With the fifth sprint of the season done and dusted, Max Verstappen proved to the stands that Friday was a mere blip. Composed and calm, Verstappen dominated the sprint shootout, qualifying ahead of Mercedes Lewis Hamiton and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. The Dutch driver extended his shootout lead to the sprint race, finishing nine seconds ahead of P2. And to see the Red Bull driver off into the distance, Hamilton had the best seats in the entire circuit. However, he may have also used his time behind the Red Bull productively.

Lewis Hamilton is the most successful driver of the Circuit of The Americas. Finishing every time but one on the podium here, he had waned in the initial part of the season. However, he is back and better. Having had abundant time to study the rear of the Red Bull at the Austin sprint, the Briton has laid out an extensive strategy.

School day for Lewis Hamilton in the US GP sprint

As Max Verstappen closed the door on Charles Leclerc to keep his lead, Hamilton took his chance overtaking the Ferrari. However, with the ‘rocketship’ of the car that Red Bull is, the Briton failed to make a move past the Dutch driver having to settle behind. Spending 19 laps of the entire sprint behind the Red Bull, the Briton utilized his time in other ways. Collecting data for the team, he hopes to bring an ‘upgrade package’ not just for W14 but also for his survey methods.

Being stuck behind the rear end of Verstappen wasn’t unfruitful after all for Hamilton as he gathered important data. “At least we know where we are. If there is anywhere we are stronger and if we are weaker. So I will download that to the team,” he said. However, on being asked about his ‘downloads’ during the sprint, the Mercedes driver remained coy. Verstappen retorted with wit saying, “Plug in a USB drive to my car!” To which the Mercedes driver said, “That’s what we need is a USB, I was trying to get close enough but next time I’ll get one of those GoPro sticks!” Hey, at least a GoPro (which is normally worth $399) wouldn’t cost you $50K, as much as for touching the rear end of a livery.

However, on the less humorous side of things, Hamilton confessed that Red Bull had done an amazing job. Going into development for next year, all the teams would have to do a lot of work. He said, “We have a lot of work to do. Everyone behind these guys has a lot of work to do. And it’s no small feat for us to truly catch them for next year.”

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However, the Silver Arrows have never looked shinier than they have at Austin. The new floor upgrade, no matter how ‘insignificant’, has definitely placed Mercedes in the run for a victory.

Hamilton and Co. back to winning

The British Constructors had a tumultuous start to the year. The tragic development of W14 taking after W13 was a perfect disaster. However, Mercedes turned the ship around with their upgrades in Monaco. With improving performance in every Grand Prix weekend, the British Constructor has finally woken from its two-year-long slumber.

There is new life for the British Constructors after a gloomy zero sidepod failure. The team has shifted its gears and brought a new upgrade package for the US Grand Prix. A new floor, that James Allison labels as non-transformative, has surely transformed the performance of the car. The Brackley-based outfit seems to have gotten their act together.

After numerous complaints from the seven-time world champion, the constructors have made development moves in the right direction. At the Japanese Grand Prix, Hamilton complained that he had to fight the car to put it up among the front runners. “Feeling-wise, the car felt just the same as last year, bouncing and sliding,” he said. However, two grand prix later, the Briton is ecstatic about the updates. He insisted, “This is one of the first upgrades that I’ve actually felt over the last two years.” 

If Hamilton and Co. keep up their performance, and Sergio Perez continues his decline, the Briton would be the second driver in history to consolidate a P2 in the championship without winning a race. And that’s the fact for today.

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With the teaser for what the upgrades have done for the silver arrows, a tough fight for Verstappen awaits. However, if Hamilton succeeds in getting an ‘upgrade package’ for his downloads, should we expect the rear of W15 to look like RB19?