From second on the grid, Max Verstappen will start the United States Grand Prix on Sunday at 9pm. Can the Dutchman bounce back after winning his second world title in Japan? A preview of the race in Texas.
By Joost NedderbeltVerstappen took second place on the grid thanks to a new Ferrari engine (sixth of the season) and a new turbo to Charles Leclerc, who moved back ten places to twelfth. Limburger moves next to pole sitter Carlos Sainz on the front row of the grid.
Verstappen tried a double warm-up lap with a set of tires that had already completed a lap in the final section of qualifying, but to no avail. The Ferraris get the Pirelli rubber faster and better at Circuit of the Americas (COTA), so they were a bit faster. But it also has a flaw that has dogged the Scuderia all season.
This has everything to do with the load on the front tires in particular. It’s more firm at Ferrari than at Red Bull, with Sainz and Leclerc often having quick rubber to temperature. This helps in qualifying and the first laps after the start or safety car situation. But once the kilometers are actually built, more is said ‘G‘, the drivers call out. It was a while ago Tire damage, the phenomenon of tires losing grip due to overheating. This soon leads to real wear and tear as the rubber begins to slide more and more onto the asphalt.
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The tires on Leclerc’s car were completely worn out
It doesn’t affect every species of Scuderia, but most don’t. The best example came in Japan, when Leclerc parked his car next to Verstappen’s Red Bull after the race with completely worn intermediates. The two-time world champion’s car’s rubber was still in good shape after the same number of laps.
A new platform under the car in Japan was thought to solve this problem, but the rain at Suzuka did not provide an answer as to how far it succeeded. In Austin, though there are always ambiguous situations, there may be a clear answer. Sunday will be very warm in Texas and it will be especially windy on Saturday. The real picture emerges only after a few races.
“We still suffer from relegation,” Sainz said based on the free practice sessions, “but I think everyone is affected by it. Only when it happens, it’s always a bit worse with us than with Red Bull or Mercedes.”
Startopstelling GP van Amerika:
- 1. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
- 2. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
- 3. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
- 4. George Russel (Mercedes)
- 5. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
- 6. Lando Norris (McLaren)
- 7. Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo)
- 8. Alexander Albon (Williams)
- 9. Sergio Pérez (Red Bull)*
- 10. Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin)
- 11. Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri)
- 12. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)*
- 13. Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri)
- 14. Fernando Alonso (Alpine)*
- 15. Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
- 16. Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren)
- 17. Esteban Ocon (Alpine)
- 18. Mick Schumacher (Haas)
- 19. Guanyu Zhou (Alfa Romeo)*
- 20. Nicholas Latifi (Williams)
- * na gridstraf
A two-stop strategy makes sense for tire eater quotas
The middle section on the long straight at Austin looks to be where Red Bull comes into its own again. If Verstappen doesn’t take too much of the signs at the start, he can attack there. Verstappen’s RB18 lapped the Ferrari at 4km/h on the straight in qualifying. Those aren’t differences from the first half of the season, but with DRS it should provide opportunities. “I expect us to be strong in the race,” is the expectation of the two-time world champion.
And strategically, anything is possible in Austin thanks to the relatively short pit lane and high tire wear. According to Pirelli, the three-stop strategy cannot be ruled out, but in general the two-stop strategy is the most logical choice: two media and one hard.
As this is a tough circuit, Mercedes also comes into the picture during the race. Lewis Hamilton and George Russell were third and fourth thanks to grid penalties from Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez, and the still-reigning constructors’ champion’s car is generally more friendly to Pirelli rubber. Additionally, Hamilton and Russell have an update, although the new front wing they brought with them is not yet on the car. Only one copy was found, and Mercedes did not dare to use it yet.
The battle for second place and the constructors’ title
Also, the battle between Leclerc and Perez is interesting because they are still fighting for second place in the world championship. Second place behind the champion may feel like a consolation prize, but it will be the best result of their careers for both drivers.
In addition, the battle for the constructors’ championship is still on, although Red Bull seems almost impossible to miss. As the team of Verstappen and Perez left Austin with a 147-point lead, the title was assured. There is now a 165-point gap on Ferrari.
If Verstappen takes his thirteenth win in Austin, it will give Red Bull some much-needed relief after a tough weekend. Not only is the team still under fire for breaching the budget cap in 2021, but it was also announced on Saturday shortly before qualifying that Red Bull founder Dietrich Matschitz had died. So emotions are certainly not excluded.
