When there were still two laps to go, Max Verstappen suddenly saw Lewis Hamilton getting closer and closer. Surely the seven-time world champion wouldn’t challenge the three-time world champion for victory in the last few meters? But the US Grand Prix on Sunday would have had to last a little longer. In the end, it was Verstappen who raced across the finish line first, 2.2 seconds ahead of his pursuer.
Verstappen must have been relieved because this time he had difficulties with his Red Bull, which was inherently superior. “I had problems with the brakes the entire race,” said Verstappen as he got out of the car. “That definitely made my race more difficult than yesterday. And it was really close at the end.” Helmut Marko, motorsport consultant for Red Bull, went into more detail on Sky’s microphone shortly afterwards: “We changed the brake pads,” explained the 80-year-old. “It was incredibly difficult for him to drive at the limit. But he mastered it masterfully. That was definitely the toughest race this year.”
The significance of this triumph was manifested less in the spectacle on the track – but in the numbers. The 26-year-old won the 15th race of the season in Austin, equaling his own record from last year. In his Formula 1 career he saw the black and white checkered flag waved for the winner for the 50th time. And he surpassed his points record from 2022 when he collected 454 points, now he stands at 466. Verstappen had already secured his third world title in a row at the race two weeks ago in Qatar, but why stop chasing Successes and records?
During the sprint on Saturday, Mercedes driver Hamilton was only able to put him under pressure in the initial phase, but after the first laps Verstappen pulled away again and ultimately prevailed. Hamilton crossed the finish line in second place, ahead of Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari. That was the first result of this weekend. The second followed on Sunday: Behind winner Verstappen, Hamilton and Lando Norris lined up in the McLaren.
Leclerc loses the top spot to Norris after the first few meters at the start
In the race on Sunday, Verstappen would actually have had the best view at the start if he hadn’t made a driving mistake in qualifying on Friday in which he crossed the track barrier. His best time did not count towards the penalty – and Leclerc, who had already driven only five thousandths of a second slower around the Circuit of the Americas, got his third pole position this season. Behind them, Norris, in his 100th Formula 1 race, and Hamilton went into this Grand Prix. Nico Hülkenberg, the only German in the field, started from the pit lane after modifying his Haas. In the end he came 13th.
At the start, Leclerc lost the top spot after just the first few meters to Norris, who cleverly pushed past him on the inside of the first corner. And Hamilton also immediately lost a position – to Leclerc’s teammate Carlos Sainz. The two Ferraris even went into a duel on the first lap, which was tricky and as a side effect brought Hamilton closer to the red cars. In the fourth lap, the 38-year-old regained his original position.
If the race had lasted a little longer, Lewis Hamilton (left) might have been at the top of the podium instead of Max Verstappen.
(Photo: Brian Snyder/Reuters)
Verstappen initially tried to get involved in the shifting games, but he didn’t make more than one leap forward. After five of 56 laps, the Dutchman got past Sainz. And as he continued to stalk the leading group, a groan must have gone through the Scuderia garage. Because not only were Sainz’s chances of a podium finish diminished, Leclerc’s chances of winning also dwindled. He couldn’t compete with Hamilton’s Mercedes. And Verstappen came closer and closer from behind. On the eleventh lap the time had come: a tight corner duel, Leclerc had to deviate to the outside and was pushed off the track, the red bull passed the proud horse.
“Please don’t talk! I’m busy braking!” complains Verstappen
On the 17th lap, Verstappen got fresh tires, and Norris followed suit one lap later. The temporary order was: Hamilton, Leclerc, George Russell. Norris was now fourth, Verstappen fifth – but the Mercedes still had to pit. “Lewis, do you think you can do five more laps on the tires?” was the immediate question. The Brit radioed back: “I don’t know, it’s really hard.” Teammate Russell heard the same question shortly afterwards, but his reaction was different: “Yep!” After Hamilton once again stated that he was having difficulties, he received fresh tires after 21 laps – at the price of seeing Verstappen pass him. Russell also fell back to eighth place.
And so Leclerc was back in his original position in front of Norris and Verstappen. The only question was how long Ferrari would be able to enjoy it. The answer came after the pit stop on lap 24: he was now only sixth. But the even more important question on everyone’s minds that day was a completely different one: How long would it take for Verstappen to work his way to the top? He got closer and closer to the McLaren, finally into the DRS window and in a flash the Dutchman was past Norris – after exactly half the distance.
The order was similar again after pit stops from laps 35 to 39, and Ferrari briefly hoped that they could still spray champagne here. But then one competitor after another passed Leclerc until Verstappen led again on the 43rd lap, ahead of Norris and Hamilton. Very boring, at least Verstappen gave that impression over the radio, but the title holder wasn’t. When he was told that he had the same speed as Hamilton, he replied: “Please don’t talk! I’m busy braking!” He had previously complained less friendly about this component of his Red Bull and repeated his ban on speaking shortly before the end. The Dutchman’s motto is full throttle instead of full braking anyway. Hamilton was still able to overtake Norris. Once again, no one came close to Verstappen.