Verstappen questions Q3 grip drop as Austin qualifying highlights Red Bull progress
Max Verstappen said Red Bull needs to understand an unusual loss of pace and grip in Q3 after he took second in Austin. Qualifying also suggested the team is now more competitive even when conditions are not straightforward.
In Austin qualifying, the fight for pole appeared for much of the session to be between Max Verstappen and Ferrari. By the end, however, Ferrari did not place either car in the top three, while Kimi Antonelli emerged as an unexpected challenger.
Verstappen ultimately qualified second. After the session, he said Red Bull needs to investigate a very odd drop in pace and grip in Q3, adding that the car had felt better on used tyres.
The outcome also pointed to wider progress from Red Bull. Austin suggested the team no longer falls away as sharply on difficult days, even though Verstappen was left puzzled by the change in tyre behaviour late in qualifying.
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