Verstappen wins US GP; Hamilton and Leclerc disqualified

Max Verstappen worked his way up from sixth on the grid to win the United States GP and claim his 50^th F1 victory. Lewis Hamilton finished second on road, but he – along with Charles Leclerc – were disqualified after both their cars failed the post-race plank test.

This promotes Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz to second and third, respectively.

1.    Verstappen managed brake issues to win

2.    Norris, Sainz P2 and P3

3.    Both Williams drivers score points

Verstappen scores 50th F1 win

Verstappen wrapped up the 2023 F1 title at Qatar, but that isn’t stopping him from adding more wins to this tally this season. He took the lead from Norris at the halfway point of the US GP, but then had to fend off a charging Lewis Hamilton. The Red Bull driver also revealed that he was managing braking issues.

“I think the whole race I was struggling a lot with the brakes,” Verstappen said. “Around here there are quite a few braking points so I couldn’t really have the same feeling as yesterday. So, that made my race a bit tougher out there today. You could see it was very close in the end and there were also the backmarkers. When the tyres are already going it makes it a bit more difficult.”

With another race win under his belt, Verstappen joins the likes of Alain Prost, Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel and Hamilton in the 50-wins club.

Hamilton, Leclerc disqualified

Hamilton was running a brand new floor at Austin and finished just 2.225 secs behind Verstappen. But he was stripped of this second-place finish; Leclerc – who finished P6 – was also disqualified with the FIA revealing that the skid pads on the underside of both cars were excessively worn out.

Mercedes and Ferrari representatives suggested that the unique combination of the bumpy track and lack of time to work on the car set-up due to the Sprint race schedule contributed to the high wear on the skid pads. However, the stewards noted that the “onus is on the competitor to ensure that the car is in compliance with the regulations at all times during an event”.

The disqualifications promoted Lando Norris to second place, handing the McLaren driver his fourth podium in a row. Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz completed the podium.

Sergio Perez moves up to P4, gaining some valuable points over Hamilton in his battle for second place in the drivers’ championship. George Russell gained two positions, jumping from P7 to P5. He’s followed by Pierre Gasly (P6), Lance Stroll (P7) and Yuki Tsunoda (P8). Williams had both of its drivers finish in the points with Alex Albon finishing P9 and Logan Sargeant P10.

F1 heads to Mexico later this week for the second race of the triple header. Watch this space for all the latest updates.

2023 US GP results

Also see:

Qatar GP: Verstappen cruises to victory, Mercedes drivers collide