Saturday in Austin turned out to be an even better day than expected for Max Verstappen's championship hopes. The Dutchman saw both McLarens drop out of the sprint, scored eight points himself, and later that day secured pole position for the grand prix.
Despite that, Verstappen and Red Bull were not entirely satisfied with the car’s balance during the sprint. The reigning world champion said the ride – especially at the rear – didn’t feel good, while senior advisor Helmut Marko added that Red Bull's tyre degradation was higher than expected.
