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Max Verstappen doubled his championship lead over Lewis Hamilton by winning the 2021 USGP on Sunday but it wasn't all plain sailing for the young Red Bull driver. The pole-sitter had initially lost the lead to Hamilton at the start, leading Red Bull to employ an ultra-aggressive strategy which left the Dutchman with much to do in terms of tire management throughout the race.
Although euphoric after securing the win, Max Verstappen was not entirely lost in the euphoria. When asked how confident he is now about clinching the title, he said:
"This doesn’t change a lot because it’s all about the details – I always say it – so a win doesn’t give me more confidence or whatever. We are all confident within the team that we can do a really good job – but we need to nail the details and we have to start over again in Mexico, to try to get the best out of our whole package."
The turnaround happened from Friday to Saturday: Max Verstappen
Mercedes were expected to have the better package at COTA, and for a while, they did. The team made a strong start to FP1 with both cars comfortably 1-2 after the session. FP2 onwards, however, was a different story, with Perez topping the sheets while Verstappen struggled to put together a competitive time, finishing eighth-fastest.
On Saturday, Red Bull flipped the formbook on its head and began to look like a match for Mercedes at COTA. When questioned on what had changed for the team, Max Verstappen once again brought up the details and how they had played a part in the turnaround, saying:
"I think the turnaround from Friday to Saturday with the car, I think we found a better set-up but then again also to the race, we, of course, start on pole, we lose the race and we went aggressive on strategy and it paid out, but it can also very easily swing, if you go too early or if you’re not reacting in time so it’s tough out there when it’s so close between two teams."
With the 2021 USGP in the rearview mirror, F1 will go south of the border for the Mexican and Brazilian Grands Prix, both events favoring Red Bull and Max Verstappen in the past.
