These reports, however, have not been confirmed by sources close to Maranello, from which the rumors were described as totally unfounded. Lewis Hamilton - one of the main figures during the traditional press conference in Austin - was asked about the speculation linking Christian Horner to Ferrari:
"I don’t know where these rumors about Horner are coming from, but the team made its position clear by renewing Fred’s contract. These things don’t help - they’re a bit of a distraction for the team. As far as I’m concerned, I’m staying focused on the real objective, which is next year’s car and laying the foundations for 2026".
In 2024, Charles Leclerc won the United States GP driving the Ferrari SF-24, with Carlos Sainz completing a one-two for the team. That was the last double victory for Ferrari, which also won the following race in Mexico with the Spanish driver. Now, however, the situation is completely different:
"Repeating that one-two seems difficult considering our current performance levels, but we’ll give it everything to bounce back after some tough races. We’re all extremely motivated. The Sprint weekend might help us be in the mix - we’ll need to focus on every single detail. The goal is the podium".
When asked about the market rumors for 2027, Leclerc reiterated his loyalty to Ferrari:
"I’ve always been clear - I love Ferrari and I want to win in red. Obviously, 2026 will be a very important year, and we’ll need to start off on the right foot thinking also about the four seasons that follow. I don’t pay attention to or read what's being written or said".
Given the limited time available, a queue of cars had formed in the pit lane - headed by reigning World Champion Max Verstappen - when the green light appeared at 12:30 a.m. local time, the majority sporting the C1 hard tyres for their opening runs while Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll opted for the C3 mediums. There was a moment of confusion for Isack Hadjar when the Racing Bulls man’s race engineer referenced Bottas on track, seemingly mixing up one of the current grid with former Kick Sauber driver - and soon-to-be Cadillac racer - Valtteri Bottas. This was followed by a brief wide moment for the Frenchman, who complained about traffic as a result. With the session reaching the 15-minute mark, Verstappen had set an early benchmark of 1'35"426, putting him 0.132s clear of Singapore winner George Russell in second. A red flag was thrown with around 40 minutes remaining due to debris on the track at Turn 19, with replays showing Stroll running wide through the corner. And after a brief pause, the action resumed a few minutes later, with Lewis Hamilton - a five-time victor at the Circuit of The Americas - now heading the timesheets on a lap of 1'34"857 in the Ferrari. There looked to be plenty of work going on in the Williams garage after Carlos Sainz was called back to the pits, his race engineer having cited a potential issue with the gearbox. The Spaniard was left to watch on as the crew set to investigating the problem. Esteban Ocon, meanwhile, took a trip across the gravel in his Haas, the American outfit being one of six teams sporting special liveries for the event in Austin. The French driver reported that the brake stayed at 100 per cent the whole way. Elsewhere on the radio waves, Hamilton stated that the throttle pedal is really slippery for some reason as he put another lap on the board, the seven-time World Champion still leading the order by half a second from the McLaren of Norris with 20 minutes to go. Hamilton subsequently went wide through the hairpin before returning to the pits, the track experiencing a lull in action as the final segment of the session approached. As the final 10 minutes ticked down, several drivers bolted on the C4 soft tyre for their Qualifying simulations, while others switched to the medium compound instead. As the name at the top of the board continued to change amid the track evolving, Charles Leclerc - last year’s winner of the United States Grand Prix - reported an oil smell before heading back to the pits. But back on the circuit it was Alonso catching the eye, the Aston Martin driver going fastest on a time of 1'33"639, just 0.009s ahead of Verstappen in second while Hulkenberg also put in a noteworthy lap to slot into third. Alonso’s time at the top did not last long, however, with Norris soon displacing him via his effort of 1'33"294. As the chequered flag fell, Hulkenberg shot up in second - 0.255s adrift of Norris in the Kick Sauber - while Piastri was 0.279s back from his team mate in third. Alonso had to settle for fourth ahead of Verstappen, with Williams’ Alex Albon, the Mercedes of Russell, Hamilton, Hadjar and Haas’ Ollie Bearman rounding out the top 10.
After Norris sets the pace during the weekend’s sole practice session earlier on Friday, the paddock’s attention turns to Sprint Qualifying, which will decide the grid for the fourth Sprint of the campaign on Saturday. As the 12-minute SQ1 session - where the Medium tyre is mandatory - gets underway at 4:30 p.m. local time, Hadjar is the first to hit the track as a queue of cars starts to peel out of the pit lane in increasingly warm conditions, with air temperatures around 33 °C. Bortoleto reports, just as the Kick Sauber driver sees his first lap time deleted for exceeding track limits:
"A lot of gusts and a lot of wind changes".
Verstappen, meanwhile, goes fastest once all 20 drivers have put a lap on the board, the Red Bull driver setting an initial benchmark of 1'34"140. While Hamilton sits in P2 - 0.086s adrift of Verstappen - his Ferrari teammate Leclerc finds himself in danger down in P16, the Monegasque at risk of elimination along with Gasly, Ocon, Colapinto and Bortoleto. As the final minutes tick down and the field returns to action for their decisive final runs, Tsunoda voices his concern that he will not reach the line in time to start a lap - and this prediction proves correct, pushing the Japanese driver down to P16 and out of the session. Ocon also fails to cross the line before the chequered flag, eliminating the Haas driver in P19, while others who do not make it in time include Bearman, Bortoleto and Lawson, with the former two exiting in P16 and P20 respectively, while Lawson has done enough to progress in P10. Leclerc, meanwhile, improves only to P13, but that is sufficient to ensure the Ferrari driver advances to SQ2. With Gasly moving himself up to 15th, the Alpine driver escapes an early exit - but his teammate Colapinto does not, ending up in 17th. At the other end of the timesheets, Norris goes fastest on a lap of 1'33"224, 0.139s quicker than Verstappen. After that busy finish to SQ1, focus quickly shifts to SQ2, a 10-minute segment where the medium tyres are again mandatory. While some drivers remain in the pits during the opening stages, Verstappen is keen to hit the track and sets the early fastest time. Norris then displaces the Dutchman to go quickest on a lap of 1'33"033, putting him 0.130s ahead of Verstappen while teammate Piastri is three-tenths back in third.
Ferrari, meanwhile, appears to be having a tougher time, with Hamilton and Leclerc slotting into P9 and P10 respectively. Of the drivers in the drop zone, only one - Stroll - has set a time, while Hulkenberg, Hadjar, Lawson and Gasly all opt to do just one push lap in the closing minutes. While Norris and Verstappen choose to stay in the pits during the final moments, the rest of the field attempts to improve in order to progress to SQ3. Hadjar moves up to P10, pushing Leclerc down to P11, while Lawson has his time deleted for exceeding track limits. As Hulkenberg surges to P5, Leclerc drops back further - but the Monegasque just does enough to get through in P8. The pressure then falls on Hamilton to escape the danger zone, and the Ferrari man narrowly improves to snatch P10 - pushing Antonelli down into P11 by just 0.006s. With eight minutes going on the clock for the crucial top-10 shootout - with soft tyres now required – Russell hits the track early to put his first lap on the board, the Mercedes driver enjoying plenty of free air before being joined by the Williams cars of Albon and Sainz. Russell’s initial effort is a 1'32"888, with Sainz only 0.023s behind while Albon is two-tenths adrift in third. As the closing minutes of the session arrive, the rest of the pack starts to emerge for their flying laps. Hulkenberg continues his impressive run by going fastest, but this is soon beaten by Norris, the Briton surging through with a 1'32"214. Piastri places himself in second, three-tenths away from his teammate, but Verstappen - the last man to cross the line - goes even quicker, taking pole with a lap of 1'32"143 and beating Norris by just 0.071s. This puts Hulkenberg in fourth - his best grid slot since his podium-claiming weekend at the British Grand Prix in July - ahead of Russell in fifth and Alonso in sixth.
The Williams duo of Sainz claim P7 and P9 respectively, while the Ferrari pair of Hamilton and Leclerc take P8 and P10 in what proves to be a tricky outing for Ferrari. Max Verstappen means business, threatening the leadership of the two McLaren drivers - a fact confirmed directly in the Sprint Qualifying for the United States Grand Prix. The Dutch driver secured pole position, just ahead of his two rivals, with Norris in second and Piastri lining up third on the starting grid. The pole came after employing different strategies between SQ1 and SQ3, where in the final session he went out on track after all the other drivers - contrary to what he had done in previous sessions:
"We optimized the setup and understood the track better. Sometimes this track is tricky to drive, and we had to make some adjustments to the car, and then we simply felt more comfortable. Obviously, with all the tyre compounds you only get one shot at the end with the softs, but we did everything right and it worked out well".
The Red Bull Racing driver hasn’t underestimated McLaren’s potential at all, especially with the Sprint Race coming up—where he expects to face serious pressure:
"They’re very fast, and I expect them to be strong again tomorrow in the race. We know that they’ll probably step it up in race conditions, so it’s going to be tough".
Lando Norris will start from the front row in the Sprint Race, missing pole by just under 0.1s. Verstappen’s performance was a clear statement of intent, but Norris is trying not to show too much concern over his friend-rival’s result:
"Obviously I wanted to be on pole, but it’s not a surprise for us to be slower than Red Bull. I’m fairly happy, I don’t know how much time I left out there. There are a couple of things I could have done better - definitely hit a few bumps the wrong way, which is part of the challenge of this track. In terms of pace, I’m happy. Can I win the Sprint tomorrow? I hope so - normally our race pace is a bit better. We've struggled all year in qualifying, especially when it’s tight. And it’s been close all weekend so far. So no, it’s not a surprise, but hopefully we can do something more in the race".
Lewis Hamilton was left disappointed after Sprint Qualifying. The Briton couldn’t manage better than eighth place in SQ3 - not exactly what the seven-time world champion dreamed of when he chose to join Ferrari. Hamilton’s analysis was brief but blunt:
"In Q1 the car felt pretty good, but then we started to drop off and lose performance. The car became really difficult to drive. We fell off massively—eight tenths [behind Verstappen’s pole] is a huge gap".
There’s little more to add - and it’s hard to imagine Ferrari’s SF-25 improving significantly between now and the end of the season. Two aspects are concerning: first, the actual session results, with Hamilton in eighth and Charles Leclerc in tenth. But what worries Frederic Vasseur’s team even more is that this might be the true potential of the car - a car that doesn’t allow its drivers to fight for more than a few points. Charles Leclerc summed it up after Sprint Qualifying:
"I’d be very surprised if we find something that gives the car a big step forward. I hope I’m wrong, but I think this is the car’s potential".
As the lights go out at the Circuit of The Americas, Verstappen makes a smooth launch away at the front. But drama rapidly unfolds behind as the pack enters Turn 1, with Piastri getting tagged by Hulkenberg, which launches the Australian into a spin - and sends him into Norris, immediately putting the Briton out of the running. While Piastri initially continues, the championship leader is warned that he may have picked up suspension damage and is ultimately unable to make it back to the pits, meaning that both McLaren cars retire from the Sprint on only the first lap. Fernando Alonso also finds himself out of the event, the Aston Martin having been caught up in the melee amid contact with Hulkenberg, while the Safety Car is deployed due to the debris scattered across the track. As for Hulkenberg - who calls the incident a massive sandwich - the Kick Sauber driver drops down to P15 following a visit to the pits, while Stroll and Alpine's Franco Colapinto also pit after an eventful opening lap. On Lap 5 of 19, it is announced that the Safety Car period will soon end, with Verstappen still leading from Russell, Sainz, Leclerc, Hamilton, Albon, Tsunoda - the Red Bull driver having withstood running over Hulkenberg’s stray front wing on the track - and Bearman. It is another strong restart from Verstappen, the World Champion holding onto P1 ahead of Singapore race winner Russell. Further back, the other Mercedes car of Antonelli is keen to make moves as the rookie tries to find a way past Pierre Gasly in a fight for ninth. By Lap 8, Russell has closed in on Verstappen enough to attempt a bold overtake of his own by making a lunge into Turn 12 - but both cars run wide off the track, with Verstappen rejoining ahead of his rival.
"What was that?"
The Red Bull man radios in - and while the stewards note the incident, they decide that no further investigation is needed. Elsewhere the Ferrari duo of Leclerc and Hamilton are locked in a fierce scrap for P4, Hamilton ultimately winning the fight to move ahead of his teammate. And back at the front, Russell looks to have lost ground to Verstappen, the Briton dropping back by 1.7s. As Lap 11 ticks down, Verstappen continues to lead from Russell, Sainz, Hamilton, Leclerc, Albon, Tsunoda and Bearman. The battle for that last points-paying position looks to be heating up, with Bearman closing to within a second of Tsunoda while Antonelli is also hot on the tail of the Haas.
"We have two strikes at Turn 12".
Russell is warned by his race engineer about track limits, while elsewhere Bearman and Antonelli are noted for leaving the track and gaining an advantage following a wide moment for the rookies during their duel. Further drama hits on Lap 16 when Stroll attempts a lunge on Ocon into Turn 1, the Aston Martin driver locking up and collecting the Haas to put the latter out. While the Canadian appears to raise his hand in apology, he also becomes another retirement after pulling his damaged car off the track at Turn 3. All of this prompts a second Safety Car phase, while it is confirmed that the Stroll and Ocon incident will be investigated after the Sprint. Bearman, meanwhile, is handed a 10-second time penalty for that aforementioned Antonelli fight, a punishment that drops the Haas man out of the points. With the recovery operation continuing on track, the Sprint ends under the Safety Car as Verstappen clinches a 13th Sprint victory, the Dutchman crossing the line ahead of Russell, Sainz, Hamilton, Leclerc, Albon and Tsunoda. With Bearman - who had been running in eighth - dropping to the bottom of the order due to his penalty, Antonelli moves up into P8, while Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson and the Alpine of Gasly miss out on points in P9 and P10 respectively. After just one corner, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri took each other out, triggering a major crash that also led to the retirement of an innocent Fernando Alonso. The double retirement boosts Max Verstappen’s chances of a comeback: the Dutchman won the Sprint Race and gained 8 points on both rivals in one go, who are now starting to get seriously concerned. In the brief statements made by both Piastri and Norris after the incident, neither delved too deeply into who was at fault. The Australian driver said:
"I don’t know if I made a mistake, I didn’t see it. Obviously, I know that in that situation there was a big risk because we were very far from the apex and the curb, but I need to review everything".
Norris even seems to defend his teammate:
"Consequences for Oscar? Why? He got hit too, didn’t he? So why should it be only his fault? Oscar was hit by another car, so it can’t be his fault".
Starting from eighth on the Sprint Race grid, Lewis Hamilton knew he didn’t have a Ferrari capable of a big comeback. But the British driver capitalized on the crash at the start of the race and then cleverly took advantage of a teammate’s mistake to close the gap and overtake:
"I definitely felt better in the race than in qualifying, with a decent pace. The car was the same, but it was still quite tricky because of tyre overheating and understeer. I managed to avoid the drama at Turn 1, but I didn’t place my car very well. I saw Alonso on the inside so I went right and left space for Charles. The start was good, shame I couldn’t get close enough to fight for the top three. I hope for a better qualifying today, so fingers crossed. We’ll definitely need to make some changes before qualifying to extract a bit more performance and recover ground on those ahead. But overall I’m optimistic and hope with some adjustments we can do better and be more competitive".
Starting from the fourth and fifth rows, and given the pace shown in qualifying with only 19 laps available, almost reaching the podium was already an unexpected result for Ferrari. Of course, nothing that excites fans, drivers, or management, but in these kinds of races you have to settle for what you can get and take advantage of any opportunity. Charles Leclerc secured fifth place with moderate satisfaction and is looking ahead: in his opinion, qualifying will determine much of the race outcome:
"Satisfied? Yes and no. Yes, because today the feeling was definitely better, especially in race mode. No, because we ended up fourth and fifth due to the crash at the start. I felt much better in the car today. I thought I could overtake Carlos: I pushed like an animal in the first few laps. Unfortunately, at Turn 5 I went wide, picked up a lot of dust, and it was hard to recover the pace. I did several tests on my end in terms of steering wheel settings and I’m fairly confident I’ve made progress for tomorrow. We really need to focus on qualifying or else we’ll struggle to get a good result".
At the end of the Sprint Race, Max Verstappen said that the car was less competitive than expected and called for adjustments ahead of Qualifying. The new standings, in fact, open up some intriguing scenarios for the Dutch driver, who doesn't want to leave anything to chance:
"We need to look at what we can do, because I expected it to be a bit easier to win against Mercedes once the McLarens were out of the picture. Instead, it turned out to be a bit too difficult - we need to work on a few things if we want to win tomorrow as well".
Hours on from an action-packed Sprint at the Circuit of The Americas, the attentions of the paddock shift to Qualifying, which decides the starting order for Sunday’s United States Grand Prix. A queue has already formed in the pit lane ahead of the green light signalling the start of Q1, with Ocon leading the pack out for the 18-minute segment. Two drivers to emerge after the initial chain disperses are the McLaren pair of Norris and Piastri, both back in action after their earlier Lap 1 exit in the Sprint Race. A red flag is thrown just minutes into the session when Hadjar hits the barriers, having lost the rear of the car before spinning off. The Racing Bulls driver is seen hitting the steering wheel in frustration following the incident, while work begins to clear his stricken car from the track. Once the session resumption time is announced shortly afterwards - with just over 14 minutes left on the clock - another pit lane queue quickly develops. The majority of the field bolt on soft tyres for their early runs with the exception of Hamilton, who runs used mediums before also switching to the soft rubber. There is a dicey moment for Norris as he tries to put a first timed lap on the board, the Briton going wide which forces him to abandon his effort. Leclerc, meanwhile, goes fastest on a lap of 1'33"525, putting him 0.065s clear of Verstappen. Norris’ next attempt is more successful but still only places him in seventh, one position behind team mate Piastri. At the other end of the timesheets, the drivers at risk as the session enters its final minutes are Stroll, Colapinto, Albon and Bortoleto, along with Hadjar whose crash brings an early end to his Qualifying. The Mercedes pair of Russell and Antonelli catch the eye by briefly taking a 1-2, before Sprint winner Verstappen displaces the former at the top by one tenth on a lap of 1'33"207. Colapinto, meanwhile, moves himself just out of danger to P15, pushing the previously improved Bortoleto back down to P16. All eyes are then on Albon as the Thai driver tries to escape elimination. He promptly seems to do so by putting his Williams into eighth place - but his lap time is then deleted for exceeding track limits, pushing him back to P19. Another driver to have their effort erased for the same reason is Stroll, leaving the Canadian in 18th, which becomes last place due to a five-place grid penalty. Bortoleto also fails to progress to Q2 in 16th, with Ocon in 17th while Hadjar - having been unable to rejoin the session - brings up the rear in 20th. Another 15 minutes go on the clock as Q2 gets underway, the soft rubber again proving the tyre of choice for the field as they set to putting a time on the board.
Verstappen looks to continue his Q1 form forward, setting an early benchmark of 1'32"701. Leclerc slots into second, 0.168s away from Verstappen, with Norris third and Hamilton fourth following the initial runs. Piastri, meanwhile, is back in seventh, not a comfortable position for the McLaren driver to be in. Further back, the names at risk are Lawson, Russell, Tsunoda, Colapinto and Gasly, the latter having yet to set a lap after his time is deleted due to track limits. Russell returns to the track earlier than most for his decisive lap, the Briton moving up to P6. As the action picks up in the final minutes of Q2 - with just Verstappen opting to stay in the garage, seemingly feeling safe at the top - the other Red Bull of Tsunoda cannot better his previous time, leaving him in P13, while Hulkenberg is also unable to progress in P11. After getting a lap on the board, Gasly moves forward but only to P14 - ahead of team mate Colapinto - while Lawson also exits in P12. The remaining 10 drivers ready themselves to battle it out in the decisive Q3, with Verstappen and the McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari duos joined by Sainz, Alonso and Bearman for the final shootout. Most of the pack opt for fresh soft tyres, while Piastri, Bearman, Alonso and Sainz bolt on used sets. And once the first runs are completed, Verstappen again goes fastest to claim provisional pole on a lap of 1'32"510, going 0.394s clear of Norris. Russell and Antonelli slot into third and fourth, with Bearman and Sainz beating Piastri while Alonso, Hamilton and Leclerc round out the order. The latter’s time is some four seconds off that set by Verstappen - and it soon becomes clear why, with replays showing the Ferrari completing a 360-degree spin into the final corner. Attentions then turn to the all-important final runs, for which everybody is sporting fresh tyres. There is concern at Red Bull over whether Verstappen will reach the line in time to start his lap - a worry that comes to fruition as the Dutchman indeed misses out, meaning that he needs to rely on his earlier effort. As the others put their own laps in, Verstappen's first time proves unbeatable. Norris slots into second place - 0.291s back from Verstappen - while Leclerc is not far behind in third. Russell and Hamilton are next in the order, with Piastri back in sixth on a tough day for the Australian. Antonelli, Bearman, Sainz and Alonso, meanwhile, complete the top 10 for the United States Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen will line up at the head of the field for Sunday’s Grand Prix at the Circuit of The Americas as he looks to further cut the 55-point margin in the Drivers’ Standings to leader Oscar Piastri, with the Red Bull man's victory in the Sprint Race earlier on Saturday helping to reduce the gap as Oscar Piastri and team mate Lando Norris crashed out at the first turn. However, Qualifying took a late twist for Verstappen as he was unable to start his final flying lap before the chequered flag fell, leaving him vulnerable to the chasing pack:
"I was actually okay. I was just a bit disappointed at what was going on ahead. Just a lot of people were leaving 10-12 second gaps, which you can’t really anticipate gaps that big. So we missed out by a couple of seconds, which is not ideal, but luckily, it didn’t matter. The wind picked up today compared to yesterday, and it managed to turn a little bit, so a full-on tailwind into all of the esses, so you just lose downforce. The car is moving around a lot more, even compared to yesterday, so that made it a bit harder. Of course, in some corners, you gain a bit of lap time back, but you can’t commit as much as you normally can into sector one".
Lando Norris has been reflecting on what caused McLaren to struggle more in Qualifying for the United States Grand Prix, with the Briton - who took P2 - suggesting that he had no chance of taking pole position:
"I improved by a tenth or half a tenth. It was a bit more of a struggle today for whatever reason. Yesterday, it was just quite comfortable, and I don’t know if it’s just that everyone else has improved a bit or the wind today hurt us a bit more, but we were both struggling quite a bit more today just to put the laps in and be as quick as this guy. We were pushing and I’m still happy with P2. It could have been worse, but there was no chance we could have gotten pole today".
Saturday has also proven challenging for McLaren in the Sprint, with both Norris and Piastri finding themselves out of the running on Lap 1 after being caught up in a first corner melee. As such, Norris is hoping for a much cleaner start when Sunday’s Grand Prix gets underway:
"Just don’t get hit is my clear thought for tomorrow. I look forward to hopefully having a good race with Max. We’ve had some good ones in the past, so I’m looking forward to it again".
Oscar Piastri will need to quickly forget this day. In Austin, the World Championship leader first retired just one corner into the Sprint Race, and then in Qualifying, he couldn’t do better than sixth place, while his main rivals – Max Verstappen and Lando Norris – locked out the front row. The Australian tried to calmly analyze such a difficult day, calling the incident with Hulkenberg and Norris during the Sprint a racing incident and, most importantly, trying to explain the lack of pace he showed throughout qualifying, especially in Q3, where he was also beaten by both Ferraris and George Russell's Mercedes:
"The incident in the Sprint? I’ve rewatched it, but there’s nothing to say. I believe it was a racing incident. There were a lot of cars side by side behind me, and they went a bit long into the corner. It was just a racing incident. The qualifying position makes the weekend harder, but I don’t think it was down to a mistake. If I knew I had lost a lot of time due to errors, I’d be very angry with myself. I’ve just been lacking pace all weekend. I think I put in a clean lap, I just wasn’t fast enough".
Ferrari’s race weekends are becoming increasingly unpredictable. The cars had a terrible start and struggled to even be the fifth-best team during Sprint Qualifying. However, after a bit of luck in the Sprint Race, something changed, and the SF-25 stepped up in Austin, securing third on the grid with Charles Leclerc and fifth with Lewis Hamilton, with lap times very close to Lando Norris. This time, Frédéric Vasseur gave credit to the team and the drivers for their work:
"Lap preparation matters. Sometimes it’s better to do the warm-up lap alone, without focusing too much on track evolution. We had a good session for that reason. Every lap was well-prepared, and in the end, we reaped the rewards".
After qualifying, Charles Leclerc expressed surprise at the pace of the SF-25. Vasseur explained the cause of the car’s inconsistent performance:
"I think today we extracted much more from the tyres through the preparation laps. How you prepare the tyres and get them in the right window in terms of temperature and pressure is key to performance. Sometimes, it matters more than the car’s actual potential".
Charles Leclerc looked motivated and ready to fight after the United States GP qualifying session. The Monegasque shone again in qualifying, finally rediscovering a good feeling with the SF-25. In fact, he wasn’t fully satisfied with third place, believing the front row was within reach. According to Leclerc, Max Verstappen - who took pole - unintentionally cost him time during his final flying lap:
"The only thing I’m not happy about is the traffic Max gave me in the second sector. I’ve already spoken to him and I understand he obviously didn’t do it on purpose, but with these cars, it really costs us. I lost quite a bit there - definitely the second place. I don’t think pole was in reach, but we definitely would’ve been closer".
Aside from this small complaint, Leclerc had several reasons to smile:
"This is a good step forward: I didn’t revolutionize the car, but we made small changes here and there, especially with a new thing I played with today that helped suit my driving style. I immediately found performance, and that’s something we’ll keep using moving forward, hoping to close the gap. We know we have a good car for the race, and we know we made progress after the Sprint. For a few races, I was struggling to drive this car with the new parts. Today I think I found something. But we need to be careful - the wind picked up today and helped us. That said, I hope we can be closer to the others for the rest of the season, like we were today".
With that in mind, his goal for the race is clear: no caution. Leclerc will go all out in pursuit of a victory that may seem out of reach – but remains the Ferrari driver’s goal for the season:
"The start? We need to be aggressive. I want to try to win a race before the end of the year. I’m going to keep believing until the very end. It’s not an easy moment for the team, but we’re starting from P3, and anything is possible".
Fourth place in the Sprint Race and a third-row start in Qualifying with the fifth-fastest time: so far, the United States GP has been positive for Lewis Hamilton, who will aim for a strong result at one of his favorite tracks:
"Overall, it was a positive Saturday. In the Sprint Race we showed good pace and without the final Safety Car, we could’ve aimed for an even better result. Qualifying was also a step forward from yesterday - everything ran more smoothly and that made us more competitive throughout the session. Sunday’s race will be challenging, but starting further up the grid gives us a chance to fight for important points. Strategy will be key, so we’ll go through all the details tonight to make sure we’re ready for the Grand Prix. Austin is one of my favorite circuits and the fans have been amazing all weekend. I’d love to reward their support with a strong result".
After two exciting days of action at the Circuit of The Americas - featuring a highly eventful Sprint followed by a busy Qualifying later on Saturday - the paddock shifts their attentions to Sunday’s United States Grand Prix. That aforementioned Qualifying sees Verstappen clinch a 47th career pole position, with Norris proving his closest competitor in second, while championship leader Piastri has a trickier day after ending the session in P6. With that dramatic Turn 1 from Saturday’s Sprint still fresh in everybody’s minds, questions remain over how the pack will tackle the first corner this time around as Sunday’s start time nears. One thing for certain is that the drivers are again racing in warm conditions, with a track temperature in the range of 44 °C. One small change to the starting order prior to the race getting underway sees Stroll demoted to P19 after serving a five-place grid penalty - handed out following a collision with Ocon in the Sprint - while Hadjar lines up at the very back, having not set a time due to crashing out of Q1 in Qualifying. Once all 20 cars assemble on the grid and the tyre blankets are removed, it is revealed that most of the field start on the medium tyre for the 56-lap event. The exceptions, however, are Leclerc, Bortoleto and Stroll on the soft compound, while Ocon, Albon and Hadjar opt for the hard. With the formation lap completed, the five lights go out to get the United States Grand Prix underway - and while Verstappen launches away cleanly to hold the lead, Norris loses out to Leclerc after the Monegasque takes a wide line through Turn 1. Behind them, Piastri defends hard against Russell into that first corner, the Australian managing to get himself up into P5 - dropping Russell to sixth - while Hamilton also gains a position in P4.
Further back, yellow flags are thrown as Albon goes off at the rear of the pack after seemingly colliding with Bortoleto, before rejoining in last place. Tsunoda is the biggest winner at the start, the Red Bull driver moving up four places to run in P9, while Sainz climbs up to P8 after overtaking the Haas of Bearman. Meanwhile, Verstappen already starts to extend his lead, the Dutchman running three seconds clear of Leclerc by Lap 5. As those opening five laps play out, Leclerc not only drops back from Verstappen but increasingly finds himself under pressure from Norris, with the McLaren driver just 0.5s behind. Elsewhere, Norris’ team mate Piastri is also trying to chase down a Ferrari in the form of Hamilton. On Lap 7, Sainz attempts a move on Antonelli into Turn 15 - but contact occurs between the pair, sending the latter into a spin while Sainz pulls off the track, his Williams seemingly too damaged to continue. This results in the deployment of the Virtual Safety Car, with Albon taking the opportunity to pit while Antonelli drops down to P18. As the VSC ends on Lap 9, Verstappen continues to lead by more than two seconds from Leclerc, while Norris drops back slightly from the Ferrari. Hamilton and Piastri remain in fourth and fifth, with the latter radioing in that he is concerned about the front left tyre. Norris voices the same issue, leading to questions over whether McLaren could opt for a two-stop strategy. Elsewhere, the Antonelli and Sainz incident - which will be investigated after the race - promotes Hulkenberg and Alonso up into the top 10. With 14 laps gone, Verstappen is now four seconds clear of Leclerc, but Norris again gets himself on the tail of the Ferrari.
"Track limits for Norris".
Leclerc reports as the McLaren closes to just half a second behind. Just one tour later, Norris goes side-by-side with Leclerc through several corners - and while there is hard but fair racing between the pair, the Briton is unable to make the move stick. All of this allows Verstappen to break away further, extending his lead to 6.7s. After briefly dropping back, Norris once again closes in on Leclerc by Lap 19. Another attempt to get past follows - only for Leclerc to again close the door. Further back, Antonelli is trying to climb back through the field, the Mercedes driver chasing down Ocon in a battle for P15. Amid the ongoing Norris and Leclerc scrap, Norris is told to pit to overtake - but the call seems to be a bluff, with the McLaren staying out on track. In less welcome news for the papaya squad, the British driver is shown a black and white flag for exceeding track limits. While Norris is not happy to hear about that, he has something to smile about on Lap 21 after finally overtaking Leclerc at Turn 12. Leclerc then faces pressure from team mate Hamilton, the Ferrari pair very nearly making contact as they fight for P3 - only for Leclerc to then pit, swapping his soft tyres for the medium compound.
As Leclerc returns to the track in ninth place, Verstappen is now 11 seconds ahead of Norris, who is followed by Hamilton, Piastri, Russell, Tsunoda, Bearman, Hulkenberg, Leclerc and Alonso. With the halfway mark of the race edging closer - and most of the frontrunners yet to pit - there is still plenty of action to come at COTA.
"Tyres are becoming tricky".
Verstappen tells his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase on Lap 27, with the response being that the conditions are starting to change. Elsewhere, Leclerc climbs to P7 after overtaking Hulkenberg and Bearman, while Antonelli - the fastest man on track - is up to P13. Much speculation remains over strategies, with many teams seemingly keen to extend the first stint for as long as possible before switching to the soft tyre on a one-stop call. Tsunoda pits on Lap 30 for the soft rubber, while Piastri does the same one lap later, returning to the track in seventh. Next to stop is Hamilton, the seven-time World Champion emerging ahead of Piastri in sixth. Verstappen, meanwhile, sees his lead marginally cut into - before Norris dives into the pits on Lap 33, rejoining in third on the soft tyres behind Russell after a slightly slow stop. Verstappen makes his all-important visit to the pits one tour later - emerging back in the lead - while Russell soon follows, returning to the track in P6. With everybody now having pitted, the order at the front shakes out as Verstappen, Leclerc, Norris, Hamilton, Piastri and Russell. Just behind those lead six cars, Bearman drops to P9 after a lunge on Tsunoda triggers contact between the pair, sending the Haas into a spin and briefly bringing out the yellow flags. Hulkenberg is sandwiched between them, while Alonso completes the top 10. Up ahead, it looks like a second round of Norris vs Leclerc is coming up, with the Briton closing to within 0.7s of the Ferrari by Lap 38. Meanwhile, two more drivers are shown the black and white flag for track limits - Bortoleto in P19 and Albon in P16. Within a few laps, Norris drops back from Leclerc - and promptly radios in that he is struggling with hi tyres, news that undoubtedly pleases the Scuderia. But Verstappen also looks to be nursing his own tyres, meaning that his lead is not extending but holding steady at 6.8s. As the final 10 laps approach, Norris is told that he still has really strong pace despite his tyre struggles, while team mate Piastri’s difficult weekend at COTA seems to be continuing, the Australian not making ground in P5 as he remains some seven seconds back from Hamilton. Further back, Antonelli - another driver shown the black and white flag - makes another overtake on Ocon for P13, while the fight for the final points-paying position is heating up, with Lawson and Stroll both chasing down Alonso. While only a few tours are left, several potential battles start to pick up again. Norris is back on the tail of Leclerc as he tries to grab P2, and Russell brings his gap from Piastri down to 2.9s. After making an attempt into Turn 1, Norris bides his time through the lap before finally making it past Leclerc into Turn 12.
"Keep the pressure on, he has three strikes".
Leclerc is encouraged by his race engineer, referencing Norris’ earlier track limits warning. Despite this, Leclerc soon drops back from the McLaren, the Monegasque seemingly struggling for grip, while Russell’s challenge on Piastri looks to have fallen away. Meanwhile, Colapinto is asked to hold position behind Alpine team mate Gasly at the rear of the pack - an order that the Argentinian ignores to move up into P17. There are no such dramas for Verstappen, however, who takes the chequered flag with a margin of 7.959s from Norris, while Leclerc has to settle for third at a track where he claims victory back in 2024. Hamilton faces a tense moment on the final lap, with the Ferrari driver appearing to have picked up a puncture - allowing Piastri to start closing in. The Briton just does enough to hold on to P4, however, with Piastri one second back as he crosses the line in P5. Russell ends a relatively quiet day in sixth, while Tsunoda, Hulkenberg, Bearman and Alonso complete the top 10. Regardless of how this season ends, Max Verstappen has already achieved something remarkable: over the last four races, he has recovered 64 points in the standings. That’s an average of 16 points per weekend, which—if maintained—would allow him to win his fifth consecutive World Championship. After the Texas GP, the Dutch driver removes the mask and openly admits he believes he can win this title, even though he knows he’s still at a disadvantage:
"If someone in Zandvoort had told me that after four races I’d be in contention for the Drivers' Championship, would I have believed them? No. I would have told them they were an idiot. But now we’ve found a good way to manage the car, it’s that simple. Of course, we’ve made some improvements to the car, but we just understood it better and figured out where we wanted it to work better. Now, every weekend we try to reach that level. Some weekends are better than others, but overall, the last few weekends have been much easier than the previous ones. So that’s what we need to aim for in every single race".
In Austin, on the same track where he won his most recent race last year, Charles Leclerc celebrated his sixth podium of the season. His third-place finish rewarded an all-out attack strategy, starting on Soft tyres (the only one on the grid to do so) and switching to Mediums in the second stint. After overtaking Norris at the start thanks to the Softs, Leclerc defended strongly from the Briton’s attacks but finally had to give in five laps from the end. Just before his pit stop, Leclerc also had a brief but entertaining duel with his teammate, though he said it didn’t impact the outcome of the race:
"I don’t know how much time we lost, honestly. I didn’t know I was going to pit on that lap. In the end, I ran my race and tried to defend my position. I have no regrets. We can spin it however we want, but we didn’t have more than that, also because Lando simply had more than us. In our battle, he couldn’t pass right away, but it was clear he eventually would. I have no regrets, I enjoyed the race because it was fun. We’re working well, even when there are things around the team we can’t control. There are rumors we don’t want to hear, and they’re not even true. We know we can stay focused on our work even in those situations, and a weekend like this proves it. I’m really happy with the team. We made a step forward especially from Friday to Saturday, thanks to all the work done both at the factory and at the track. It was a perfect weekend. The car still doesn’t have the potential to win, but it was a very solid weekend".
A decent fourth place for Lewis Hamilton comes with a negative record: he’s still yet to step on the podium this season. Yet shortly before Leclerc’s pit stop, Hamilton was also involved in a brief but intense fight with his teammate, with the Monegasque coming out on top:
"A productive Sunday overall-today was a positive race for the team, and we brought home some important points. My first stint was encouraging, and I was fighting for third, but after my pit stop, the gap to the top three became too big to close. Overall, the weekend was positive. It showed the progress we’re making as a team and confirmed there’s still potential to unlock in the SF-25. Thanks to all the fans who brought such incredible energy all weekend".
Frederic Vasseur has reason to smile a little. Even though Ferrari’s goal is clearly not to fight for third place, the reassuring words from President John Elkann and the decent performance of the two SF-25s in Austin give the team principal a bit of calm ahead of the next battles:
"I think there was some optimization and good tyre management. We had performance swings, as did Mercedes - but in the opposite direction - because if you don’t get the tyres in the right window, you can easily lose 5-6 tenths. That’s what happened to us on Friday. But I’m really proud of the team for the great recovery, across the sprint, qualifying, and today’s race, which all went quite well".
Their tactical response was also positive, with the Soft tyre choice allowing Leclerc to fight with Norris at the start:
"We wanted to be aggressive with the strategy, trying to be first after Turn 1. It worked only 50%. How would things have gone if Charles had taken the lead? I don’t have a crystal ball, so I don’t know - but it’s very hard to overtake early in the race. If we had kept Max and Lando behind, we would’ve tried to survive on the Softs against the Mediums - which were much better - then pitted early for the Mediums. But again, it worked 50%, and we weren’t far off second place. We took a gamble, and it paid off quite well thanks to Charles’s great tyre management. External criticism? The situation is clear internally, even if it’s not always clear to some journalists. It’s hard to manage the pressure and keep calm in the team because it becomes a distraction, but I think the President’s message is now clear. We must focus on the final five races to secure second place. It’s a big challenge. Charles? He had a solid weekend, was aggressive in strategy, and it paid off. He kept Lando behind at the start on Softs, delivered a great performance, and I’m really happy for him. It’s a good boost heading into the final five races".
The fight for second place between Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc was arguably the most exciting part of the US GP. In both stints, they found themselves dueling on different tyres. After the race, Lando Norris commented on the battle with Leclerc, admitting he feared at one point he might have to settle for P3:
"Our pace was quite similar, I think that’s why it was so hard to pass - we were faster for sure, but not by much. There were some tough laps fighting him; I tried to put him under pressure and force a mistake, but he didn’t make many. Especially in the last stint, though, I managed to get the tyres into a good window, lost a few seconds, came back, and caught him a bit by surprise. In the end, it was a great result. For a moment I thought I wouldn't finish second. I thought he was just a bit too quick for us. But getting back to P2 and making the overtake was perfect".
What happened to Oscar Piastri? The young McLaren star, winner of seven of the first fifteen races and looking fully in control after Zandvoort, now seems to have vanished. Mistakes, crashes, and poor luck have seen him lose 64 points to Max Verstappen and 20 to Lando Norris. He’s still in control of his destiny, but the margin for error is rapidly shrinking:
"This track is interesting - lots of high-speed corners and very slow-speed ones, so you have to be good at both. There aren’t many medium-speed corners, and that’s never really suited me in F1. So in a way, I’m not surprised this was a tough weekend, but of course, I was hoping for better".
Still, Piastri remains confident, thanks to his advantage:
"Max has done well in the last few races, but if we can find our way again - and in my case, find my rhythm - then I’m not too worried. There’s still a long way to go in the championship, and while Max has caught up quickly, the gap isn’t tiny yet, with four or five races still to go. If we get back in rhythm, things will sort themselves out".
McLaren, already crowned Constructors' Champion with six races to go, now risks losing the Drivers’ Championship. Team principal Andrea Stella tried to bring some calm after a disappointing weekend in Texas:
"Today there were tricky conditions. With the wind and high temperatures, the car was sliding a lot. You need to find some rhythm and feeling in low-grip situations with lots of brake locking, and that’s something that doesn’t play to Oscar’s strengths. It’s something he’ll work on, and like everything else he’s worked on, he’ll learn fast. So we’re not concerned about Oscar’s performance. We know there’s still a bit to be found in those conditions, and overall, we’re encouraged by the car’s performance".
Regarding Verstappen’s comeback, Stella remains calm, reiterating the three-way fight for the title:
"For me, the championship looks the same as it did before Baku. I said there that it was a three-way fight for the Drivers' title. We’ve always said it internally, it just had to be acknowledged externally. It’s a three-way battle, and we’re still in control of our own destiny. We have a very competitive car, we need to do a good job with both drivers and with the team. I think there will be tracks coming up that suit our strengths, so we look forward to the last five races with optimism".
Starting on the second row behind Leclerc, Mercedes had higher expectations for George Russell, but his race ended in sixth, behind both Lewis Hamilton and Oscar Piastri, the current championship leader. Russell’s race, however, was largely uneventful:
"Before the race, I thought that wherever we came out of Turn 1 would probably be where we’d finish. That was due to the expected tyre degradation and the similar pace among the front-runners. That’s exactly what happened, and unfortunately, we lost places at Turn 1. I had a good start but got stuck behind Norris, while Hamilton and Piastri overtook me on the outside. From there, it was a lonely race to sixth. Now, let’s focus on Mexico - it’s a very different track from Austin, and the altitude adds an extra challenge. Hopefully, we can have a better race and catch up in the fight for second in the Constructors' Championship".
In that very fight, Ferrari is now just 7 points behind Mercedes, thanks to strong performances by both drivers and Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who finished 13th after contact with Carlos Sainz:
"It was a frustrating race from our side. I felt good right from the start, as I did all weekend, and I was eager to make up some places from seventh. Unfortunately, that wasn’t possible. I tried to leave Carlos a bit of space at Turn 15 when I saw him coming. I think I did, but we still touched, and that ended any realistic chance of scoring good points. A disappointing day, but we move on. Now we head straight to Mexico, and we have the chance to bounce back quickly. I hope we do, because the Constructors' Championship is tight, and every point will count".