In a sense, it has been a tough few weeks for Red Bull so far. They were first found guilty of breaching the $145 million cost cap. Additionally, they learned the tragic news of their owner Dietrich Mateschitz passing away. There’s no doubt the Red Bull pair of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez will be fighting for a win tomorrow to honor their late owner.
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It was also an intriguing qualifying session in Austin. Carlos Sainz grabbed just his second career pole position. He was followed by his teammate, Charles Leclerc, and the Red Bull duo of Verstappen and Perez.
However, Leclerc will start the race from P12 after picking up a 10-place grid penalty. Similarly, Perez will also start the race from P9 after picking up a 5-place grid penalty for taking his fifth ICE of the season. Max Verstappen will be disappointed to not win another pole position, but he was not letting it get in the way of giving Sainz a strong fight tomorrow.
Verstappen was not happy after his tire strategy didn’t pay off. However, he was confident of getting a good result ahead of tomorrow’s race. He said, “Yeah it seemed like the longest speed, I was running out of tires.” He further mentioned, “Yeah, that’s okay, the car felt quick for tomorrow. That’s what is the most important.”
READ MORE: Max Verstappen Reveals Last Minute “Slight Adjustment” Ahead of United States Grand Prix
Verstappen will be eyeing to level Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel’s record of most race wins in a season of 13 wins.
Red Bull boss defends Max Verstappen after he was booed by fans ahead of the US GP
Red Bull’s troubles are not getting easier anytime soon and this time, it was their drivers on the firing line of an angry crowd in Austin. After being found guilty of breaching the cost cap, some fans were clear to let their feelings known. As Max Verstappen was introduced to fans as a double world champion, the crowd started booing the Dutchman.
Furthermore, they also screamed ‘cheater’ aimed at the Red Bull duo, but Max didn’t seem much affected. He went ahead with the event as planned.
This just happened 😳 #USGP #AustinGP pic.twitter.com/AycEzn0zSp
— LewisNation (@lewis_nation) October 22, 2022
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Christian Horner took the incident as an example in his press conference on Saturday. He spoke of how the allegations have had an impact on his team members. He said, “It’s absolutely shocking that another competitor, without the facts and without any knowledge of the details, can be making that kind of accusation.”
The Red Bull boss believes they have been on a trial since the Singapore GP. Furthermore, he believes that the rhetorics of Red Bull have an advantage and the numbers put by the media are not true.
Additionally, he said, “The damage that does to the brand, our partners, our drivers, our workforce, in an age where mental health is prevalent – we’re seeing significant issues within our workforce, including employees’ kids being bullied in playgrounds – that is not right.”
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Despite the recent events, Max Verstappen will be focusing on tomorrow’s race. Starting behind pole-sitter Carlos Sainz, the Dutchman will be looking to win his 13th race of the season. Can Red Bull and the Dutch Lion prevail in tomorrow’s race in Austin?