Poll: Official 2025 United States Grand Prix Race Thread - Circuit of the Americas - Race 19/24

[andy_mk3]

That's the second time RB has messed up the timings in Q this weekend.

 

[Terminal_Boy]

Ooh, RB made a mess of that.

 

[andy_mk3]

Not a great weekend for Oscar so far. WDC is opening up.

 

[Scam]

I guess it’s going to be interesting to see if McLaren still retain the advantage over a race run tomorrow. But by the looks of it Max has the fastest car again now.

Oscar in no man’s land. What happened to the ice man mk2.

 

[SDK^]

The TV directors completely missed Norris’s final Q3 qualifying lap. No timing graphics or TV footage.

Had he got P1 then would have been really embarrassing. Still pretty bad !

 

[Quartz]

Were Piastri’s and Stroll’s cars still suffering damage from the sprint race? If so will they take further penalties for more repairs?

 

[andy_mk3]

Very unlikely to be carrying damage. They will have been repaired properly and set up to spec again. They changed the gearboxes even at McLaren as a precaution.

 

[Dougsnake]

Not a great weekend for Oscar so far. WDC is opening up.

indeed im thinking Max is used to ramping up his performances at this stage of the season , while the mclaren drivers are not and pre occupied fighting each other on track and within the team...

 

[Emlyn_Dewar]

I could get quite happily watch the McLaren drivers come together every race. I think it'd be good to see Piastri win the WDC, but it would be hilarious if neither of them got it.

 

[Mr Jack]

Stroll gets a 5 place grid drop for punting Ocon in the Sprint, putting him back a whole place in the grid order since Hadjar didn't set a time and so starts behind him anyway. Borteleto gets the lowest fine I've ever seen, €100 (interesting that's euro denominated, hadn't noticed that before) for going 0.4kph over the pit limit in quali.

 

[adam cool dude]

If Verstappen were to win this WDC surely it has to go down as the greatest of all time?

1986 Prost is about the only thing that comes close.

 

[Mr Jack]

If Verstappen were to win this WDC surely it has to go down as the greatest of all time?

It would certainly stand out, and IMO secure Verstappen as solidly among the pantheon of true F1 greats. The closest I can think of in terms of late season turnarounds is Vettel in 2010, where he won the season despite being in 5th place with four races to go, and his engine blowing out in one of those races. The comparison to Hamilton in 2008 also comes to mind with a better driver winning out over a better car where the drivers in that car took 2nd and 3rd and the champions teammate was well down the order. That would be an interesting reversal given how in 2008, Hamilton in just his second season took it over much more experienced competition and this time it would the experience Max taking it from the novice hands of Piastri in just his third season.

I still don't think it's likely to pan out that way though.

 

[Scam]

If Verstappen were to win this WDC surely it has to go down as the greatest of all time?

I was about to comment on @Emlyn_Dewar ’s post that if Max does end up winning this year we’d never hear the end of the “greatest of all time” “did it with the slowest car” etc. from his fans. So thanks for proving me right before I even had the chance lol

 

[Emlyn_Dewar]

Stroll gets a 5 place grid drop for punting Ocon in the Sprint,

He needs a 5 year grid penalty, keeping him away from the rest of the field. It was such a lazy half-assed move, that was never going to work.
An absolute liability.

Edit: it’d definitely be an unexpected turn of events if Max did it this year, but I just can’t see it. McLaren can fumble some races, but they’d need to completely poop the bed every week, to lose it.

 

[utajoker]

Has red bull now overtook mclaren and is the quickest car?

 

[Scam]

Has red bull now overtook mclaren and is the quickest car?

The answer to that is in the quali results surely. Lando didn’t seem to suggest he did anything wrong on his lap and was quite happy to get p2. So it suggests so.

Then again, this is a bumpy circuit so maybe McLaren are having more issues with that, than they’d like.

We’ll only know after a couple more races - but then the season will be over

 

[bayo000]

Has red bull now overtook mclaren and is the quickest car?

Don't think so. Just look at Yuki's struggles. Imo RB is 3rd maybe even 4th fastest car behind McLaren, Merc and maybe even Ferrari.

 

[Mesai]

If Verstappen were to win this WDC surely it has to go down as the greatest of all time?

1986 Prost is about the only thing that comes close.

If anyone on the grid could do it it would be Max; he has the consistency and determination to get it done but the car, strat, etc. has to be perfect and that doesn't account for all of the external factors either.

It would also be the ultimate fumble from McLaren, who I don't think deserve it anyway.

 

[Terminal_Boy]

Don't think so. Just look at Yuki's struggles. Imo RB is 3rd maybe even 4th fastest car behind McLaren, Merc and maybe even Ferrari.

I think the RB car is a finicky sod to set up, but when they get it right or close to right and put Max behind the wheel, you got a combination that can be very quick.

 

[Mesai]

Has red bull now overtook mclaren and is the quickest car?

The car has clearly improved, but there's no way it's better than the McLaren given their 2nd driver can't even crack the top 10. The McLaren would likely do better with better drivers.