Windsor praises Verstappen: 'This could be decisive in the title race'

Max Verstappen managed to qualify for pole position for the ninth time in Austin and this might have been one of his best laps for pole. At least, that's what Peter Windsor thinks. In his review of the qualifying session, Windsor is at a loss for words to describe how the Dutchman managed to drive himself to pole position.

In Q3, there was suddenly rain on the track, which normally has a lot of sunshine. This added an extra challenge for the drivers. According to Windsor, Verstappen handled it very well. "Max was incredibly relaxed about it afterwards, but this is all about Max Verstappen creating this platform that allows  him to make these incredibly fine adjustments towards the rotation point."

Praise for Verstappen

"If the back end was sliding a little bit or the front was starting to just lock up slightly he would be able to just compensate with steering and brake pedal pressure." Windsor had already indicated earlier this season that Verstappen excelled at this and Verstappen did so again in America.

As a result, he topped the timesheet at the end of Q3, something neither Red Bull Racing nor Mercedes expected. Mercedes seemed to have the fastest car, but still Verstappen was there. According to Windsor, this could therefore be an important moment in the championship. “If he goes on to win the world championship this year, I think that lap will be the defining moment for Max, because it was head to head with Lewis," Windsor concluded.