Max Verstappen and Red Bull have been in a league of their own this season as if the other teams have switched to Alonso’s favorite ‘GP2 Engines’. While the other top teams have thrown everything they’ve got at the Milton Keynes outfit, Red Bull has reigned supreme. However, if you get too comfortable, the sport can turn unforgiving very quickly. As the Dutch Lion would find out on Saturday, at the US GP.

What was supposed to be a routine qualifying masterclass for Max Verstappen turned into a comedy of errors. During his first hot lap in Q3, the Dutch Lion was impeded by a hesitant Sergio Perez. Piling on the pressure was his arch nemesis, Lewis Hamilton, as well as a feisty Lando Norris. All in all, Red Bull seemed under threat from 3 other teams for a spot on the front row. So when the 26-year-old tried to chase down an in-form Charles Leclerc for pole, an error of the smallest margin cost Verstappen a lot more!

‘I made a mistake’ – Max Verstappen delivers his verdict on shocking error

The Tifosi may be thanking Verstappen for his last lap blunder that gifted Charles Leclerc pole position. The last lap blunder came on the penultimate corner at the COTA, which saw him veer off track, crossing the white line with all four wheels. Verstappen was critical of his error and explained how it unfolded, as quoted by F1MaxiMaal, “I knew in turn nineteen that it was going to be tight. I made a mistake in the first corner, so I had to push hard for the rest of the lap.”

When the competition is as intense as it was in Austin, a fraction of a second is all it takes to make an error. The three-time world champion added, “It just comes at such small margins. Frankly, I didn’t have an understeer either,” he had some harsh words for himself, but when a driver is on the limit, things can go either way. “I just tried to maximize the turn. I estimated it just wrong. It’s just such small margins when you push to the limit.”

Even though Verstappen finds himself starting sixth for Sunday’s race, a recovery drive is his forte. He has previously recovered from a lowly 19th to 2nd behind Ferrari’s last World Champion, Kimi Raikkonen, at this very circuit.

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So it might not be all too bad for the Orange Army, because they should get to see some brilliant overtakes come on Sunday! Reflecting back, the 26-year-old is radiating positive energy, “It’s a bit unfortunate, but it does make Sunday more fun!”

It’s all ‘fun’ and games for Verstappen

“It’s not ideal, but I’ve sometimes stood further back on the starting setup.” After having a stellar weekend in Qatar, Max Verstappen is confident he can plead the Orange Army come race day. While Charles Leclerc has taken pole, Mercedes and McLaren are also up there to give Verstappen a tough fight. But the RB19 has had the upper hand when it comes to pace all year round. “If you have good speed, you can catch up and slide forward. We’re keeping an eye on it, but we have the sprint day first and we’re going to see how that goes for us.”

“Of course, we want to win, so this was not ideal, but as said there will be another long race, in which we can do a lot of things better. We’re just going to have fun too!” If the Dutch Lion can continue his win streak, he is still in contention to beat Hamilton’s record with Mercedes in 2016, for most wins in a single season. The seven-time world champion had achieved this feat alongside Nico Rosberg, winning a combined 19 GP Races out of 21 that year.

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Compared to his usual outright dominance from the very moment the lights go out, Verstappen finds himself in an interesting spot. Whichever way things may unfold come Sunday, one thing is for sure. Verstappen intends to enjoy carving his way through the grid, and the win would just be icing on the cake!