F1 TV expert and six-time IndyCar race winner James Hinchcliffe joins Tom Clarkson in the Austin paddock to dissect all the action from the United States Grand Prix in the latest episode of F1 Nation.
Max Verstappen dominated the weekend with victories in the Grand Prix and Sprint to make up more ground on the McLaren drivers. He’s now just 40 points behind Championship leader Oscar Piastri, and only 26 adrift of Lando Norris, with five races and two Sprints to go.
But more questions are being raised about McLaren’s dip in form after Red Bull once again proved their pace is a threat at another different track. Have McLaren underperformed, or have the others caught up?
Having now gone three races without a podium, Championship leader Piastri could be excused for feeling the heat. He has watched his lead be whittled down by both Verstappen and his team mate, with Norris at least saving McLaren’s blushes with a strong drive to second in Austin.
But the big debate that is now raging is whether McLaren should prioritise one driver over the other, to ensure they don’t get pipped by Verstappen – with memories of 2007 very much being discussed by the paddock.
Hinchcliffe also shares his thoughts on the ‘repercussions’ Lando Norris said he’ll face until the end of the season after his collision with Oscar in Singapore.
Charles Leclerc secured his and Ferrari’s first podium since Belgium, six races ago. He opted for a soft tyre start which proved crucial, Ferrari nailing their strategy and catching some other teams off guard.
How did Ferrari turn their performance around after a challenging Friday? And will fourth-placed Lewis Hamilton see this as a missed opportunity to have scored his first podium for the team?
To hear the latest on all the biggest talking points from the race weekend, hit go on the audio player above or click here to listen to the latest episode on your preferred podcasting platform.
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