Lando Norris is “excited” about the big battle between him, Max Verstappen and the Ferraris at the United States Grand Prix.
Pole sitters Norris and Verstappen will share the front row for the sixth time this season when the lights go out in Austin at 8pm on Sunday. Sky Sports F1 and Sky Sports Main Event.
Verstappen is 54 points ahead of Norris with six rounds remaining, with both drivers aware of the 14-point swing between first and second.
However, Ferrari’s strong pace in Saturday’s sprint allowed Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc in the second row to thwart the title contenders, with the sprint won by Verstappen and Norris remaining third. .
“I don’t want to do it again!” Norris was only half-joking when asked about tire wear in the sprint after being overtaken by Sainz and almost hit by Leclerc on the final lap.
“I don’t think it was as bad as it was. I think certain events led to that. I think we improved the car quite a bit. We certainly didn’t compete anywhere close to pole on Friday and we were kind today. .
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Sky Sports’ Anthony Davidson analyzes the fastest laps in qualifying between Lando Norris and Max Verstappen.
“I think we’re still a bit off, but we’re in a good place. In fact, compared to Max on Friday and today, I think our pace is probably a little more similar.
“I would have probably expected Ferrari and Mercedes to be a little faster, but maybe they would have gotten more out of the cars earlier in the weekend and we could have made bigger strides between the sprint and now, so we were a little bit faster. We may have caught up, but it will be a tough race.
“Ferrari was very fast in today’s race with poor performance. Max is Max. I always say Max is Max and they will be faster. So I’m looking forward to it. I think it will be a good fight. It’ll probably be good to see.”
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Watch Lando Norris take pole position at the US GP from the cabin.
Norris went into the weekend thinking McLaren would be as strong as last time in Singapore and took a resounding victory.
However, they initially struggled on the newly resurfaced Circuit of the Americas on Friday, with Norris lacking grip on his front tires in the sprint.
In response, McLaren changed the car’s setup after the sprint to improve speed, which Norris hopes will help with tire wear on Sunday.
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Andrea Stella felt a yellow flag preventing Max Verstappen from finishing a lap and helped Lando Norris take pole position, but was encouraged by McLaren’s improvement.
“We’ve made quite a few changes since the sprint, which we hope will lead to better tire management,” he said. Sky Sports F1.
“Don’t worry, but Ferrari were very fast in the sprint and it will be difficult to beat them.”
Verstappen: It doesn’t matter where you start.
The last three US GPs in Austin have seen drivers start in second place after Turn One, which bodes well for Verstappen.
There was plenty of action in the sprint and a two-stop race was expected. With every front-runner able to use two sets of medium and one set of hard tires, Verstappen believes tire wear will be more important than track position.
“It doesn’t matter where you start. If your race pace is good, you can race this track and you can pass by here,” said Verstappen, who is seeking his fourth straight win in Austin. Sky Sports F1.
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Lando Norris took the lead after finishing second in last year’s US GP.
“Last year I started P6 and won. I just hope I can be in the fight.
“The last few races I felt like my hands were tied behind my back and I couldn’t fight. Hopefully things will be different tomorrow.”
Norris has taken points from Verstappen in the last four races, but Red Bull has looked his most competitive since the summer break in August.
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Christian Horner says Max Verstappen’s Sprint victory has truly galvanized the entire Red Bull team.
Red Bull brought a new bottom edge and engine cover to Austin, which allowed Verstappen to visibly position the car where he wanted and gave him more confidence.
“I think it’s made the car a little more stable, so I can attack the corners a little better,” he said.
“I think that would also help the tires weigh a little bit, so I think that’s a major improvement.”
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Sky F1’s Ted Kravitz looks back at all the key talking points from US qualifying.
With Norris’ McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri starting in fifth place, Verstappen is likely to follow the McLaren driver after pitting, depending on strategy.
A lot will depend on the race scenario, but don’t be surprised if this is McLaren’s team tactic at some point in the race.
Red Bull are unlikely to be able to play that card as Sergio Perez did not set a lap time in Q3 after his only flying lap was scrapped due to track restrictions. So he will start in 10th place.
Ferrari likely to play a role in the title race
Despite Sainz and Leclerc brawling on the opening lap, Ferrari showed superior speed in the sprint, so it would be a three-team battle.
Sainz was still able to finish less than four seconds behind Verstappen and Ferrari has shown strong pace regularly this year. Leclerc won the Italian Grand Prix just three races ago and also came close in Baku last month.
“We won the race with a decent start, but even with a bad start, if the race pace is good, I think there is a possibility to have a strategy and go with two cars,” Sainz said. Sky Sports F1.
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The Ferrari pair of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc both passed George Russell as the Mercedes driver dropped to fifth.
“Many teams will have learned a lot from the sprint and will apply for (better) degradation, which has made us stronger in the sprint.
“We should be in for a very exciting race because everything is going to be very tight and I’m really looking forward to it.”
Having the two Ferrari drivers between the title contenders will create a big points swing and that’s what Norris needs.
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While Max Verstappen won the sprint comfortably, Carlos Sainz overtook Lando Norris for second on the final lap before the McLaren driver almost collided with Charles Leclerc.
Sainz and Leclerc are both aggressive when attacking, so Norris and Verstappen will have to watch out for collisions that could result in damage or punctures.
The sprint pace was like this, Ferrari made very few changes to the car ahead of qualifying, and Leclerc trusted them.
“The race pace looks strong and I expect others to improve their cars through the sprint as well,” he said.
“We haven’t changed much so we’ll probably have a similar pace, but I feel good and I think we’re strong. Hopefully we can look forward and not backwards.”
Live US GP schedule on Sky Sports F1
Sunday, October 20th
6:30 PM: Grand Prix Sunday: US GP Strengthens*
8 p.m.: United States Grand Prix*
10 PM: Checkered Flag: US GP Reaction
11 PM: Ted’s Notes
*Also shown live on Sky Sports Main Event (race build-up from 7.15pm on Sunday)
Watch the US GP on Sunday at 8pm. Live on Sky Sports F1 from 6.30pm. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month membership. There is no contract and you can cancel at any time.
