US Grand Prix

Max Verstappen was also unwell during US Grand Prix, Marko reveals

Kevin Peterson02 mins

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has revealed that Max Verstappen was “unwell” during the United States Grand Prix at the weekend. Sergio Perez was visibly struggling post-race and Marko has confirmed Verstappen was not feeling 100 percent despite converting pole position to victory to extend his lead in the Drivers’ Championship to 12 points over Lewis Hamilton. “During the race it turned black in front of his eyes,” Marko told Auto Motor und Sport. “It’s incredible how much mental capacity Max still has. He drives a car at the limit despite feeling unwell, but also still thinks about the strategy. “Max brought himself back into shape with breathing exercises and drinking.” Perez’s illness affected him more and he was hindered further because he completed the 56-lap Grand Prix without a working drinks system. The Mexican described the experience as his “toughest race ever”. Marko believes Perez’s and Verstappen’s performances should be rated more highly due to both drivers not being at full fitness. “For Perez, too much water flowed in the warm-up lap [in his car],” said Marko. “The stuff splashed around like the devil. “Then he had to change the balaclava. He had no water in the race. When changing the car, to have less water, something went wrong. So that was a good performance. “The performance of both [drivers] is to be valued even higher.”

Verstappen could have lost Austin race to Hamilton as his tyres hit the cliff on the final lap

Kevin Peterson07 mins

Mercedes believe that Max Verstappen’s tyres had just started to hit the cliff of their performance on the final lap of the US Grand Prix, and that Lewis Hamilton could have snatched victory with just one lap extra in the race. The ‘cliff’ refers to the life of the tyre, with performance degrading over the course of a stint based on a reasonably predictable and shallow trend downwards. However, there is a point at which the tyre is pushed too far and goes ‘over the cliff’, with a severe loss of performance, and Mercedes believe Verstappen hit that point on the final lap of the US Grand Prix. Speaking in the team’s official US GP debrief, Head of Strategy James Vowles was asked whether Hamilton may have been able to take the win away from Verstappen had he pitted just one lap earlier for his final stint on the Hard compound. “First of all, one lap or two laps earlier at the end of the race would have given him tyres that allowed him to approach Verstappen, but I doubt it would have allowed him to overtake,” Vowles said. “To explain that in more detail, there is a compromise, clearly. For every lap that you go shorter at the end of the race, your tyres will be one lap younger and the tyre degrades. Every lap you put onto a tyre, every time you roll around five kilometres, it takes an amount of performance out of that tyre. “So, one lap earlier means, at the end of the race, your tyre will be a tenth, maybe a bit more, slower than it would have been. “To generate an overtake, you need a bigger and bigger tyre differential between you and the car that you are fighting. “One part of that, that we can control, is our degradation and what lap we stop on. The second, that we can’t [control], is what Verstappen’s degradation is and where he falls on the tyre curve. Now, he was predicted to fall off the tyre curve and he did, but he only did that on the very last lap of the race.” Vowles explained that the result of the race could have been very different, had Verstappen needed to go even a lap further. “I think you would have seen a different race result, but they managed that last stint very well and dropped the level of management in corners as Lewis got closer to them to make sure he had the tyres remaining for those last few laps,” Vowles added. With Hamilton pitting on Lap 37 of 56 for the final time, Vowles explained what might have happened had the reigning World Champion pitted a lap or two earlier and not fallen so far back for the start of the final stint. “If we had gone a lap or two earlier a few things would have happened,” he said. “Verstappen would have been closer on pit exit. He is on fresher tyres so, for every lap he has been going relative to Lewis, he is actually pulling just a little bit of a gap on track and, when Lewis stops, he has to push back to basically catch back up to Verstappen. If the gap is too large, let’s take it to an exaggerated level of 15 seconds, he will use all his tyres back up closing that gap down and there is nothing left in the race. “So that’s where the compromise lies. What you want is to find the lap that minimises the gap on exit and maximises the differential therefore at the end of race. And when we stopped was that, in terms of the models. “It’s difficult to really know what would have happened if we stopped a lap earlier or lap later, but what you are reliant on really for the strategy to work is Verstappen to run out of tyres and they didn’t really do that until it was too late.”

Why Red Bull did not pit Sergio Perez for the fastest lap

Kevin Peterson03 mins

Red Bull boss Christian Horner says they never considered a late pit-stop for Sergio Perez at the US Grand Prix to try and deny Lewis Hamilton the point for fastest lap. Even though a maximum of 133 points still remain up for grabs in the Drivers’ title fight between Max Verstappen and Hamilton, the consensus is that every single one is important. Therefore, the point the reigning World Champion gained for setting the fastest race lap around the Circuit of The Americas in the United States Grand Prix could yet make a difference in the final reckoning. However, Red Bull did not want to sacrifice the 15 points earned by Perez for finishing third behind his team-mate Verstappen and Hamilton, preferring to keep the extra three in the Constructors’ battle rather than dropping to fourth place behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc due to a stop for fresh tyres. Red Bull are the outsiders against Mercedes in the chase for the teams’ crown and trail by 23, so a deficit of 26 would have made that task even harder. However, also to the forefront of Horner’s mind was wanting to see both of his drivers on the victory rostrum for the second consecutive race, the one-three finish in Austin following a two-three at Istanbul Park a fortnight earlier. “It would have been brutal to pit ‘Checo’ and take him off the podium,” Horner told Motorsport.com when it was put to him about the possibility of Perez going for the fastest lap. “Leclerc was obviously too close behind. In the collective position of the team it was better for Checo to take the points, so that’s what we did.” From the human side of it also, the Mexican driver was struggling physically because he had been feeling below par on race day anyway and also had to drive the grand prix without hydration because his drink system had failed.

Martin Brundle slams Megan Thee Stallion’s entourage after US Grand Prix encounter

Kevin Peterson02 mins

Former Formula 1 driver and respected pundit and presenter Martin Brundle has taken to Twitter to offer his thoughts on that gridwalk moment at the US Grand Prix with Megan Thee Stallion’s entourage. Brundle was back charging up and down the grid ahead of the race in Austin, Texas, on Sunday with a long-awaited return of his gridwalk, that sees him talking to drivers, team members and celebrities in short interviews ahead of lights out. It had been a staple of pre-race coverage before the pandemic and it was great to see it back, with an iconic moment for more than one reason being thrown up when he stumbled across Megan Thee Stallion. Whilst she seemed relatively happy to talk to Brundle, members of her team were clearly not so keen, with one of them telling the former driver he ‘couldn’t do that,’ to which he quickly replied ‘I can because I just did.’ It was a classic Brundle moment and with the internet ablaze with the video he took to Twitter on Monday afternoon to offer his reflections, as well as suggesting some that find themselves on the grid need to improve certain aspects of their interaction with people.

Masi to discuss ‘marginal’ Kimi Raikkonen’s move on Alonso with F1 drivers

Kevin Peterson04 mins

Michael Masi admits the call not to penalise Kimi Raikkonen for passing Fernando Alonso off the track at the US Grand Prix was “marginal”. But, says the FIA race director, it came down to the fact that Alonso pushed the Alfa Romeo off the track, he didn’t run wide by himself. Alonso was annoyed with F1’s race stewards after the US Grand Prix, saying the “rules are a little bit random” and that the fans had been deprived of a good show because of it. The Spaniard’s complaint boiled down to his lap 16 battle with Raikkonen where the Finn gained a position off the track. “I can understand his frustration,” Masi said. “I’ve not heard his frustration, but I can understand it. “The call with regards to him and Kimi at Turn 1 was certainly marginal. And something we’ll have a discussion with the next drivers meeting with all the drivers about it. “I think there were two parts to the story, obviously the overtake and looking at the forcing off track. And then the subsequent element of the overtake. “It’s something we’ll discuss as a group at the next meeting.” The difference between a penalty and not a penalty, Masi agreed was because Alonso had forced Raikkonen off the track, the Finn hasn’t gone off himself and gained an advantage. “Correct,” Masi said. “You hit the nail on the head. That’s why it was a marginal call. “There were obviously the two elements of it looked at and it was determined on that basis. “Marginally they made the decision ‘let’s just leave it as it is’. “But there is certainly no doubt it will be discussed at the next drivers’ meeting.” That wasn’t Alonso’s only tangle with an Alfa Romeo driver, the Spaniard going on to battle Antonio Giovinazzi. In that chain of events, the Alpine driver had to let the Italian pass after he went off at Turn 12 and gained an advantage. And then Giovinazzi had to do the same, also running wide at Turn 12 and gaining metres of the Spaniard. “Slightly ironic that happened,” said Masi as per The Race, adding “anyone can see the irony of that situation.

Martin Brundle snubbed by Tennis superstar Serena Williams at the US Grand Prix

Kevin Peterson03 mins

Formula One commentator Martin Brundle was snubbed by Serena Williams as he tried to interview her on the grid for the United States Grand Prix. Brundle has become renowned for his pre-race gridwalks, during which he interviews any driver, team member or celebrity he comes across. It was no different for yesterday’s US Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas in Texas, but Brundle’s interview attempts did not quite go to plan. The Brit was snubbed by a couple of American celebrities, including 23-time Grand Slam winner Williams. “Let’s wander down here, we’ve got Rory McIlroy and Serena Williams,” Brundle said during his coverage of the race for Sky Sports. “Venus[Serena Williams’ sister] wasn’t that keen to talk to me five years ago, I don’t know if I’ll get a double fault or an ace.” Brundle then waited for Williams to finish her conversation with fellow sports star McIlroy, before asking the American for an interview. “Serena, may I have a chat? Serena, are you good for a chat,” Brundle asked. “Martin Brundle, British TV.” Williams did not react to the question, either failing to hear the commentator or deliberately ignoring him. Either way, Brundle took his rejection well, joking: “It’s a double fault, it’s a double fault.” Brundle received most attention for failing to instigate a conversation with American rapper Megan Thee Stallion. He was turned away from the celebrity after asking her if she had “any rap for us today on Formula One?” Red Bull’s Max Verstappen went on to win the US Grand Prix race in Austin, holding off rival Lewis Hamilton to secure his eighth victory of the season and double his lead in the standings. Williams attended the Grand Prix with her husband, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian. The pair would have been disappointed by the result, as they were likely in attendance to support their close friend Hamilton. Hamilton, a seven-time world champion, has often been seen supporting Williams at Wimbledon and other major tournaments.

Red Bull wants FIA to inspect Mercedes rear suspension

Kevin Peterson05 mins

Red Bull are reported to have asked the FIA to examine the Mercedes rear suspension, which Christian Horner discussed in Austin. Horner, the Red Bull team principal, made reference to a “straight-line device” that lowers the rear of the car, increasing the top speed of the W12 and which he believed had helped Mercedes considerably at the Turkish Grand Prix won by Valtteri Bottas. Now, Auto Motor und Sport are reporting Red Bull “made the FIA take a closer look at the rear suspension of the Silver Arrows” in regard to its legality – but that the “investigation was inconclusive”. However, rather than being an innovation, the report says seven other teams do the same thing, some “apparently even more radically than Mercedes” – and that Ferrari have admitted it has been a “normal set-up tool” of theirs for years. Also, that Mercedes “have had this system on board for years”, with the rear axle unchanged since the start of the 2020 season. An engineer is quoted as saying: “It was one of the homologated parts for us. We couldn’t change it at all. So the effects have always remained the same.” Auto Motor und Sport quote Horner as saying the effect of the ‘device’ was reduced at Austin, venue for the US Grand Prix, compared to the previous circuits of Sochi and Istanbul Park where Lewis Hamilton and Bottas respectively were the winners. “The advantage varies from track to track,” said Horner. “Here [Austin] it is less because there are enough fast corners where you can’t lower the rear too far without losing downforce. So they can’t benefit that much on the straights either. “At Sochi and Istanbul it was possible. Mercedes took seven tenths off us on the straights.” Toto Wolff said on the opening day of action in Austin that talk about the ‘device’ was just “noise” – and the Mercedes team principal appeared amused that the World Championship rivals were bothering themselves with a matter he clearly considered to be somewhat trivial. “As long as they want to waste their energies on something like that, it can only be fine with us,” Wolff is quoted as saying. But the report concludes by saying that even if nothing untoward was found on the Mercedes, Red Bull did at least succeed in taking up the valuable time of some of their rivals’ personnel that could have otherwise been spent elsewhere. Mercedes did change the floor of their cars after Friday’s practices but that, it is said, was more to do with the height than a reaction to Red Bull’s request. Wolff conceded at the time that it cost Mercedes pace, with Max Verstappen taking both pole position and the United States GP win.

Max Verstappen extends title lead after winning US Grand Prix, Hamilton second

Kevin Peterson07 mins

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen has won the United States Grand Prix, converting his pole position into victory and thus extending his lead in the World Championship. Lewis Hamilton, who started second, got the better of Verstappen heading into Turn 1, only for the Red Bull driver to retake the lead thanks a well-timed undercut during the first round of pit stops. Although Hamilton battled back on fresher tyres in the closing stages, it was to no avail, with the Red Bull driver claiming his eighth win of the season. The final podium spot went to the second Red Bull car of Sergio Perez, who finished eight seconds clear of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. The two championship rivals wasted no time in getting the action underway. Both got off the line well, and although Verstappen tried to squeeze Hamilton into Turn 1, it didn’t work out. The Mercedes driver squeezed through down the inside, pushing Verstappen into the run off area. As a result, the Dutchman dropped all the way down to third, however Perez ceded his position to his teammate immediately. Behind them, Ferrari and McLaren got into an early tussle as well, with Lando Norris battling it out with Carlos Sainz. In the end, it was Ricciardo who benefited from the battle, as he found his way past the Ferrari to take fifth. Further back, Nicholas Latifi and Lance Stroll collided – with the Aston Martin driver in turn blocking his compatriot, while Esteban Ocon was forced to pit on Lap 4 following contact with an Alfa Romeo. Drivers settled into their positions from there, with Hamilton stating over the radio that Verstappen had the quicker car. Although the Red Bull driver remained with DRS range, he failed to really challenge his Mercedes rival for the lead. Things changed on Lap 11. With Verstappen complaining his tyres were overheating, Red Bull called him in early in an attempt to undercut Hamilton, and the move paid off as he took the lead when Hamilton pitted for new tyres on Lap 14. With a six-second lead in hand, Verstappen settled in as race leader while Pierre Gasly, who had some engine concerns in the minutes leading up to the start, became the first retirement of the race on Lap 15. A rear-suspension issue was to blame, though the Frenchman was able to bring his AlphaTauri car back into the pits. He would be joined by Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso later in the race. Hamilton began to eat into Verstappen’s advantage, the Mercedes driver continuing his charge after a very brief Virtual Safety Car period for debris on Lap 28. Thus, in an effort to cover against the undercut, Red Bull pitted Verstappen for new tyres on Lap 29. Mercedes kept Hamilton out on track, with their sights set on having the advantage in the closing stages of the race, while Valtteri Bottas pitted in an attempt to make something happen strategically. It wasn’t meant to be for the Finn however, as he finished the race down in P6. Hamilton finally pitted on Lap 37 for a new set of Hards, with Mercedes getting him out in just 2.4s, but 8.5s back of Verstappen. That advantage quickly disappeared, with Verstappen slowed down by traffic and Hamilton decidedly quicker on his fresher tyres. Despite Hamilton’s best efforts, Verstappen crossed the line in the end to take victory by less than two seconds, while Perez finished a distant third. Behind the top three, Charles Leclerc brought his Ferrari home in fourth spot after being locked into the position for much of the race, ahead of Daniel Ricciardo, Valtteri Bottas, Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris. 2021 F1 UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX – RESULTS POS DRIVER NAT. TEAM TIME 1 Max Verstappen NED Red Bull Racing 56 Laps 2 Lewis Hamilton GBR Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team + 1.333s 3 Sergio Perez MEX Red Bull Racing + 42.223s 4 Charles Leclerc MON Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow + 52.246s 5 Daniel Ricciardo AUS McLaren F1 Team + 76.854s 6 Valtteri Bottas FIN Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team + 80.128s 7 Carlos Sainz ESP Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow + 83.545s 8 Lando Norris GBR McLaren F1 Team + 84.395s 9 Yuki Tsunoda JPN Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda + 1 Lap 10 Sebastian Vettel GER Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team + 1 Lap 11 Antonio Giovinazzi ITA Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen + 1 Lap 12 Lance Stroll CAN Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team + 1 Lap 13 Kimi Raikkonen FIN Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen + 1 Lap 14 George Russell GBR Williams Racing + 1 Lap 15 Nicholas Latifi CAN Williams Racing + 1 Lap 16 Mick Schumacher GER Uralkali Haas F1 Team + 2 Laps 17 Nikita Mazepin RUS Uralkali Haas F1 Team + 2 Laps DNF Fernando Alonso ESP Alpine F1 Team DNF DNF Esteban Ocon FRA Alpine F1 Team DNF DNF Pierre Gasly FRA Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda DNF

Awkward moments as Martin Brundle attempts to interview Megan Thee Stallion at the US Grand Prix

Kevin Peterson01 mins

After taking 2020 off due to the Covid pandemic, the Martin Brundle grid walk is officially back. The legendary Sky Sports journalist has made a name for himself over the years by attempting to interview celebrities at F1 events which has produced plenty of trainwreck moments. On Sunday, before the F1 US Grand Prix, Brundle delivered his most awkward interview to date when he asked rapper Megan Thee Stallion to rap for the cameras while members of her entourage repeatedly rebuffed Brundle during a live TV shot.

Bumps on the track will not affect F1 cars at COTA after MotoGP complaints

Kevin Peterson05 mins

Circuit of the Americas boss Bobby Epstein says bumps “aren’t an issue” for Formula 1 cars, following concerns about the surface being expressed by drivers ahead of the 2021 US Grand Prix. AlphaTauri racer Pierre Gasly said ahead of the Texas race that the event “could be quite complicated” for drivers because Austin’s bumps, which have always been encountered at the Circuit of the Americas track because it is built on shifting land, “seem even more severe now” after he watched the recent MotoGP event at the same venue. The topic was much discussed in the drivers’ pre-event press conferences at Austin on Thursday, but Epstein dismissed the concerns – particularly after FIA-mandated work to mill the track surface at the depression between Turn 2 and Turn 3 and the depressions at Turns 4, 6, 10 and 14 had been completed in the run up to the event. When asked if COTA would have to complete additional work to address concerns about its track surface, Epstein replied: “Gasly may have said something, but he hasn’t driven the track. “So, the bumps aren’t an issue for the cars first [of all]. “And Michael Masi has been out and sent people and they’ve checked it and they asked us to grind two or three areas of concern. “And that work was done already Monday and Tuesday this week. “So, it’s still a problem for bikes – there’s two sort of dip areas – but cars have no problem. “I think if you ask [Gasly] after he drives he’ll say they’ve done a lot harder surfaces than this. Epstein added that his track will “resurface for the bikes by April” to add to work completed since F1 last visited Texas in 2019, which led to resurfacing at the pit exit and run to the first corner, plus the runs between Turns 9 and 10 and Turns 11-12, as well as from midway through Turn 15 to halfway through Turn 19. “We’re closing for three weeks in January,” Epstein continued. “We’ve already resurfaced a lot, we did a lot last year so there’s more to do. “But we should ask Gasly after he goes out, can you drive this? Ask him how Monaco was.” Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas said Austin’s bumps were “ok” but “on the limit” during the 2019 event. He added: “The limit is when it becomes too painful – when it’s a really bumpy track your body gets quite a beating and you start to get headaches and stuff like that. “Then it’s not that much fun any more. As I’ve understood, they’ve done some work on the track so hopefully it’s driveable and enjoyable. Alfa Romeo’s Kimi Raikkonen said the bumps have “been there every year – some years a bit more, some less”. He added: “It’s not like we don’t have bumps on other tracks. “So obviously some tracks are very smooth for many reasons, because maybe they resurfaced just before or not. But it should be ok. “I mean if the MotoGP guys could manage to do a race, we should be absolutely fine. “I’m sure it’s a lot more scarier with the two wheels to go with the bumps, than with our cars, especially with the downforce. Yeah, we might feel it, but should be ok.”