维斯塔潘对Q3抓地力下降感到困惑，但奥斯汀展现红牛进步
奥斯汀站排位赛中，维斯塔潘一度与法拉利车队争夺杆位，但最终未能如愿，而安东内利成为意外竞争者。
维斯塔潘对Q3抓地力下降感到困惑，但奥斯汀展示了红牛的进步
维斯塔潘可以解释为什么他的第二次Q3跑得困难，但不知道为什么第一次跑失去了那么多抓地力。尽管两位车手都不完全满意，红牛仍然获得了第二和第三名——这是车队复苏的迹象
在奥斯汀，争夺杆位的位置一度看起来将在维斯塔潘和法拉利之间展开。然而，到了排位赛结束时，斯库德里亚未能将任何一辆车送入前三名，而基米·安东内利出人意料地成为了一名竞争者
维斯塔潘只能接受第二名，他在车队的媒体休息室中的总结很清楚：是的，红牛车手当然可以接受这个起跑位置，但仍有更多的潜力可以挖掘
那在Q2的圈速中表现得尤为明显，维特斯坦普斯给他的对手留下了深刻印象。在用了一组磨损的轮胎后，这位荷兰人在新轮胎的对手中速度更快，使得连续第三次获得杆位似乎触手可及。
当Motorsport.com问维特斯坦普斯为什么Q3的画面与第二阶段的预赛如此不同时，这位四次世界冠军解释道：
“我只是不再有同样的抓地力了。就是这样简单。我无法再像之前那样在慢弯中保持我想要的速度。这显然是我们需要理解的事情，因为其中肯定还有更多。我只是无法在Q3中从车上找到它。”
风向似乎在那个故事中起到了重要的因素。在Q3的最后几分钟，许多车手被风力影响，这解释了为什么只有三次在第二次跑道上有所改进。兰多·诺里斯谈到了他驾驶生涯中遇到的最强烈的侧风，这导致他在提前作为预防措施刹车后仍然锁定了轮胎。
维斯塔潘澄清说，然而，这并不能解释Q3的全部故事。
在最后一段比赛中，风真的很大，但第一段比赛并不是这样。所以我真的不明白为什么这么令人失望。但无论如何，如果这还足以获得第二名，那就没问题了。
法拉利的速度在Q3中也下降了，查尔斯·勒克莱尔——顺便提一下，就像乔治·拉塞尔一样——指出，增加的云层和下降的赛道温度使得倍耐力轮胎略偏离了它们理想的运行窗口。
红牛车队在具有挑战性的日子里也不再落后了。
在奥斯汀的排位赛中，尽管两位车手对赛车的感觉并不满意，但车队仍然设法在发车线上获得了第二和第三的位置。
这与本赛季上半赛季形成了鲜明的对比，那时红牛在困难的日子里往往会滑落到第七和第八位——正好在由四支领先车队组成的集团后面。
维斯塔潘也承认了这一点，并认为在奥斯汀的排位赛从某种程度上代表了车队最近的重振旗鼓。
“是的，绝对是这样。在过去几个周末，赛车有了很大的改进，这是显而易见的。正如我在过去几个周末所说的那样，一些赛道会更适合我们一些。我认为这个赛道还不错，但我认为新加坡和马来西亚显然更适合我们的赛车。”
尽管在奥斯汀的比赛中，维特斯滕的赛车速度在周五看起来相当令人尊敬，这让他对周日充满信心。
"通常是的。在比赛中判断谁真正最快有点困难，但过去几个周末我们的表现相当不错。我希望我们车上的设置是正确的方向。"
起跑仍然是红牛的一大疑问，尽管在起跑线内侧的第二位提供了机会，如果维特斯滕能够顺利起步。
"是的，但我不会过多考虑这一点。如果第一个弯道发生超车，那就发生了。如果没有，那么比赛还很长，很多事情都可能出错或正确。如果你有良好的平衡和足够的车速，你可以通过策略或甚至通过在赛道上超车来比赛。"
英文原文
Max Verstappen puzzled by Q3 grip loss, but Austin shows how far Red Bull has progressed
Verstappen can explain why his second Q3 run was difficult, but does not know why he lost so much grip on the first run. Red Bull still secured second and third despite neither driver being entirely happy – a sign of the team's resurgence
In Austin, the battle for pole position looked for a long time as though it would be between Max Verstappen and Ferrari. By the end of qualifying, however, the Scuderia had failed to get either car into the top three, while Kimi Antonelli emerged as a surprise contender.
Verstappen had to settle for second place, making his conclusion during the Dutch media session in the paddock clear: yes, the Red Bull driver could certainly live with that starting position, but there was still more potential to be unlocked.
That was especially evident from the Q2 lap with which Verstappen impressed his rivals. On a set of scrubbed tyres, the Dutchman was faster than some drivers from the other top teams on fresh rubber, making a third consecutive pole position seem within reach.
When Motorsport.com asked Verstappen why the picture in Q3 was so different from the second qualifying segment, the four-time world champion explained:
"I just didn't have the same grip anymore. It's as simple as that. I simply couldn't carry the speed that I wanted through the slow corners anymore. That's something we obviously need to understand, because there was for sure more in it. I just couldn't get it out of the car in Q3."
The wind appears to have been an important factor in that story. In the closing minutes of Q3, many drivers were caught out by gusts of wind, explaining why there were only three improvements on the second runs. Lando Norris spoke of the worst gusts of wind he had ever experienced behind the wheel, which caused him to lock up despite braking earlier as a precaution.
Verstappen clarified, however, that this could not explain the whole story of Q3.
"On the final run, the wind was really bad, but not on the first run. So I don't really understand why it was so disappointing. But anyway, if that's still good enough for second place, then that's okay."
Ferrari's pace also dropped away in Q3, with Charles Leclerc – like George Russell, incidentally – pointing to the increased cloud cover and falling track temperature, which pushed the Pirelli tyres slightly outside the ideal operating window for them.
Red Bull no longer falls away on challenging days
Qualifying in Austin was nevertheless revealing about the progress Red Bull has made in recent weeks, particularly since the Baku upgrade. On a day when neither driver was particularly happy with the feeling in the car, the team still managed to secure second and third places on the grid.
That marks a considerable contrast with the first half of this season, when Red Bull would often slip towards seventh and eighth on a difficult day – right at the back of the group comprising the four leading teams.
Verstappen acknowledged this too and recognised that qualifying in Austin was, in that sense, representative of the team's recent resurgence.
"Yes, absolutely. The car has been a lot better over the last few weekends, that's clear. And as I've said over the past few weekends as well, some circuits will simply suit us a little better than others. I think this one is still okay, but I think Singapore and Malaysia were clearly better for our car."
Nevertheless, Verstappen's race pace in Austin looked more than respectable on Friday, giving him confidence heading into Sunday.
"Normally, yes. It's a bit difficult to judge who's really the fastest in race pace, but over the last few weekends it's been pretty good for us. I hope the set-up we have on the car is the right direction for the race."
The start remains a major question mark for Red Bull, although second place on the inside of the grid offers opportunities if Verstappen manages to get away well.
"Yes, but I don't think about that too much. If an overtake happens in the first corner, then it happens. And if it doesn't, then it's still such a long race in which so many things can go right or wrong. If you have a good balance and enough speed in the car, you can race here through strategy or even by overtaking someone on track."
Motorsport.com ·
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