Max Verstappen aims to secure a win at the United States Grand Prix following his previous victory from pole position at the Circuit of the Americas last year. The 29-year-old driver has secured seven podium finishes in his last eight races, including two wins and three second-place finishes.
Verstappen previously won the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia and the Singapore Grand Prix. Regarding his prospects in Austin, Verstappen said, "It's difficult to say – I don't want to say now that I will be in the fight in Austin."
He added, "But the last few weekends have been great. I just take it race by race and we'll see how it goes there. It's another very different kind of track." The driver noted that the track is incredibly bumpy based on the world endurance championship race in Austin, stating, "From what I saw in the world endurance championship race in Austin, the track is incredibly bumpy and I will probably need to order a new spine after the weekend – or become like Robocop. It's crazy."
Lewis Hamilton seeks a record sixth win and a seventh victory in the United States Grand Prix, where he has already won five times. Mercedes drivers will run the team's latest updates package ahead of a triple-header in Texas, Mexico and Brazil.
Kimi Antonelli, who is 20 years old, leads George Russell by 102 points. Antonelli requires Russell to fail to finish in the top nine and Hamilton to finish outside the top four to win the title.
The 20-year-old said, "I know it's very close and I know it's there, but I need to make sure I keep doing my best and go out and win and perform in my best way." Verstappen currently sits 119 points adrift in fourth place.
Historical records show Sebastian Vettel became the youngest champion in 2010 when Antonelli was four years old. Alberto Ascari remains Italy's last champion for Ferrari.
