Verstappen, who leads Hamilton by six points with six races remaining, finished fourth, third and second at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, but has never been to the top of the podium.
Where to see the Formula 1 US Grand Prix
After a weekend of rest after the race in Turkey, Formula 1 continues this weekend with the 17th date of the World Championship, the United States Grand Prix, in Austin, Texas, with transmission of the signals of ESPN2, ESPN3 and Star +.
US Grand Prix schedule
Below are the schedules by country of the US GP:
- Argentina 16:00
- Spain 21:00
“We’ve always been competitive in America and we’ve been close to some good results, so now it’s about turning that into a victory,” said the Red Bull team driver.
“We go to all the circuits knowing that we can fight for the podium, but also for the victory, and that is different from previous years,” he said. “We are focused on doing our best and always trying to win, and in Austin it will be no different. It will be another close battle and I am looking forward to it.”
Verstappen and Red Bull are aware, however, that Mercedes has enjoyed a dominant run of results at the circuit since the inaugural race in 2012, when Hamilton recorded the first of his five victories.
In the other three races since then, his teammate Valtteri Bottas won once, in the last round in 2019, while Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel won in 2013 and Kimi Raikkonen in 2018.
In addition to this superiority on the podiums, Mercedes has regained form in the last two rounds in Russia and Turkey, where wins have been shared by Hamilton and Bottas.
“It had been a while since we had consecutive victories, so naturally spirits have been high,” said Mercedes crew chief Toto Wolff.
“It was a dominant performance by Valtteri in difficult conditions, getting his first win of the season, with impeccable driving,” he stressed.
Mercedes’ recovery was due in part to improved power and pace, although Hamilton’s penalty on the grid in Turkey for an engine change limited him to finishing just fifth.
“For Lewis, the outlook for Turkey is that he lost one more point than Max lost in the previous race in Russia with a similar engine change, which we can live with,” said Wolff, adding that he expects more dramatic turns in the race. fight for the title.
As Wolff expressed his optimism for the final stretch, Red Bull boss Christian Horner tried to add some pressure to his Austrian counterpart.
“Toto has done a tremendous job managing that team and maintaining his performance, but he has never experienced anything other than winning,” Horner said. “So for him now, it’s a different kind of pressure. It’s difficult.”
“It came in 2013 when the structure was already there, in place, built by Ross Brawn. Lewis was there, already signed,” said Horner, who has also been in the spotlight as Mercedes led them in the constructors’ championship by 36 points.
However, Horner hopes that any setbacks they may suffer in Texas can be made up for in Mexico, where Mercedes power units have often struggled the most from conditions.
For this, he is counting on Sergio ‘Checo’ Pérez to be present in Texas and then in his native Mexico to play a prominent role in the championship race.
On the fast track in Austin, Mercedes could have some power advantage, especially on the long straight, so Red Bull must find ways to prevail in other sectors.
Behind them, an equally close fight is anticipated between Ferrari and McLaren following the improvement of the pace of the Italians in Turkey.
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