The victory obtained in Austin, at the end of US GP, allowed Max Verstappen to stretch further in the standings on Lewis Hamilton, bringing his points advantage over the seven-time world champion to 12. Compared to other direct challenges seen this year between the two title contenders, the American one was mainly played on strategies. The only close duel between the two occurred at the start, when Verstappen was mocked by the English in turn 1. Red Bull and its young star, however, reversed the situation thanks to a undercut on the occasion of the first pit stop, which then allowed the Dutchman to lead the rest of the race as leader.
The same number one as Pirelli Motorsport, Mario Isola, gave his commentary on the Texan race, underlining the ability of the two title contenders to better manage the tires according to their respective strategic needs. “Both Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton had exactly the same set of tires before the race, but used it in very different ways – explained Isola – Hamilton made the most of his newer tires in the end, while Verstappen capitalized on the track position he gained with the undercut. The result was a fantastic strategic duel which led to an exciting finale between two riders at the top of their level. They handled the tires perfectly “.
“Tire wear was high – added the Pirelli boss, analyzing the overall behavior of the compounds – as we expected on this hot and abrasive circuit. This led almost everyone to choose the medium compound to start the race and then focus on the hard rubber as the main tire. The hard has responded very well to requests. There were several long stints that helped create an exciting finish “he concluded.
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