He surged toward the top with wins at New Hampshire and Dover, fell toward the cut line after back-to-back poor outings in the prior round and is now firmly back in the title mix. Kyle Busch's journey through the playoffs has perfectly showcased the delicate nature of a championship chase. The conclusion was that it is probably better not to do it.NASCAR on NBC birthday gift for as gets the pole & track record at Īlthough the 2004 champion won't be able to hunt down his second Cup Series crown over the next three weeks, he could play the role of spoiler Sunday if his car is anywhere near as good in the race as it was during qualifying. “But on the other side, we discussed that even if you feel strong about showing your support against racism and human rights, that it is not our country, it is not our anthem, and you are offending many Americans that have a strong view on the flag. “I feel very much aligned with him on human rights so from a personal perspective I could understand where he was coming from. “Lewis has good opinions and he and I discussed the issue on a flight back from Suzuka,” Wolff said. Toto Wolff, the Mercedes executive director, said he advised Hamilton against attracting “polarisation” and “controversy” by taking a knee, even though the driver endured racism in his youth as the only black kid on a go-kart track. Donald Trump, the US president, has condemned the action, claiming it is unpatriotic. A metaphorical storm over the US national anthem appears unlikely after Hamilton indicated on Thursday that he would probably not kneel while it is played in support of the protests against racism and police brutality started by Colin Kaepernick, the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback. His team-mate, Max Verstappen, who finished second in Suzuka two weeks ago, qualified sixth-fastest but was given a 15-place grid penalty for an engine change.Īfter rain on Friday and forecasts of downpours over the weekend, Saturday was sunny and good weather is also expected on Sunday. In his first start for Renault since joining from Toro Rosso earlier this month, Carlos Sainz Jr secured eighth place on the grid, just ahead of Fernando Alonso in his McLaren.ĭaniel Ricciardo of Red Bull will start in fourth. “You’re constantly dancing with the wind.” “This is such a fantastic circuit, just the layout and the way the wind comes and intertwines with the corners really makes it challenging,” Hamilton said. Success here, he added, is about artistry as well as science. Hamilton, as usual, was full of praise for the track and America in general, and spent a large chunk of the post-qualifying press conference regaling local reporters with his interest in Nasa. “I think we were closer than we probably expected for today.” “I think we are very happy with the result,” Vettel said. He was far off Hamilton’s pace in the first two qualifying rounds and was in peril of qualifying in fourth position, but pulled off a 1.33.347 time on his final lap to lift his Ferrari into second, denying Mercedes a one-two at the front. Vettel struggled with his car on Friday, describing the front end as like “jelly”. “Sebastian is right there and unless he makes a silly mistake, which is unlikely – he is a four-times world champion – we will see it going on.” “Sebastian did a great job to get his car back up there,” Hamilton said. The 32-year-old Briton does not expect to claim the title on Sunday, describing such an eventuality as “highly unlikely”. Vettel is the only other driver to win a grand prix here – he was victorious in 2013, when Hamilton finished fourth. Hamilton has a 59-point lead over Vettel with four races remaining, so a win for him in Austin combined with the German finishing outside the top five will give him the championship.
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