Verstappen's saving F1 from papaya coporate protocol: Up/Down in Austin

Someone needed to intervene.

2025 has managed to be the most dull title fight in F1’s history up to this point. The ‘after you – no after you, I insist‘ McLaren approach each week has been throttling the excitement into submission.

But wait! The grand prix world has a saviour, the anti-hero we didn’t realise we needed.

Armed with an updated Red Bull, Max Verstappen has begun scything away at the championship points advantage amassed by the papaya crew boring its way to one F1 win after another.

Both Woking drivers have been media trained to within an inch of their lives, and seem intent on upsetting no-one in the limpest title bid ever seen – it’s a damp squib affair both on and off-track.

If they don’t get a grip, the Dutchman will be upon them in no time. The US GP was just a devastating demonstration of that.

It’s alive! – Going Up

Max is on the attack, and it can only be a good thing. Thank goodness for that big new bendy front wing from Red Bull.

Sheer gamesmanship – Going Up

Red Bull tried to scuttle Lando Norris‘s starting routine by removing the bit of gaffer tape McLaren has taken to sticking on the pitwall to remind the Brit where to stop.

However the mechanic put up to the task did so when the ‘get off the grid’ siren had already sounded, leaving the team slapped with a €50k fine. Hefty.

Still, up with this sort of thing!

Seeing stars – Going Down

Has Piastri reverted to his ’23/’24 type i.e. winning a race every now and then but being a bit off it the rest of the time?

He’s not looked on it since the Netherlands.

Defensive manoeuvre – Going Up

If Lando Norris attacked with the same gusto Charles Leclerc defended in Austin, we’d have had a bit more of an exciting title fight on our hands up to now. Bravo to the Monegasque.

Throw hack – Going Down

It’s fairly cringeworthy that teams now indulge so often in throwback liveries, in that it admits the obvious: the current ones aren’t very inspiring.

Williams‘ 2002 throwback is a case in point. Did you see Juan Pablo Montoya donning a Derek Daly colour scheme at any point back in the day? No, because the 2002 Grove machine was cool enough as it was.

No nonsense Brundle – Going Up

Commentator Martin Brundle, who took a few sizeable shunts in his grand prix days, wasn’t impressed by Isack Hadjar‘s qualifying prang.

“Quite a hit,” said his co-commentator David Croft. The old hand Brundle replied “It wasn’t that bad.” It’ll take more than that to make Brundle blink!

Imposter syndrome – Going Down 

Williams man Albon has appeared to have swapped places with Carlos Sainz recently, with the previously hapless Spaniard getting a podium and sprint top three recently and his British team-mate enduring an awful run after previously shining in 2025.

However, come the grand prix, Sainz reverted to type by punting off Antonelli in Austin’s Grand Prix. Who’s driving like who now? We don’t even know anymore.

Stuff your team orders – Going Up

Franco Colapinto , who’s fighting for his F1 career, was told to stay behind Pierre Gasly as the pair tried to protect…17th place… from Gabriel Bortoleto.

The Argentinian promptly ignored his Alpine engineer and overtook him anyway. You imagine Flavio Briatore would have loved that.