P1racenews AI automatic summary:
The team could only manage sixth and ninth on the grid for Sunday’s United States Grand Prix.
Helmut Marko, the Motorsport Advisor, believes that Sergio Perez unintentionally blocked Max Verstappen during the qualifying session of the United States Grand Prix, costing Verstappen 1.5 tenths of a second. This mix-up occurred when Verstappen was on his first flying lap in Q3, and Perez was starting his own fast lap. The confusion led to Verstappen’s second attempt being messy due to a lock-up at Turn 1. Despite this, Verstappen’s time would have secured him pole position but was ultimately deleted for exceeding track limits. As a result, Verstappen starts sixth and Perez ninth for the race. Marko acknowledged that the bumpy Austin track surface affected Red Bull’s performance during the session. However, he remains optimistic about their chances in the race, citing the high temperatures and tire wear as strengths for the team. Marko also acknowledged Perez’s improvement and noted that he tends to perform better in the race than in qualifying.
Source: RacingNews 365
