As the battle for the Drivers' and Constructors' Championships continues, Red Bull and McLaren are in a similar situation.
In the only free practice session for the United States Grand Prix, Max Verstappen recorded the third best time with 1'33.855.
With the updates introduced for the American tour, the energy drink team is looking to give some resistance to its rivals, at least with the three-time champion, as Sergio Pérez is well behind, in 16th place despite running soft tyres. The Mexican racer felt uncomfortable with the height of the RB20, because in several sectors of the track he lost speed.
“It's more complicated to go at low speed. I started bouncing more,” Checo said.
The papaya colored team, different from Austria, arrived at the Circuit of the Americas without any news. Lando Norris barely attracted attention by finishing fourth, while Oscar Piastri was fifth. Ferrari, not initially invited into the title race, won in Austin with Carlo Sainz, who stopped the clock in 1'33″602, followed by Charles Leclerc. Mercedes suffered from the stiffness of its car. Both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell lost control of the W15 in turns 1 and 4, meaning they did not improve their times and had to settle for sixth and seventh positions.