Kimi Antonelli keeps delivering when it matters. He set the pace in COTA qualifying, finishing almost half a second ahead of team-mate George Russell, who could manage only sixth.

Kimi had to abort his final lap in Q3, but his previous attempt was good enough. Conditions changed in the closing minutes, catching several drivers out. Lewis Hamilton was the only driver to improve on his second set of soft tyres.

Mercedes also appears to have found a better balance with its upgraded chassis after two difficult weekends. But qualifying is only half the story: the big questions now concern race pace and how the car will perform on the hard tyres.

And there’s a bigger prize at stake. Antonelli has a chance to become the youngest-ever F1 world champion in Austin. To achieve that, he needs to win, Hamilton must finish fifth or lower, and Russell ninth or lower.

It’s a demanding combination, but the opportunity is real.

Can Kimi turn another strong qualifying into a historic Sunday? Let’s go, COTA! 🏎️🔥

For the second weekend in a row, Isack Hadjar is right on Max Verstappen’s heels. Just 0.030 seconds separate them, with Hadjar qualifying third at COTA — setting up a fascinating battle for Sunday.

The young Frenchman believes he lost around 0.2 seconds at Turn 13 because of poor traction on his fastest lap. If he is right, the gap could have been even smaller.

And if Hadjar can reproduce the form he showed in Baku, Verstappen may have a serious challenge on his hands.

Red Bull’s one-lap pace on soft tyres has looked difficult to extract, but those tyres won’t be used in the race. So here’s the big question: could both Red Bulls be much stronger over a race stint?

Starting near the front also gives the team strategic freedom, with two cars available to influence its options.

Last year’s race was won through strategy, and team principal Laurent Mekies believes five or six cars could be in contention for victory tomorrow.

Hadjar is already close enough to make life uncomfortable for Max. If Red Bull’s race pace delivers, the team could face a fascinating dilemma — and have a serious opportunity to control the race.

Mega Hadjar. Mega Sunday ahead? 🏎️🔥

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F1 drivers push their bodies to the limit, but Max Verstappen has revealed just how much the sport is taking out of his lower back.

Scans have shown significant wear in the discs at the bottom of his spine. As Verstappen explained: “I've had a few scans done and you can see it in certain discs at the bottom of the back — there's nothing left there.”

The problem becomes particularly severe at circuits such as COTA. Before Turns 1 and 19, Verstappen sometimes has to lift himself out of the seat to relieve the pressure.

“Otherwise, it's simply impossible,” he admitted.

He also confirmed that he is relying on medication to manage the pain.

When an F1 driver has to lift himself out of the seat just to get through a corner, the physical cost of racing becomes impossible to ignore. 🏎️

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🏎️ The Fastest Lap Team

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Tomorrow, best. 🏎️