F1 US Grand Prix: Best Quotes From the Drivers on Media Day

The 2026 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix is officially here! The drivers went through their usual duties during Media Day, and here are the best quotes that we gathered.

This weekend, Antonelli gets his first shot at winning the Drivers' Championship. There are scenarios that must happen outside his control, but the young Italian driver isn't focused on those. Not yet, anyway.

Antonelli currently leads his teammate George Russell by 102 points.

Antonelli: "One race at a time and just try to do the best I can every race weekend and then we'll see. But of course, if I do things well, then the result will come."

Verstappen, winner of the last two races in Malaysia and Singapore, has also won four of the last five races here in Austin. And yet, the Dutchman has reservations about the Circuit of The Americas, particularly the bumps that he described as "unacceptable." 

COTA has already resurfaced the track this year, but Verstappen says that it's still "extremely badly bumpy."

Verstappen: “I love this track, I love this place. It's one of the best layouts ever, and it's one of the best venues, best cities to be at. But for me, the bumps that we have are unacceptable.”

Norris mirrored Verstappen's sentiment about the bumpy track in Austin. The McLaren driver said that he would experience painful headaches during and after the race.

Still, Norris has been particularly good at COTA in the last few years. He has qualified at least P2 in the last three races here. 

Norris: “There are a lot of places I need to take headache tablets before I go out, simply because it's so bumpy and you're hitting your head pretty hard against the headrests and things because of the bumps, so it's certainly not a nice thing."

Russell, through a mix of unfortunate car reliability issues and some driver errors, is trailing his younger Mercedes teammate in the championship. If Russell finishes ninth or lower, Antonelli might clinch the title this weekend.

The British driver has already conceded the title to his teammate, which is a reality that he has to accept.

Russell: "Whether it’s this weekend or next weekend, it’s a matter of when, not if, he clinches it. That’s the reality of the fact. For me, it’s been a very unique season."

Leclerc is fresh off a good haul of points in Singapore, where he finished in second place. It was the Monegasque's first podium since the Belgian Grand Prix in July. 

A good weekend for him and Lewis Hamilton would help Ferrari solidify P2 in the Constructors' Championship. But apparently, Leclerc isn't too concerned about that. His goal is to fight for wins, which requires a good car underneath.

Leclerc: “But second place in the Constructors’ Championship isn’t something I really care about. It’s obviously better than third, but it wouldn’t be a huge satisfaction. A much bigger satisfaction would be for us to be able to fight for wins and actually win races before the end of the year."

Despite his teammate winning the last two races, Hadjar believes that Red Bull is still not the fastest car on the grid. The Frenchman said that the RB22 is still "hard to drive", not to mention the reliability issues he encountered in Singapore.

After a three-race injury layoff, Hadjar returned to the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in late September and achieved a podium finish. He placed fifth in Malaysia, but reliability issues forced him to settle for P10 in Singapore.

Hadjar: “I think the car is still very hard to drive. In Malaysia it was dominant, but I don’t think in Singapore it was the fastest car. That’s what I believe. I think if you put Max in the Ferrari, he would’ve won the race with more margin. That’s my opinion. In Singapore, I think Ferrari was the fastest car."

It has been a difficult campaign for Piastri, at least if you compare him to his teammate's performance. Norris, who has won two races this season, has a 53-point lead over Piastri in the Drivers' Standings.

But the Australian driver is steadily returning to his groove, finishing sixth in Malaysia and fifth in Singapore. Piastri's still trying to get to a certain level, but he knows that there's progress.

Piastri: “I feel I'm slowly getting there, both in improving this year and also identifying what I need more or less of to go quicker from the car. So yeah, we're getting there, but this is not the level I want to be trying to get to. I want to be getting to a much higher level than where I'm at, but it's a clear sign of progress, which is what I'm after."

We have to single out Hadjar's comment on Verstappen winning the Singapore race in a more dominant fashion if he were in a Ferrari car. That's a real compliment to his teammate's abilities, but it also reflects on how the grid views the Ferrari SF-26.

If Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton (and frankly, their strategists) put it together this weekend, they have a genuine shot at winning this year's United States Grand Prix.