Verstappen blames tyre strategy after settling for third in US Grand Prix

AUSTIN, October 26 - Max Verstappen, a four-time world champion, admitted during Sunday's United States Grand Prix that his tyre strategy was incorrect and he lacked pace, ultimately finishing in third place for Red Bull. Starting from second on the grid, Verstappen utilized soft tyres for his initial two stints, which left him with a challenging two-stop strategy for the remainder of the race.

Kimi Antolinli secured a convincing victory for Mercedes, with Charles Leclerc of Ferrari in second place. Verstappen acknowledged that Red Bull's overall pace was insufficient and that the available tyres were not optimal. He attributed the lack of performance to both the strategy and the tyre selection, which he believed should have allowed for a one-stop race.

Despite ending up on the podium, possibly due to luck from the Virtual Safety Car at the end, Verstappen expressed satisfaction with the result. This third-place finish marked a disappointment after consecutive wins in Bahrain and Singapore, but it also extended his strong run of results in the second half of the season, effectively ending his slim hopes of securing a fifth world championship title.