After McLaren’s masterclass in Qatar, the team is eager to continue closing the gap to World Champion Max Verstappen at the Austin Grand Prix.
Since the Qatar Grand Prix, Max Verstappen and Red Bull won both, the Constructors and Drivers World Championship. Verstappen is the first driver since Nelson Piquet to win a Championship on a Saturday, as his teammate Sergio Perez failed to score points.
Embed from Getty ImagesMcLaren are still ambitious to fight for a better place in the Constructors Championship. After a double-podium and Oscar Piastri winning the sprint race in Qatar, the chances of passing Aston Martin for fourth are there with the Papaya only needing to score 11 points more than the Greens, who have been struggling of late.
Embed from Getty ImagesFurthermore, Daniel Ricciardo will be back in the AlphaTauri after he broke his hand during the Dutch GP. Reserve driver Liam Lawson will therefore not race.
Depending on how Ricciardo will perform, he might be a thread to Sergio Perez, as the second Red Bull driver has performed poorly recently and is at risk of losing his seat to the Australian driver for the next season.
Embed from Getty ImagesCompared to the extreme heat in Qatar, the drivers are most likely to experience a more comfortable race with temperatures up to 25 degrees and no forecasted rain.
As this race weekend will include another sprint race and is the first race of an upcoming triple header, an excited weekend is expected with close fights between McLaren, Mercedes and Red Bull although Max Verstappen is favoured to win once again.
