Wheatley takes firm stance: 'You can never write Max Verstappen off!'

Speaking to GPblog after the race, Wheatley was full of praise for his former driver’s performance: "You can never write Max Verstappen off, what a weekend! What an unbelievable, dominant weekend from Max. It was a pleasure to watch."

When asked if he was surprised by Red Bull’s sudden turnaround in recent weeks, the Sauber team principal added: "Red Bull is a class racing team. Max Verstappen is perhaps the best driver in the world. The fact that they've found some performance in the car, I think they're probably kicking themselves that they didn't find it sooner, but I'm not surprised that they've been able to do that."

He finally added: "In the years that I worked there, quite often there was a big turnaround between Friday nights and Saturday in terms of performance. So if I was McLaren, I'd be looking in my rear-view mirrors."

Toto Wolff, much like Wheatley, was also impressed by what Verstappen managed to deliver in Austin — and more broadly by his recent form.

Since the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, Verstappen has finished no lower than second, while both McLaren drivers have lost significant ground.

However, the Austrian was quick to point out that while Verstappen is performing at an exceptional level, the car is also playing a key role, describing the RB21 as “the most competitive car at the moment.”