Max Verstappen continued his race to catch up in the fight for the Formula 1 world title during McLaren’s sprint meltdown. The 28-year-old Red Bull star won the 100-kilometer race at the Circuit of the Americas ahead of Mercedes driver George Russell and Carlos Sainz in the Williams.
Verstappen gains more points
There was no sign of the two McLarens that occupied first and second place ahead of Verstappen in the World Championship standings – after an accident in the first corner, the race ended early for Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. “Terrible,” commented McLaren managing director Zak Brown.
In the rankings, Verstappen reduced the gap to leader Piastri to 55 points on the way to his fifth world title in a row.
Norris still has 33 points more than Verstappen, who also wanted to take pole for the US Grand Prix on Sunday (9 p.m./Sky) late in the evening German time. “The pressure is not on our side, that should also be an advantage,” said Red Bull’s motorsport advisor Helmut Marko on Sky about the three-way World Cup battle.
What Nico Hülkenberg has to do with the accident
The starting line-up for the sprint could hardly have been more exciting: Verstappen on pole, next to him Norris, behind Piastri, and completely surprisingly, Nico Hülkenberg in the Sauber. It was clear that both McLaren drivers should not come into contact with their cars, which had long been so superior.
The mini-collision in Singapore, which almost ended in the wall for World Cup leader Piastri, was supposed to have been the last act in the team drama with the now infamous papaya rules based on the McLaren’s livery.
After an analysis and discussion, the team bosses imposed consequences on the perpetrator, Norris. However, despite ongoing commitments to transparency, they kept the public guessing what these effects would be. In the fight for the World Cup, it is at least clear to everyone that Verstappen is taking full advantage of every mistake made by the two stable rivals in the resurgent Red Bull.
Crash between Piastri and Norris – A German in the middle
And then what shouldn’t have happened happened. Verstappen got away well, Piastri attacked behind him. Uphill and then the left bend – that’s the Circuit of the Americas in the first few meters. That also means it will be tight in the first corner. Too tight for Piastri, for Norris and Hülkenberg.
As Norris pulls inside, he collides with Hülkenberg, and then with Norris. “Massive sandwich,” the 38-year-old German radioed to the Sauber command post.
McLaren boss finds the culprit: Hülkenberg
Norris is out immediately, Piastri has to park his demolished car shortly afterwards. The question of guilt: difficult to clarify at first. The safety car had to come out first, the track had to be cleaned up, and Norris and Piastri trudged back into the pits with stone-faced faces. Then the race management announced: No further investigations into the incident on lap one.
For Brown, the culprit was quickly found. “Nico (Hülkenberg) definitely ran into Oscar and he had no business being there.” You can’t blame either of the two McLaren drivers. Brown did not reveal where Hülkenberg should have gone in the scene.
After the incident, the German didn’t get past 13th place. “For me, Nico Hülkenberg is the one who suffers,” emphasized Sky expert and ex-Formula 1 driver Timo Glock.