According to Lawrence Barretto, Red Bull Racing didn't expect to win the United States Grand Prix at all, but the opposite turned out to be true. Mercedes and especially Lewis Hamilton on the other hand are in pretty bad shape.
Hamilton in bad shape
Ahead of the American Grand Prix, the Circuit of the Americas was being referred to as a track that should suit Mercedes. The German team got off to a flying start in Texas on Friday, but lost ground to Red Bull Racing during the weekend.
''Mercedes were considered the favourites heading into Austin, but after a strong first practice, they fell backwards and while Hamilton got a stunning start to steal the lead, he couldn’t hold on and was overhauled by Verstappen to finish second. His difficult run of form is highlighted by the fact he led more laps on Sunday than in the previous nine Grands Prix combined (11 laps),'' said Barretto in his column for Formula1.com.
Verstappen impresses
The contrast with Red Bull on Sunday could hardly be greater. ''Privately, Red Bull were expecting Mercedes to have the edge in Austin with a focus on damage limitation, but they found some impressive pace overnight on Friday to become the team to beat.''
''Rock solid. That was Max Verstappen at the Circuit of The Americas as the Dutchman absorbed pressure from title rival Lewis Hamilton to secure his first victory since the Dutch Grand Prix, and first triumph in the United States,'' Barretto concluded, praising the eventual race winner.