{
  "id": 16537752,
  "title": "Disappointed Verstappen admits to wrong tyre strategy at US Grand Prix",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/25/disappointed-verstappen-admits-to-wrong-tyre-strategy-at-us-grand-prix-16537752",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-25T23:15:15.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/sports/2026/10/26/disappointed-verstappen-admits-to-wrong-tyre-strategy-at-us-grand-prix"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Max Verstappen, the four-time world champion, admitted during the United States Grand Prix in Austin that he had employed the wrong tyre strategy, resulting in a third-place finish for Red Bull. Starting from second on the grid, Verstappen used soft tyres for two stints, leaving him with a challenging two-stop race. Despite his best efforts, he struggled for pace and could not match the speed of the dominating Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes, nor the performance of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. Verstappen admitted that while the tyre choice meant they were on the podium, it was likely due to the Virtual Safety Car (VSC) at the end of the race. This third-place finish marked a disappointment following two consecutive victories at the Bahrain and Singapore Grand Prix, but it extended his positive run of results in the latter half of the season. However, it also signaled the end of his slim hopes for a fifth world championship title.",
  "summary": "The four-time world champion, who started second, used soft tyres for his first two stints, leaving him stuck with a two-stop strategy.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 5,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "New Straits Times",
        "title": "Disappointed Verstappen admits to wrong tyre strategy at US Grand Prix",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/25/disappointed-verstappen-admits-to-wrong-tyre-strategy-at-us-grand-prix",
        "published": "2026-10-25T23:36:12.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Winnipeg Free Press",
        "title": "Verstappen’s hot form cools off as Red Bull goes backward in frustrating US Grand Prix at COTA",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/26/verstappens-hot-form-cools-off-as-red-bull-goes-backward-in",
        "published": "2026-10-26T00:30:44.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Malay Mail",
        "title": "Verstappen blames tyre strategy after settling for third in US Grand Prix",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/26/verstappen-blames-tyre-strategy-after-settling-for-third-in-us-grand",
        "published": "2026-10-26T02:46:37.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The National Business",
        "title": "Kimi Antonelli wins US Grand Prix to move within touching distance of F1 title",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/26/kimi-antonelli-wins-us-grand-prix-to-move-within-touching-distance-of",
        "published": "2026-10-26T03:15:57.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}