Max Verstappen held on for his first United States GP victory, coming from behind to turn around Lewis Hamilton’s early lead. The Dutchman was the only driver able to keep up with Hamilton in terms of speed and overtaking maneuvers throughout the race, earning a controversial victory that will likely have an effect on future F1 strategy
The “who won the grand prix today” is a question that can be answered by looking at the results of the United States Grand Prix. Max Verstappen held on for his first win in Formula One from charging Lewis Hamilton.
The US Grand Prix was won by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who held off a late attack from championship challenger Lewis Hamilton.
Verstappen’s win in a difficult strategic battle was won in an incredibly mature and controlled manner, extending his championship lead to 12 points with five races remaining.
Hamilton had the lead at the start, but lost it when Verstappen pitted early and adopted an off-set strategy to battle for the victory in the closing circuits.
With two circuits to go, the Mercedes was right on Verstappen’s trail, but it wasn’t enough.
It was a thrilling race in front of 140,000 spectators at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, towards the close of a weekend in which Formula One seemed to achieve new heights in the United States.
After one of the most hard-fought races of a legendary grand prix season, Hamilton crossed the line barely 1.3 seconds behind.
On the slowing down lap, Red Bull team chief Max Verstappen commented over the radio, “That was absolute class.” “Wow, what a journey. And that was, without a doubt, one of Verstappen’s finest triumphs, despite the fact that he was racing against Hamilton and Mercedes.
Despite a strong defense from Verstappen, Hamilton was able to beat him off the line.
What happened during the race?
Verstappen began from pole position, but he was overtaken on the inside at the first turn by Hamilton, who had a stronger getaway.
Verstappen seemed to have a speed edge over Hamilton in the early laps, and Red Bull determined that they needed to attempt to grab the lead on track and protect it from there.
On lap 10, they sent Verstappen in for his first pit stop, giving Hamilton and Mercedes little alternative except to attempt to run long and catch up to Verstappen later in the race.
They couldn’t put off their first pit stop for long since Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez was close by, and Red Bull pulled him in just two laps after the Dutchman, forcing Hamilton to pit.
The race immediately developed into a direct duel between Verstappen and Hamilton in the second stint, while Perez quickly dropped behind and had to spend the remainder of the race keeping an eye on Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who was driving an incredible race behind the top three.
With 27 circuits remaining, Verstappen pitted again, but Hamilton remained out for another eight laps, Mercedes attempting to give him the best tyre advantage possible in the closing stages of the race.
Hamilton was just under nine seconds behind the leaders when he rejoined following his pit stop on lap 37. In the early stages of the last stint, he managed his pace to conserve his tyres, then released some speed, cutting the gap from 8.4 seconds to 3.9 seconds in only five laps.
Hamilton was just 1.5 seconds behind Verstappen with six circuits to go, but on the next lap, for the first time in the last stint, Verstappen pushed away by 0.2 seconds, and victory seemed to be a step too far for Hamilton.
With two circuits to go, Hamilton narrowed the gap to under a second, but it was too late, as he cruised to victory.
On Sunday, almost 140,000 people watched the race.
What they had to say
After a weekend in which everyone in F1 remarked of the evident rise in appeal and attention the sport has created in the US since it was last here before the epidemic, the drivers were welcomed by wild screams from the audience when the post-race interviews were conducted.
Verstappen was quoted as saying: “We were initially unsuccessful, so we had to try something new. We went aggressive since the tyre wear is fairly high here. I wasn’t sure whether it would work. It is, nevertheless, really pleasant to be able to hold on.”
“His tyres were eight laps younger than yours,” Horner said over the radio, “and I didn’t believe you were going to do that.”
Verstappen said, ” “I appreciate how we went about it. It’s okay to be aggressive every now and again.”
“Max did a fantastic job today,” Hamilton added. It was a grueling race. I got off to a terrific start, gave it my best, but in the end, they just had the upper hand this weekend, and I couldn’t do much more.
“What an incredible audience – it’s an honor to play in front of you. This is unquestionably our admission to the United States. I’m hoping that additional races will be held in the area and that the sport will continue to expand.”
In the United States, drivers unwinded by playing basketball.
Alonso makes a fantastic guest appearance.
Behind the top three, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was outstanding, finishing 24.6 seconds ahead of McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo as the two teams battle for third place in the constructors’ standings.
After a five-place engine penalty, Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas moved up to sixth position, ahead of Ferrari and McLaren drivers Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris.
A cameo from Fernando Alonso, whose crusade for consistent stewarding was extended throughout the race in a clash with the Alfa Romeo drivers, was irrelevant to the points but humorous for the fans.
He originally claimed that Kimi Raikkonen had past him by sliding off the track at the first turn, but the stewards concluded that no further action was necessary.
Alonso was enraged by Raikkonen’s decision and subsequently passed Antonio Giovinazzi, Raikkonen’s teammate, with a late lunge into Turn 12 that sent him flying off the track.
Alonso was instructed to relinquish his position, prompting Alpine sporting director Alan Permane to speak with race director Michael Masi, but to no effect.
At the same turn, Alonso made a valid pass on Giovinazzi, only for the Italian to hang on by going off track, and then be ordered to give way to the Spaniard.
Late in the race, Alonso withdrew from 12th position due to a rear-wing failure, which he claimed over the radio.
On race day, many celebrities were seen in the paddock, including rapper Megan Thee Stallion.
Today’s driver is
Whoever winner earned it; both championship challengers were outstanding in their own right. Verstappen, on the other hand, deserves it for the mature manner in which he metered out his tyres and managed the race from the front when his team’s strategy gave him the lead. Also worthy of note is Leclerc, who ran an unobtrusively superb race in his own right.
So, what’s next?
In two weeks, the Mexican Grand Prix, which is generally a joyful hunting ground for Red Bull, Mercedes is fearful of another loss. Hamilton will have a mountain to climb in the remaining four races if this happens.
Max Verstappen held on for the United States GP win from charging Lewis Hamilton. The race was won by Max Verstappen, with Lewis Hamilton finishing 2nd and Sebastian Vettel 3rd. Reference: when does the f1 season start.
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