F1 United States GP 2025 Media Day: Hamilton steady, Verstappen cold, Alonso cuts through

Round 19. Austin, Texas. The Sprint’s back. McLaren arrive with the Constructors’ crown sealed, Verstappen closing, Ferrari searching, and Mercedes already locked in for 2026. The title race still has life. The tone in the paddock said it all. Guarded. Hot. Quietly serious.The F1 United States Grand Prix 2025 Media Day set the tone long before the lights go out in Austin.

The FIA has issued another high-temperature warning for the weekend, with cockpit conditions expected to push above 55°C and heat stress management once again a talking point in driver briefings.

Six drivers. Six moods. The press room felt heavier than usual.

Hamilton – steady hands through the noise

Ferrari were always going to dominate Thursday’s headlines. Not for pace, but politics.

Lewis Hamilton was asked about the Christian Horner rumours. He didn’t blink.

No denial. No headline chase. Just focus. He called the story distracting, reminded everyone how hard Maranello’s staff are working, and refused to fuel it further.

Then came the line that summed up Ferrari’s season. “We haven’t moved the car forward, but we can execute better.”
It’s been a year of stability, not speed, and he knows it.

Even his story about riding a horse for the first time in years felt symbolic. Control. Balance. Patience. Ferrari need all three right now.

Bearman – Haas hope at home

Ollie Bearman couldn’t hide his grin. His first race on home soil as a Haas driver.

“Last year I was just watching. This year I’m driving.” That says it all.

The team have brought upgrades, with Bearman running the new package and Ocon expected to benchmark the old one. It’s more a data-gathering weekend than a result chase, but still a big step for the 20-year-old.

Haas’ updates focus on rear-end stability and mechanical grip. Key ingredients for a track like COTA. “It’s good for confidence,” Bearman said. “Even if it’s small steps, you feel it in every corner.”

He also mentioned the fan support, calling it “wild” to see so many Haas shirts in the stands. For a driver trying to prove he belongs full-time, there’s no better stage.

Verstappen – quiet, clinical, zero noise

Max Verstappen walked in calm and stayed that way.
No agitation. No overtalking. Just presence.

He spoke briefly about the RB21’s balance, calling it “a bit more together now,” and shrugged at talk of pressure. Six rounds left, 63 points back, and still completely unfazed. He was asked to describe his championship odds

It’s not arrogance. It’s muscle memory.

He added that the car feels predictable now, something it hasn’t been for months. The upgrades introduced in Singapore seem to have unlocked stability through the mid-speed sections, and Austin’s rhythm should suit the RB21’s neutral setup. Max knows it. He just doesn’t need to say it out loud.

Verstappen’s focus echoed the same composure shown in Thursday’s full FIA transcript, where he calmly brushed off title talk and steered the conversation back to performance. Source: FIA.com

Colapinto – small steps, big composure

Franco Colapinto’s progress continues quietly.
He’s outqualified Gasly four of the last five weekends, and his words are starting to sound like a team leader’s.

“I’m just starting to find my feet,” he said. Calm. Focused. No frustration.

Austin will be another test of raw adaptability. The bumps, the long-radius corners, the way the car moves under braking. It all exposes weaknesses in both driver and machine.

Colapinto’s been steadily closing that gap. Alpine’s updates have been inconsistent, but he’s wringing out everything available. Off-camera, team engineers have been quietly impressed with his data work too. It’s not flashy, but it’s foundation-building stuff.

Alonso – sharp as ever

Fernando Alonso called it straight. “It will not be a season to be remembered.”

He’s seen too many like it. High effort. Low reward. Austin hasn’t been kind to Aston Martin, but the team’s hoping to use the Sprint format to try riskier setups. Something Fernando openly encouraged.

He said it almost casually, but the tone was sharp. You could sense he still wants more. From the car, from himself, from the project.

Still, the Spaniard hasn’t lost fire. He joked that he might be “getting older but not slower,” and you could tell he meant it. Austin is a circuit that rewards feel over data, and if anyone still drives on instinct, it’s Alonso.

Bortoleto – quiet confidence

Gabriel Bortoleto looked comfortable. His first time at Austin, and the smile said everything.

He called the track “fun but bumpy,” but the subtext was confidence. He knows how to build into a weekend, one session at a time.

Kick Sauber have struggled with correlation lately, but Bortoleto said the feedback loop is improving. “We’re trying different things on the car, and the understanding is coming,” he explained.

He’s not chasing headlines or big predictions. Just points. “We’ve shown flashes of good pace; now it’s about consistency,” he said.

Inside the paddock, you can feel the quiet belief growing around him. Not hype. Not noise. Just patience.

Coffee Corner Take – F1 United States Grand Prix 2025 Media Day

Hamilton handled the Horner rumours like a statesman. Verstappen barely flinched. Alonso said what everyone was thinking.

Behind them, Colapinto keeps climbing, Bearman keeps learning, and Bortoleto keeps believing. The young ones look hungry. Calm on camera, sharper off it.

McLaren’s crown is done, but the Drivers’ fight isn’t. Piastri leads, Norris stalks, Verstappen waits for a slip. Every session this weekend carries weight.

Austin will push the limits. Bumps, heat, strategy. The Sprint’s a reset for everyone, a chance to roll the dice before Sunday counts double.

This paddock feels tense again. No more exhibition laps. No more easy weekends.

By Sunday night, we’ll know who stayed cool when the temperature rose, and who cracked when it mattered.