Max Verstappen dominates, Red Bull strongest in qualifying
Although the United States Grand Prix was not a race filled with constant drama, the weekend at the stunning Circuit of the Americas proved extremely interesting from multiple perspectives. The undisputed winner was Max Verstappen. Securing pole position and victory in both the Sprint and the main Grand Prix, Max Verstappen arrived in Austin trailing Oscar Piastri by 63 points, leaving with a reduced gap of 40 points. The championship, while still challenging, suddenly seemed far less impossible than before—especially considering there are still two Sprint races remaining across the final five Grands Prix, where, as Austin demonstrated, anything can happen. Beyond Verstappen’s flawless driving and exceptional talent, which extend not only to on-track performance but also to the valuable feedback he provides to his engineers, Red Bull confirmed its superiority in qualifying. The RB21 demonstrated exceptional ability to maximize tire performance, find the optimal window, and extract peak grip in the brief space of a single lap. McLaren remained close but in pursuit.
However, the story on race pace was different. The McLaren car often showed stronger rhythm, but its potential has been consistently compromised over the last four weekends due to a series of unfortunate events. For this reason, Verstappen’s task in Austin, though achievable, was far from simple. He faced a rival who is very competitive in race conditions and essentially has a “match point” in every Grand Prix, making it extremely difficult to neutralize. At Austin, however, Verstappen managed his objective effectively, aided by Oscar Piastri’s second off weekend of the season—following his Baku struggles—which included the Sprint incident and modest race pace.
Piastri fails to win or beat Norris in four races
While we continue to celebrate Red Bull’s pace, much of the on-track action still hinges on McLaren’s performance. The first notable factor is simple yet critical: the championship has reopened primarily because Oscar Piastri has stopped winning. The young Australian deserves some leniency, given he leads the championship in just his third F1 season, facing immense and growing pressure alongside an era of incredibly challenging cars. Still, in the ruthless reality of the points table and a championship fight that spares no one, Piastri has delivered four consecutive underwhelming performances since the Dutch Grand Prix, finishing not only behind Verstappen but also trailing his teammate Lando Norris in all four races. After retiring in Zandvoort, Norris produced steadily improving results, including Austin, where he fought for a front-row starting position despite difficulties, and maintained strong race pace—ultimately managed by a masterful Charles Leclerc performance. Whether motivated by feeling out of contention after Zandvoort or finally hitting his stride, Norris achieved four solid and convincing race performances, holding an 11-8 edge over Piastri in recent head-to-heads, and now sits just 14 points behind his teammate, fewer than the points lost due to the Dutch GP retirement. Beyond Max Verstappen’s incredible chase, Oscar Piastri’s first priority is to start beating his teammate consistently, because while Max’s task seems nearly impossible, Lando’s is much more achievable.
Austin: a puzzle track for teams and drivers
For McLaren, the absence of Sprint data proved particularly damaging in Austin. The Circuit of the Americas is already challenging, demanding high aerodynamic efficiency while featuring highly irregular asphalt that tests mechanical grip and forces teams to raise ride height. Combined with high temperatures and Pirelli’s soft tires—which are grippy but less prone to wear—the track proved extremely difficult to interpret for both drivers and engineers. Red Bull only found the right suspension compromise after the Sprint, while Ferrari significantly altered its mechanical setup, using the Sprint as a literal test session to find the optimal balance. The first-corner retirements of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri deprived McLaren of valuable data, compromising the remainder of the weekend, as evidenced by the MCL39 running significantly higher than its competitors. Nevertheless, Norris showed race pace equal to or slightly faster than Verstappen, highlighting McLaren’s potential and the points the team has left on the table in recent races. A key factor is the combination of Red Bull’s qualifying advantage and the extreme aerodynamic turbulence that affects these cars. George Russell noted post-race that performance largely depends on the exit from Turn 1, since following cars closely is nearly impossible. Norris struggled to overtake Leclerc even when the Monegasque’s soft tires were depleted at the end of the first stint. McLaren is therefore paying the price for weaker single-lap performance, which limits their ability to exploit the car’s full race potential.
Mexico presents a key opportunity for McLaren
Formula 1 now moves quickly to the Mexico City circuit, where altitude introduces additional challenges. The track’s natural characteristics appear to favor Red Bull, but the high altitude could assist Andrea Stella’s McLaren team. At the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, teams are forced to run near maximum downforce to maintain sufficient grip, an area where McLaren has some advantage over Red Bull. Additionally, McLaren’s power unit cooling and cornering capabilities appear superior, potentially forcing Verstappen and Red Bull into defensive setups. Predicting outcomes is increasingly difficult in this late-season stretch, which promises to renew excitement and attention in Formula 1.
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