Max Verstappen will aim to remind everyone of his championship credentials when the Formula 1 action returns to Austin, Texas, for the US Grand Prix. The Dutchman hasn’t won since the Spanish Grand Prix, which already feels like a long time ago.
Winning in COTA would certainly do him and Red Bull favours, especially after McLaren assumed the top spot in the constructors since the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
The three-time Formula 1 champion is off to a positive start this weekend, as he recently clinched pole position for the Sprint, beating George Russell, Charles Leclerc, and Lando Norris, among others.
However, will that translate to Verstappen finally winning a race again? Without further ado, continue reading below for the latest US Grand Prix 2024 updates.
Verstappen encouraged by solid SQ performance
Max Verstappen’s is in a jovial mood after he clinched his first pole position in any format since Austria, as he pipped George Russell in the Sprint Qualifying by only 0.012s.
The Dutchman lapped COTA in the top three for both the 12-minute SQ1 and the 10-minute SQ2 segments before leaving it late in SQ3 to put his RB20 into P1.
Verstappen credited his team for making the RB20 “driveable” in COTA, as the Milton Keynes outfit introduced upgrades during the break.
“Of course, Sprint Qualifying is always very difficult. (With the tyres) you do medium, medium and then a soft. You never really know how much you can push but I’m happy with today. I think all day the car was working quite well, and of course I’m very happy to be first. It’s been a while so very pleased with today,” Verstappen said.
According to reports, Red Bull reprofiled RB20’s floor in an attempt to generate more local load while maintaining flow stability. They also modified the coke/engine cover to minimise the louvre openings, making their cooling system more efficient.
In stark contrast, Verstappen’s teammate, Sergio Perez, had a difficult time on Friday. Checo only secured a P11 position after getting eliminated in SQ2.
Red Bull cannot afford any slip-ups (especially from the under-pressure Perez) this weekend, especially since there’s a total of 34 available points in Austin, Texas, which would help them close down McLaren’s 41-point edge in the constructors’ championship.
RB’s seat is Lawson’s to lose
Liam Lawson is another driver to look out for this weekend since he’ll be making his RB return. The New Zealand international will take over from Daniel Ricciardo, who recently announced his Formula 1 departure.
RB are hoping Lawson will pick up where he left off. When he made his Formula 1 debut last season as a replacement driver, the 22-year-old youngster had five strong outings, including a P9 finish during the Singapore Grand Prix.
Lawson is essentially auditioning for a full-time seat in the last six races of 2024, but it won’t come easy, as he needs to prove himself worthy of competing alongside teammate Yuki Tsunoda.
History
Max Verstappen has won the last three editions of the US Grand Prix, including last year, which marked his 50th race win that made him the fifth driver in Formula 1 history to reach the half-century threshold alongside Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, and Alain Prost.
And times were different for Lando Norris last year, as he was closing in on Nick Heidfeld’s ignominious record for having the most podiums without a win (13) when he finished P2 in COTA.
Before Verstappen’s recent dominance, it was Mercedes who lorded COTA because they’d won five of the previous six races, including a four-peat by Lewis Hamilton from 2014 to 2017.
Kimi Raikkonen and Valtteri Bottas alternated wins for Ferrari and Mercedes in 2018 and 2019.
Overall, Lewis Hamilton has the most wins in this circuit with six, while Michael Schumacher has five, including a four-peat from 2003 to 2006.
What are the odds?
The SBOTOP US Grand Prix 2024 odds have Lando Norris as the favourite to win Sunday’s race, with Max Verstappen right behind him. Norris is at 2.60 to win, while Verstappen is at 3.50.
Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton, and Oscar Piastri are expected to duel for the final podium spot (at 6.00, 9.00, and 11.00 odds to win, respectively), while George Russell and Carlos Sainz Jr. could also mount a meaningful challenge. Liam Lawson has a long shot to win in Austin, Texas, which is expected (1,001.00). But he should be in contention for entering the points category, alongside fellow youngster Franco Colapinto (751.00), who did it with his improbable P8 finish in Baku.
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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