Max Verstappen will start second at the United States Grand Prix, but the result masks a troubling mystery. The Red Bull driver looked set for pole after breezing through Q1 and Q2 on used tires, expecting a major step forward when he bolted on fresh rubber for Q3. Instead, the car went backward. "It just didn't come alive," Verstappen said. "I couldn't lean on the rear the way I wanted in the final sector." While wind conditions worsened for everyone's final runs, Verstappen suspects something deeper is wrong—his best feel came on the worn set, an anomaly even for a driver who once qualified with just two sets total. "It's very odd," he admitted. Red Bull now has a puzzle to solve before Sunday's race in Austin, where Charles Leclerc starts on pole and the championship battle tightens. If the RB20's tire behavior remains this unpredictable, second place might be generous.
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