Isack Hadjar pinpoints Red Bull advantage over Antonelli ahead of crucial US GP

Chances of Antonelli becoming champion in Austin are admittedly slim, with the Italian needing to win the Grand Prix and hope Mercedes teammate George Russell finishes ninth or lower while Lewis Hamilton finishes P5 or lower. Should Antonelli win the race, Red Bull's Verstappen will mathematically be out of the running.

Despite describing his Austin weekend as "a disaster" so far, Hadjar has expressed confidence that Red Bull can stop that from happening at the US GP, with the Frenchman lining up behind pole-sitter Antonelli and Verstappen on Sunday.

Asked after Qualifying whether he feels he can challenge Antonelli for the win, Hadjar noted Red Bull's strength in numbers against the 20-year-old. "Yeah, I mean, also, it's the two of us, so it's a bit of an advantage. So we'll try and use that," he said.

Red Bull's impressive pace in recent races - with Verstappen chasing his third straight victory - has not gone unnoticed by the champion-elect. Antonelli said: "I'm just going to try to do the best race I can. I'm going to try to win, and then we'll see what happens.

Commenting on Antonelli's observations, four-time world champion Verstappen highlighted Red Bull's strong long-run pace, something he hopes will continue during the Grand Prix in Texas.

"I think there was always a bit of room for improvement yesterday, understanding the tyres, probably also in general," Verstappen added. "But I think lately, yes, we have been happier in the long runs, and I hope that it will be the same tomorrow."

Tyre manufacturer Pirelli have laid out what they believe will be the fastest strategy options during Sunday's US GP, with a significant advantage for Verstappen and Red Bull in terms of tyre selection.

Both Verstappen and Hadjar are the only frontrunners with two fresh sets of soft tyres at their disposal, which could heavily come into play during the race, especially under a Safety Car.

Elsewhere, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc is the only top four driver with one new set of softs, while his teammate Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris have an extra set of new mediums on the rest of the grid.