The lineups were acceptable successful advance: Red Bull teammates Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez vs. Stewart-Haas Racing teammates Kevin Harvick and Aric Almirola successful a pit halt contention astatine the ExxonMobil headquarters.
When it came clip to loosen and past tighten a acceptable of lug nuts, Verstappen reconfirmed his calling was wrong a contention car.
"I deliberation I realised I americium not a bully feline for the pit box," Verstappen said. "It is amended if I thrust the car."
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Verstappen and Perez, similar astir of the F1 drivers successful the paddock, person been connected a whirlwind circuit of the state up of this weekend's U.S. Grand Prix astatine Circuit of the Americas successful Austin, Texas. The globetrotting bid is backmost successful North America for the archetypal clip since 2019 due to the fact that the pandemic cancelled stops past twelvemonth successful Austin, Mexico City and Montreal.
Now backmost successful Texas for a ninth time, F1 has a caller title person successful Verstappen who whitethorn beryllium somewhat chartless to the American fanbase. The 24-year-old lad of erstwhile F1 operator Jos Verstappen is astatine past having a breakout play — helium has a career-high 7 wins truthful acold — and is pushing Lewis Hamilton much than the seven-time champion has been challenged successful rather immoderate time.
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Verstappen has a six-point pb implicit Hamilton with six races remaining successful a tense rubric combat that has tilted backmost and distant each season.
Hamilton, victor of 4 consecutive titles, past faced a due situation successful 2016 erstwhile Nico Rosberg won the play finale to triumph the title by 5 points implicit his Mercedes teammate. Hamilton mislaid the title to Kimi Raikkonen by a azygous constituent successful his 2007 rookie season, past bushed Felipe Massa by the aforesaid borderline the adjacent twelvemonth to assertion his archetypal title.
This season's propulsion by Verstappen has fixed F1 1 of its astir enthralling rubric races successful years. And yet Verstappen is simply a spot of a enigma successful the U.S., successful portion due to the fact that he's chosen not to enactment successful the fashionable Netflix "Drive to Survive" docuseries that has captivated American racing fans.
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"I recognize that it needs to beryllium done to boost the popularity successful America," Verstappen told The Associated Press up of Sunday's race. "But from my broadside arsenic a driver, I don't similar being portion of it."
Verstappen said erstwhile helium participated successful interviews successful earlier seasons of the show, the quotes were aboriginal applied to situations helium was not discussing and "they would fake a batch of stuff."
"They faked a fewer rivalries which they don't truly exist," helium said. "So I decided to not beryllium a portion of it and did not springiness immoderate much interviews aft that due to the fact that past determination is thing you tin show. I americium not truly a melodramatic amusement benignant of person, I conscionable privation facts and existent things to happen."
So are Verstappen and Hamilton adjacent rivals astatine all?
"Probably successful the Netflix amusement we volition be," helium said. "We 1 clip bumped into each different walking, truthful astir apt that volition beryllium successful there."
Truth beryllium told, though, Verstappen doesn't attraction for the spotlight and has his absorption lone connected what's turned into a career-best season. Half Belgian and fractional Dutch, helium races nether the Dutch emblem arsenic his begetter did, and was groomed for this occupation his full life.
His emergence nether his father's stern guidance has been well-documented, with "Jos The Boss" pushing his lad hard arsenic a young karter and instilling a toughness that he's utilized this play battling Hamilton.
"He knew what it took to beryllium a Formula One operator and helium ever prepared maine from a precise young property to beryllium acceptable for it," Verstappen said. "I deliberation successful our household we are precise focused connected what we bash and I grew up similar that, but that besides takes a spot of the accent distant and makes it precise straightforward."
Although helium presently lives successful Monaco and dates Brazilian exemplary Kelly Piquet, the girl of three-time F1 champion Nelson Piquet, Verstappen claims to pb a quiet, somewhat backstage life.
"I'm conscionable a mean feline and I grew up successful a tiny town," Verstappen said. "All these things, the drama, it's conscionable not for me. It's not my world."
And yet this rubric combat with Hamilton has been packed with drama. The 2 person crashed racing each different doubly truthful acold this season, and Red Bull brag Christian Horner accused Hamilton of making a "desperate move" connected the opening thigh astatine Silverstone that crashed Verstappen retired of the race.
Verstappen was sent to the infirmary aft that crash, wherever helium slammed into a tyre obstruction astatine an interaction that broke the spot successful his Red Bull and caused an estimated $2.4 cardinal worthy of damage.
In their dustup astatine Monza, the 2 raced wheel-to-wheel, made interaction and Verstappen's car sailed implicit Hamilton and landed connected the Mercedes.
Verstappen said helium tries to enactment retired of back-and-forth betwixt Red Bull and Mercedes due to the fact that helium tin lone power his ain performance.
In Austin, he'll beryllium racing a circuit wherever Hamilton has a decided advantage. Hamilton has won 5 of the 8 races held connected the imperishable roadworthy course, portion Verstappen successful 5 visits has scored 2 podiums and lone finished up of Hamilton once, successful 2018 erstwhile helium edged Hamilton for second.
"I americium beauteous relaxed to beryllium honest. I cognize it's a choky conflict but astatine the extremity of the time I can't bash much than my best, truthful I effort to hole the champion mode imaginable and bask it," Verstappen said. "The magnitude of times you are successful a title battle, I don't cognize however galore times that volition be.
"Of people we are successful the pb of the championship, six races to go, it is going to beryllium difficult, it is going to beryllium hard, but I ever effort to bash the champion I can."
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