US Grand Prix: Verstappen returns to form, FIA check Red Bull cars and other talking points leading into race at Austin

The Formula 1 season resumed on Friday after a month-long break with the United States Grand Prix (USGP) getting underway at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen is still leading the drivers’ standings in the 2024 championship but his stay at the top of the ladder is increasingly under threat with the Dutchman having not won a race for months now after starting the season in a familiar red-hot note.

Red Bull, though, have conceded the top spot in the constructors’ championship to McLaren, who became the first team to go past the 500-point mark this season. And it’s a McLaren driver that’s gunning for the top spot in the drivers’ championship as well with Britain’s Lando Norris narrowing the gap with Verstappen with each passing race.

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Ahead of Saturday’s sprint race in Austin, we take a look at a few talking points concerning this year’s US GP:

Verstappen returns to form with sprint pole

Reigning F1 champion Verstappen, who dethroned Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton from the top in 2021 and would go on to win a hat-trick of titles, showed signs of reviving his sagging fortunes by securing pole for Saturday’s sprint race at the US GP – his first pole of any kind in 12 race events since the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in May.

POOOOOOOLE FOR MAX 🫶#F1 || #USGP pic.twitter.com/93EAXGM4C8

— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) October 18, 2024

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Verstappen beat Mercedes’ George Russell to the pole, registering a best lap of one minute and 32.833 seconds – beating the Briton by just 0.012 seconds. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished third while Norris was fourth, ahead of Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg.

“That was good,” said Verstappen. “We had a good day. Sprint qualifying is always difficult. You never know how much you can push, but the car was working well.

“Of course I’m very happy to be first, it’s been a while.”

FIA check of Red Bull car

Despite Verstappen clinching pole for Saturday’s sprint race, it hasn’t been all rosy for his team in Texas with FIA inspecting Red Bull Racing’s cars ahead of the races over the weekend.

Technical inspectors representing the global governing body for F1 and several other motorsports championships and disciplines inspected the champions’ vehicles after Friday’s opening practice to check on their controversial ride-height device fitted in the cars’ footwell.

Red Bull’s chief mechanic Ole Schack showed the inspectors how the device was installed, worked and was taped over to prevent its use.

The FIA’s decision to inspect Red Bull’s vehicles was praised by McLaren team principal Zak Brown.

“Being able to ride a car lower is a competitive advantage, it makes the car quicker most of the time.

“The FIA have done a very good job at identifying an element on a single race team, from what we can see, from having looked at all the open-source components.

“It’s the only team that has the ability to adjust the ride height from inside the cockpit - whether they have or haven’t I have no idea, but having the ability to do it raises questions,” Brown said.

Red Bull, however, hit back at McLaren stating that the Woking-based constructor made changes to their rear wing – an extension of the conversations they had with the FIA after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, where it was seen to flex on the straight.

Ferraris lead the way Friday’s opening practice

Ferrari aren’t to be left behind as far as the conversation surrounding the United States Grand Prix is concerned with Sainz and teammate Leclerc topping the times in Friday’s opening practice at Circuit of the Americas.

Our top three in FP1 👏

🥇 Carlos
🥈 Charles
🥉 Max #F1 #USGP pic.twitter.com/C1Cp9K8T64

— Formula 1 (@F1) October 18, 2024

Sainz pipped Leclerc by 0.021 seconds after clocking the fastest lap with a timing of one minute and 33.602 seconds with defending champion Verstappen finishing third, adrift by two-tenths.

Norris and McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri, who won the Azerbaijan Grand Prix last month, finished fourht and fifth respectively, ahead of seven-time champion Hamilton and Mercedes teammate Russell.