Verstappen admits his fault in Austin

But before his premature abandonment, this is the second stop of the son of Jos Verstappen which had already compromised his chances of a podium. Then third on the track, the winner of the Spanish Grand Prix had plunged into the pit lane after his teammate Daniel Ricciardo …but the mechanics of Red Bull Racing were not ready.

Back on the track, Verstappen apologized on his radio to his team, thus giving weight to a misunderstanding between the driver and his pit. « It’s my fault, admitted the young pilot. I thought someone had called me. » admitted the Dutchman at the microphone of Canal +.

Returning to the track in 7th position, Max Verstappen will ultimately not see the finish of the United States Grand Prix, cut short by a mechanical problem on his RB12. "I'm not sure what the problem is, commented Verstappen who was thinking of an engine avatar a few moments after his retirement, before his team confirmed that the gearbox was ultimately to blame.

His stop at the edge of the track after several meters in slow motion, will cause the virtual safety car to come into action, which will be largely detrimental to the result of his teammate Daniel Ricciardo, who will lose the possibility of playing for second place against Nico Rosberg.

Find the full report and analysis of the United States Grand Prix, produced by our special correspondents in Austin, in issue 2086 of AUTOhebdo, available tomorrow evening in digital version, and from this Wednesday on newsstands.