THE FORMULA ONE season heads Stateside this weekend to the iconic Circuit of the Americas.
Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen resume their epic tussle for the F1 title, with just six points separating the two rivals.
- Practice 1 start time: 5.30pm BST
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PRACTICE 2 IS DONE – PEREZ LEADS THE WAY BUT VERSTAPPEN DID NOT DO A QUALIFYING RUN
The Dutchman is keeping his powder dry, and it is the Mexican who is quickest as Red Bull look like they have improved.
Norris in P2, Hamilton P3 and Bottas in P4. Verstappen down in eighth.
CRASH FOR ALONSO
The Spaniard loses control and spins into the barriers, but he is moving again. His car looks undamaged and he’s back in the garage.
10 MINUTES TO GO
And it is still Perez at the top of the timesheets as the team complete their long runs.
PEREZ LEADS THE WAY
Norris, Hamilton, Bottas, Ricciardo, Stroll, Leclerc, Verstappen, Sainz, Giovinazzi is the top 10 at just after the halfway stage of FP2.
VERSTAPPEN BLASTS HAMILTON
The two come close during practice as Hamilton comes close to the Red Bull.
Verstappen snaps over the radio: “Ha! Stupid idiot!”
He is told to “ignore it” by his race engineer.
NORRIS IS BACK IN THE PITS
“Something’s come loose on my elbow, I can’t turn properly,” Norris says over the team’s radio.
He’s back in the garage as the team investigate the problem.
FP2 IS GO – MERCEDES WERE AWESOME IN PRACTICE ONE
Can Red Bull fight back? Or are they saving engines? Either way, it looks a straight fight between the two teams.
TOTO WOLFF HAS BEEN SPEAKING ABOUT MERC’S ENGINE PROBLEMS
Remember, Bottas has a new engine this week, triggering a penalty.
Merc customers, Williams and Aston Martin have also taken new engines for Russell and Vettel, respectively.
And it could mean bad news for Lewis Hamilton, who could face more grid penalties for taking a new engine.
Wolff admits the team have struggled with reliability this season as their complicated power units are pushed to the limit in their fight with Red Bull.
Hamilton was given a 10-place grid drop last out in Turkey for taking a new internal combustion engine and he had to settle for finishing the race in fifth.
Wolff snapped on Sky F1 when quizzed that the team’s engine woe was being caused by “air valves”.
He blasted: “You are being fed with a lot of bull***t. We don’t need to talk about air valves or anything like this because you and I wouldn’t understand what it is.”
He was later pressed to reveal the cause of their unreliability and added: “I would not want to disclose what it is for obvious reasons but it is always a concern.
“When you look at Monza where Valtteri had to start at the back, we are losing points.
“We are trying to push the performance every year and this year it has cost us points but for the last seven years, that mindset has won us races and championships.
“I would have hoped for less penalties and used less engines, but this year it has hit us hard and we have to take it on the chin and do the best possible job.”
Wolff says Merc are now weighing up whether to up Hamilton’s engine count too through fear of it failing mid-race.
He said: “I cannot say whether we will be taking or what the percentage is, but obviously the risk is there.
“What is difficult to evaluate is do you want to pre-empt the situation and take a penalty, take the hit.
“Or do you want to run it and take the risk, which could be a DNF? That is a discussion we are having at the moment.”
LECLERC AND SAINZ IN P4 AND P5
Different tyres used for Perez and Sainz.
BOTTAS NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH AN ENGINE PENALTY
George Russell also takes a new unit in his Williams, as does Sebastian Vettel at Aston Martin.
HORNER KEEPING CALM ABOUT MERC’S ENGINE WOES
The Red Bull boss said: “Mercedes obviously have their reason for taking it and they must be having a few issues.
“Under normal circumstances, [our engines] should be ok, but you can never say never.”
BOTTAS LEADS THE WAY
The Finn is in P1, Hamilton is second and Verstappen third-fastest in Austin.
BOTTAS’S ENGINE PENALTY IS A CONCERN FOR HAMILTON
That is a SIXTH unit for the Finn, as Mercedes are clearly worried about their ICE. That could mean that Hamilton is due a new one too, he took a new ICE in Turkey.
AND A SPECIAL LID FOR LANDO
The McLaren man also has a cool helmet for this race.
ALONSO IS BACK IN THE GARAGE
Bad start for the Spaniard.
BOTTAS HAS AN ENGINE PENALTY…
Valtteri Bottas has taken a sixth ICE of the season which means he is set for a grid penalty on Sunday.
SPECIAL HELMET FOR BOTTAS THIS WEEKEND
The Finn has a one-off helmet for Austin. And it’s pretty cool.
MISTAKE FOR LECLERC
The Ferrari man has a spin but stays out of the barriers. He is now on his way back to the pits for some new tyres.
HAMILTON QUICK TO SET THE BENCHMARK
The Mercedes man goes quickest. Early days yet, but he is faster than Verstappen.
GREEN LIGHT – FP1 IN AUSTIN IS GO – BUSY TRACK AS THERE IS PLENTY OF EARLY RUNNING
Mercedes are out, Red Bull too
Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
