"What a di**head!": Sebastian Vettel loses his cool during USGP qualifying at COTA

Sebastian Vettel didn't have the smoothest of runs during USGP qualifying at COTA. The Aston Martin driver was furious at Nikita Mazepin in Q1 when the Russian held him up in the esses on one of his hotlaps.

Furious at being compromised by the Haas driver, Vettel shouted over the radio:

"What a di**head. I mean seriously what a di**head!”

Nikita Mazepin is no stranger to being on the receiving end of such outbursts. The Haas rookie has already faced the wrath of numerous drivers on the grid this season. The most recent criticism prior to Vettel's outburst came from Lewis Hamilton after the seven-time world champion was blocked by the Russian during the Turkish Grand Prix.

There have been clashes within the team as well, and the situation reached a boiling point when Mazepin almost pushed teammate Mick Schumacher into the wall at Zandvoort.

The 22-year-old will be starting the race on the ninth row, alongside Vettel, and will be looking to keep his nose clean during the race.

Sebastian Vettel to start USGP from P18

Due to a fourth engine change this season, Sebastian Vettel has been handed a grid penalty for the USGP. Consequently, he will be starting the race from P18, ahead of Fernando Alonso and George Russell. The German will be looking to make early gains during what is expected to be a tough afternoon for all the drivers.

For Sebastian Vettel, the race could come down to how quickly he's able to navigate his way through the pack early on and keep his nose clean. With teammate Lance Stroll starting the race from P13, Aston Martin will be looking to maximize any opportunity possible to score some points this weekend.