‘Looks like it could work out’ for Verstappen – Marko

Oct.19 (GMM) Max Verstappen’s late-season resurgence gathered more momentum in Austin, where both McLaren drivers crashed out on the first lap of the sprint – handing Red Bull a crucial psychological edge ahead of Sunday’s grand prix.

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were eliminated at Turn 1 after a chain reaction involving Nico Hulkenberg and Fernando Alonso. McLaren bosses Zak Brown and Andrea Stella initially blamed the Sauber driver – branding him “amateurish” – but later walked back their criticism.

“The McLarens may have forgotten that there were other cars in the race,” Hulkenberg told Canal Plus.

Championship leader Piastri’s manager Mark Webber agreed, describing the incident as “a typical start accident.”

“Alonso was on the inside, Nico reacted to avoid colliding with him, and Oscar positioned himself to pass Lando on the inside,” Webber explained. “He was ahead of the others, so he had the right to do that. For me, there’s no primary culprit.”

The double DNF capped a miserable sprint day for McLaren, with Verstappen dominating proceedings while Piastri has struggled for pace all weekend.

“Norris is in a good position,” Sky Deutschland pundit Timo Glock observed after main qualifying. “But the question is, what’s going on with Oscar Piastri? The gap between the two McLarens is suddenly so large.

“He’s consistently too slow throughout the entire lap – either he doesn’t feel the tyres and the car, or it’s the mental situation. The one taking advantage is Max Verstappen. It looks like things are going the wrong way at McLaren.”

Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko said the team must keep pressing its advantage. “We have to keep winning now,” he said.

“There are still a few races with exciting first corners. We have nothing to lose. You can see that Piastri is making mistakes – good! Let’s see how the incident dented the McLarens’ confidence.

“Max is going from one high to the next,” the 82-year-old beamed.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff agreed the title dynamic is shifting. “Things are getting hairy now,” he said when asked about McLaren’s situation. “Max is coming closer and closer.

“At some point, McLaren will have to make a decision regarding a number 1 driver.”

Aston Martin ambassador Pedro de la Rosa told DAZN the quadruple world champion’s mindset is now a major factor. “He (Verstappen) has nothing to lose,” de la Rosa said.

“There’s nothing better than mentally seeing yourself out and then starting to see the carrot again. There are still a lot of points to be won, and the trend is toward a comeback.”

Marko said that with the gap to Piastri “still 55 points,” he had internally targeted “15 points to make up here in Austin – and it looks like it could work out.”

Verstappen himself remains cautious. “It’s not about believing in it,” he told reporters. “I just take it race by race.

“Today was perfect for me, brings me a bit closer for sure, which is nice for everyone – maybe not for them,” he smiled.

“But I wasn’t entirely happy with the pace in the race. If we want to win tomorrow, we need to be better. That’s what I’ll focus on.”

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