United States Grand Prix: Will Hamilton Lead From Verstappen?

Formula 1 is the long-awaited return to American soil this weekend. The United States Grand Prix will take place in Austin on Sunday. As tensions rise in the championship, the final quarter of the season is underway.

Max Verstappen With the big competitor in mind, it travels to Texas with a six-point lead Lewis Hamilton The American circuit has a rich history. Because the round made its appearance Formula 1 calendar In 2012, The MercedesThe rider will win the race no less than five times. With ‘Second Drivers’ at Red Bull Racing And despite the minimal differences in the Mercedes format and the builders’ battle for third place, this can be expected from the race weekend in the United States.

Mercedes is in favor

Red Bull Racing and Verstappen gave a beat to the Mercedes Staple at Jantward, but then Zilverbizlen took the lead in racing. At Monza, the first two places were captured, but Hamilton’s poor start to the sprint and a grid penalty Voltaire Potass Confirmed that McLaren Can walk with success. Also the pace of German formation in Russia was impressive and with the help of the monsoon, the seven-time world champion achieved his hundredth victory.

In Turkey, the difference in performance between Red Bull Racing and Mercedes was once again evident. However, the Austrian creation was able to control the damage to Verstappen by three points with second and third places respectively. Sergio Perez. Now that mechanical changes have – probably – been made, the start-up phase will most likely be as we have seen in recent weeks. If you look at the current form and history, it means that there is work to be done for the Red Bull race this weekend.

If Hamilton and Potas can qualify for the front row, it’s hard to imagine Mercedes admitting that Finn finished earlier than his teammates. So team orders may play a key role in the blister battle for the 2021 World Cup.

Perez and Potas are on the farm just in time

Both Perez and Potas have performed at various levels this season. Strong conclusions were reached, but these were mostly followed by races, and you wonder if this pair is really in the two fastest cars on the stage. With minimal differences in the battle between Verstappen and Hamilton, there is no doubt that both Perez and Potas play a key role in determining the builders’ championship.

At this point, potassium is the determining factor. Finn is third in the driving championship and has a 42-point lead over his Mexican counterpart. While it is unthinkable that Perez could still bridge this gap, the Mercedes driver is currently in his best shape. Looks like a platform for potash, this weekend.

McLaren is back

Turkey was not a good weekend for McLaren. The speed of the car appeared to be significantly lower compared to the competitor for third place: Ferrari. The difference between the two teams was reduced to seven and a half points Daniel Ricciardo ‘S impressive c-race Carlos Science Could not match in Istanbul Park. On paper, however, the COTA must be substantially compatible with the MCL35M. Add Ricciardo’s connection with the United States, the points to be followed.

However, there will be big fights in between Lando Norris On Charles Lecklerk, Who were number one all season. The McLaren driver has had an unprecedentedly good season, but now that Leclerc has been able to find more momentum in qualifying again, the fight is far from over. Clear weekend should give McLaren more points, but the battle for third place is not over.

Haas The US market needs to do good business

Haas is currently very close to the back of the stage, but will have extra eyes on the team this weekend. The only creation owned by an American owner will provide additional encouragement to local fans. That too is important for the game, because Formula 1 is currently doing everything it can to gain popularity abroad. A good result may seem practically impossible, but it is a good opportunity to show what America can do for Formula 1.

Do bumps play a role?

Kota set fire to the “dangerous” track surface with sharp bumps in the MotoGP race earlier this month. This is a common occurrence in this round because the base ground is in constant motion, resulting in surface manipulation built up above. The round was re-set after the last arrival of Formula 1 in 2019, but motorcyclists in particular were still critical of the first section of the track.

The FIA ​​has confirmed that the bumps will be softened shortly before the Grand Prix, however we will have to wait and see if these will completely disappear or be reduced. We do not like suspensions broken by extreme vibrations of the track surface. We will see on Friday how well this path has progressed in practice.