Verstappen Heads to US GP as Favorite After Turnaround in Austin

The two McLaren drivers struggled during the race and went into the race having done ‘at most three consecutive laps with less than half a tank,’ in Norris’s words. Team boss Andrea Stella hinted that this made the team more conservative with the car’s height due to a lack of data on plank wear that determines this height. This is crucial in Austin due to the track’s undulations. The situation worsened during the GP qualifying, as the McLarens struggled even more, especially under braking, and Verstappen’s advantage increased. Norris managed to secure second place on the grid. Piastri, still the championship leader, will start only in sixth. ‘When you don’t have confidence on this track, you lose a bit in each corner, and it adds up,’ explained the Australian, who just wants to gain as many positions as possible ‘and see how much I can recover.’ Norris is concerned about the impact of not having done the sprint or any race simulation, while Verstappen is pleased with the changes he made on the car between the sprint and the qualification. In summary, Verstappen is now the favorite. Not just in Austin. Asked by UOL if everything that has happened so far in the United States makes McLaren reconsider the projection that the car would be strong in Brazil, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi, team boss Andrea Stella made it clear that he did not expect to see such a significant disadvantage in Austin and begins to see the possibility that Verstappen will be the strongest in all the remaining races. ‘I would have expected a smaller difference here. So, we have to look at the facts, we have to look at the numbers, objectively. We didn’t necessarily maximize the performance available in the car today. But we need to be ready as a team and as drivers for Max and Red Bull to be competitive,’ said Andrea Stella, McLaren boss. With an eye on the start, Verstappen’s victory is not guaranteed. The first obstacle is the start. The lesson learned from the start of the sprint is that not everyone can brake so late and expect nothing to happen. As there was wind affecting the front cars, the drivers knew they could brake very late. But the cool thing about the Austin track is that hardly two starts are the same. On Saturday, the inside line was the best path – that’s how Yuki Tsunoda gained 12 positions. On Sunday, it could be the opposite. There was also an interesting point noticed by Max Verstappen: historically on this track, the second position is almost a better place to start than the pole because the driver is on the inside of the first corner. But the asphalt that was laid two years ago equalized that. ‘When I looked in the rearview mirror, some cars were spinning. It’s that kind of turn at the start. You can gain a lot of positions if you do well, but at the same time, it’s a risky turn to try to gain positions. But it seems that the asphalt, at least, is a little more consistent from left to right. I think that with that asphalt that was laid here two years ago, it helps to make the situation a little fairer between left and right.’ Even after the start, Austin races usually have exciting finishes, with drivers with different tire conditions fighting for positions. It is the type of race that allows a driver to either anticipate the pit stop for an advantage or delay it to be faster at the end. Judging by the sprint, it could also be a race with accidents and a Safety Car. This would be positive for Gabriel Bortoleto to recover on a weekend where he has not been feeling confident to push the Sauber to the limit on a flying lap. The Brazilian will start in 16th and at least solved the issue that was making it difficult for him to control the jumps of his head on the undulations.