24-10-21, 06:43
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re: Lewis Hamiltons’ Title Hopes Hit by Brazil Penalty & Investigation
Lewis Hamilton at a Loss to Explain Struggles' as Max Verstappen Claims US Grand Prix Pole
Max Verstappen takes pole by 0.2s ahead of Hamilton
Sergio Perez third for Red Bull
'Stupid idiot!': Verstappen blasts Hamilton - hours after claiming pair had buried hatchet
The Telegraph 24 OCT 2021.
Verstappen has his team-mate Sergio Perez directly behind championship rival Hamilton tomorrow Credit: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
Verstappen, who leads Hamilton by six points, will start Sunday's race from pole Credit: Clive Mason - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images
Billy Joel entertained the Circuit of the Americas crowds with some of his old hits as Formula 1 partied like it was 2019 in Texas last night. Piano Man. Uptown Girl. But it’s Lewis Hamilton who is going to have to start a fire today after being pipped to pole for the United States Grand Prix by title rival Max Verstappen.
Hamilton will line up second on the grid alongside the man he trails by six points in what continues to be an enthralling drivers’ championship. And it promises to be a cracker of a race, with the seven-time world champion the filling in a Red Bull sandwich with Sergio Perez, much to the crowd’s delight, producing an excellent qualifying performance and even holding provisional pole for a while. The Mexican will start third.
Nor can Hamilton expect team-mate Valtteri Bottas to do much to help - at least initially - with the Finn dropping from fourth on the grid to ninth thanks to his engine change on Friday.
First place qualifier Max Verstappen of Netherlands and Red Bull Racing and third place qualifier Sergio Perez of Mexico and Red Bull Racing celebrate in parc ferme during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of USA at Circuit of The Americas on October 23, 2021 in Austin, Texas
Hamilton is going to have to do it on his own. And he said he would do his best, smiling in his post-race interviews and saying his mindset was 100 percent to win. But his disappointed voice at the end of qualifying, saying “Sorry” to his team, told its own story.
Mercedes had been expected to have a slight edge at the Circuit of the Americas and they certainly began the weekend with a dominant showing in first practice. But Hamilton said he felt the team had “gone backwards” since then, struggling with the car’s setup in the remaining practice sessions. And he never looked truly comfortable in qualifying.
Red Bull suffered a late scare when they spotted a crack on Verstappen’s rear wing just before qualifying, deciding to “beef up” both cars just prior to the session in the words of team principal Christian Horner. But they always appeared to have the edge.
Hamilton was only able to go eighth fastest in Q1, although he was on a used set of rubber. And while the seven-time world champion upped the ante in Q2, producing the second quickest time, he still found himself more than three tenths off the pace of Verstappen.
And it was much the same story in Q3, Hamilton managed to produce a decent final lap to take provisional pole but even with some spots of rain falling - just to add a bit more drama to proceedings - Verstappen was able to go two tenths quicker.
“I gave it everything today,” Hamilton insisted. “I think from first practice onwards we fell back a little bit. But I was happy with my final lap. I think that was pretty much everything I had. We’re in a good position on the front row at least. My mindset is to win the race and to give these guys the best race possible.”
Driver Standings - F1
1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 7 262.5
2 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport 5 256.5
3 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport 1 177
4 Lando Norris McLaren F1 Team 0 145
5 Sergio Pérez Red Bull Racing 1 135
6 Carlos Sainz Scuderia Ferrari 0 116.5...
Verstappen, meanwhile, said he felt he could have extracted even more. “Yeah, it was quite exciting out there,” he said. “In Q3 my first lap wasn’t amazing. But then in my final lap it started spitting in the final sector especially. But to be P1 and P3 on the grid I think is a very strong performance.”
Asked about the likelihood of some wheel-to-wheel action with Hamilton lining up alongside him, Verstappen smiled. “I guess that’s what people like. We have to have a good start and then work together as a team to get the best possible result.”
It certainly promises to be a thrilling race, with Ferrari and McLaren looking competitive as well.
Further back, Williams’ George Russell fell to 15th when his only lap time in Q2 was deleted. The young Briton starts from the back of the grid in any case due to an engine change earlier in the weekend. But there should be some great racing all the way down the grid on a track that usually provides some decent action.
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