Two weeks after being crowned world champion for the third time in a row, Max Verstappen (Red Bull) claimed his 50th victory in the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix on Sunday at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin.
The never-satisfied 26-year-old Dutchman prevailed against Brits Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) and Lando Norris (McLaren).
Verstappen also equaled the record for wins in a season (15), which he set last year, and he still has four grands prix left to improve on this year. Given the superiority of his RB19, the Dutchman should raise the bar even higher.
Verstappen started sixth and started his comeback in the first corner, beating Briton George Russell (Mercedes). After being more than five seconds behind Norris, the Dutchman, slowed down somewhat by traffic, did not panic and overtook his competitors one by one.
After the first tire change mid-race, he finally took control of the Grand Prix, overtaking Norris on the 28th of the event’s 56 laps. He then won by just two seconds over Hamilton, despite problems with his front brakes, which he mentioned several times on the radio.
“It’s incredible”
“I had big problems with my brakes and missed a few braking points. That made it more difficult today. In the end it was very close for the latecomers. “It’s incredible to win my 50th Grand Prix, I’m very proud and I’ll keep attacking to get more,” said the Dutchman.
Hamilton drove a good race and further reduced the gap in the championship with Sergio Pérez (Red Bull), who finished fifth on Sunday. After regaining three points in the sprint on Saturday, the seven-time world champion scored eight points more than the Mexican in the Grand Prix and is now just 19 lengths behind.
“My team has done a remarkable job and made new developments on the car. “I’m happy to be back here and be able to fight for the lead again,” said Hamilton.
In the 100th F1 Grand Prix of his career, Norris, who led the first half of the race, took his twelfth podium finish, his fourth in a row and his sixth of the season. However, his McLaren suffered late in the race and he was unable to stop Hamilton from taking second place.
Leclerc frustrated
The Spaniard Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) finished fourth just behind Norris and in a way saved the day for the Scuderia. His teammate Charles Leclerc, who started from pole position, actually achieved a very disappointing sixth place with a risky one-stop strategy that didn’t pay off.
The Monegasque, who was overtaken by Norris in the first corner, never seemed to be able to secure a place on the podium. He struggled with his damaged hard tires in the final laps and was unable to stop the return of Pérez’s Red Bull, who made short work of the Ferrari.
The Briton George Russell (Mercedes) was seventh, ahead of the Frenchman Pierre Gasly (Alpine), who was luckier than his teammate Esteban Ocon, who had to retire on the sixth lap after a collision with the Australian Oscar Piastri (McLaren). throw.
The top 10 is completed by the Canadian Lance Stroll (Aston Martin), who started last from the pit lane, and the Japanese Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri), who allowed himself the luxury of putting on soft tires at the very end of the race to set the fastest lap drive and get another point in the championship.