Max Verstappen returned to the top step of the podium on Saturday for the first time since last June's Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona following a commanding win in the US Grand Prix's Sprint event.
The championship leader's authoritative display at The Circuit of the Americas provided the Dutchman and his team with a glimmer of hope that Red Bull have regained their competitiveness after the team's recent dip in form.
The bulls arrived in Austin with an upgraded RB20, and Verstappen wasted no time showing off its potential.
After taking pole position in Sprint Qualifying on Friday, Verstappen put together a commanding and composed drive to victory in the 19-lap short form race despite early pressure from championship rival Lando Norris.
Ahead of Sunday's Grand Prix proper, Verstappen holds a 54-point edge over Norris who finished Saturday's race in third place, with Ferrari's Carlos Sainz taking the runner-up spot in the event.
“It was not too bad, it feels a bit like old times!” said Verstappen, who's now won 11 of the 16 Sprints held.
“I'm very happy with today. I think of course if you look at the whole race, Ferrari was also very quick, but I think for us finally we were racing again.”
Unlike recent races where Red Bull had often been concerned with defending against challengers from behind, Verstappen enjoyed racing on his own terms.
“Normally in the race we're always looking back behind us, but now we could just do our own race and we had good pace.”
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While Verstappen celebrated his Sprint triumph, his teammate Sergio Perez had a more challenging outing.
Starting from P11 after a disappointing Sprint Qualifying session, Perez fought hard to recover some ground. A notable battle with AlphaTauri's Yuki Tsunoda slowed his progress, and despite his efforts, Perez finished P9, just outside the points.
“I was expecting, to be honest, more pace,” Perez commented after the mad dash. ”It was quite hard to get, in the beginning, by Yuki, and once that happened, the race was too far away from the Haases.”
The Mexican driver recognized that changes were needed to improve his chances in the main race, particularly with his car's setup.
"We've got to be making some changes this afternoon to put us in a better window for qualifying," he explained, referencing the adjustments allowed to the car between the Sprint and the main event.
In the Constructors' standings, Red Bull's eight points collected in the Sprint compared to McLaren's six narrowed the gap between the two teams to 39 points.
With Verstappen in strong form and Red Bull's upgrades proving effective, the team is well-positioned for a competitive weekend in Austin.
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