Verstappen dismisses Hamilton COTA lap time

Max Verstappen was unperturbed by Lewis Hamilton going quickest in second practice for the United States Grand Prix.

Hamilton was three tenths quicker than anybody over a single lap at the end of Friday's running, but his best lap was aided by a good slipstream.

While Ferrari will be expected to close the gap, and perhaps build their own, in qualifying, Verstappen is confident that Red Bull are not out of the fight.

"Overall it's been a positive day and the pace of the car on the short runs seems pretty good," he said.

"Lewis had a tow down the back straight on his fastest lap so I think the time isn't really representative and the gap is probably a bit smaller than it looks.

"We were a little bit off on the long runs and I'm not entirely happy yet but that's something we can look at tonight."

A major thread through the day's action was drivers' struggles to handle the bumps on the COTA circuit, something Verstappen says needs to be addressed.

"The track seems to be getting bumpier every year but luckily the bumps aren't really in braking areas but it's something that probably needs looking at before next year.

"I don't mind bumps on a street circuit but some of these are quite severe and more like a jump so the wheels actually come off the ground. This track is also very aggressive on tyres so if we can keep them under control then it could be pretty good."

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