This seems like a perfect circuit for Max Verstappen. He became a three-time world champion F1 two weeks ago at Qatar and earning his 14th win in 17 races. And in the links of Circuit of the Americas (COTA), in Austin, everyone thought their car was going to fly again. What no one expected was what he experienced on Friday in a very tight classification, where he had not only one rival, but two, for pole: Leclerc and Hamilton.
In Q2, a good time Leclerc, who surpassed him by only 4 thousandths, began to warn him that he should work harder than on other weekends. And in his first attempt at Q3, in the last session, all the pools were blown away. Max Verstappen lost by three tenths in the last sector against a Leclerc inspiration, held by a magic wand, snatched first place by 0”252. And if that wasn’t enough, Lewis Hamilton joined the party without anyone expecting him, with a Mercedes with significant improvements, to sit in second by 56 thousandths. while, Sainzunable to replicate his good laps from Q1, was at 0.345.
Max starts screaming inside the car. Something interrupted him at the last turn. His partner ‘Checo’ Pérez. More fuel to the fire for an uncertain future for the Mexican.
There is one last bullet left. Verstappen I tried to put things back in their place. He went with everyone, but there, the infallible champion, failed. He set the best time, but that lap was annulled because he exceeded the track limits. Max starts at 6 this Sunday, where it seems harder for equality this Friday to replicate. Leclerc will start from the opposite pole Norris (2nd), Hamilton (3rd) and Sainz (4th), while Alonso was 17th.
Bad day for Alonso
Fernando Alonso arrived with an Aston Martin full of improvements, but a brake problem in the only practice session limited his pre-qualifying tests. In it, the car did not perform as expected and, in a ‘qualy’ with continuous improvement of the track and increasing parity, he risked his place in Q1, arriving ‘in extremis’ to cross the finish line to take his final lap. He was 17th. He was eliminated in Q1 and out of the Top-10 for the first time all year.
This Saturday, you will be able to wipe the slate clean on a non-sprint day, with classification and a short race (00.00/DAZN F1), where points will be distributed among the 8 best.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
