After wrapping up the drivers’ championship in Suzuka, Max Verstappen helped Red Bull Racing secure the constructors’ crown by winning the action-packed United States GP. This is the team’s first constructors’ title since 2013 and emotional celebrations followed as members paid tribute to Red Bull owner and co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz, who passed away a day earlier.
Lewis Hamilton came within touching distance of victory but had to settle for second place. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc recovered from 12th on the grid (following power unit changes) to claim the final spot on the podium.
- Verstappen wins 5.023sec from Hamilton
- Leclerc third
- Alonso handed 30sec penalty
Verstappen defeats Hamilton
Verstappen moved into the lead on the opening lap as polesitter Carlos Sainz suffered a slower getaway. The Ferrari driver was forced to retire just moments later as he was tapped by George Russell.
Despite multiple Safety Car re-starts, it looked like Verstappen was set to take a comfortable win. However, that was put under threat as he suffered a slow final pit stop, bringing Hamilton and Leclerc into play.
Verstappen passed Leclerc on Lap 39 and then set about closing the gap to Hamilton. With six laps to go, he used DRS to overtake Hamilton and reclaim the lead. Crossing the line just over five seconds clear, Verstappen picked up his 13th win this season – equalling Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel’s record for the most race wins in a single season.
“It’s a very difficult weekend for us, so this one is definitely dedicated to Dietrich himself. What he has done for everyone... the only thing we could do today was win and, even though after the pit stop it was not looking great, I gave it everything out there and pushed it to the limit to come back,” Verstappen said.
Vettel recovers to P7; penalty for Alonso
Having taken a 10-place grid drop for taking new power unit components, Leclerc was able to salvage a podium result. Sergio Perez finished fourth, making his way through the field (from P9 on the grid) after an engine change.
Russell was handed a 5-second time penalty for his opening-lap clash with Sainz. The Mercedes driver overcame the penalty to finish fifth, followed by McLaren’s Lando Norris.
Fernando Alonso was involved in a dramatic incident with Lance Stroll that sent him airborne. While Stroll retired on the spot, Alonso was able to carry on to finish seventh on track. However, he dropped to P15 after Haas lodged a protest. Stewards deemed Alonso’s car to be in an unsafe condition following his crash with Stroll, and he was handed a 30-second penalty as a result.
This promoted Sebastian Vettel to seventh. The Aston Martin driver led the race at one point, but was hampered by a slow 17-second pit stop. He fought his way through the pack in the final few laps, pulling off a move on Haas’ Kevin Magnussen on the last lap at the final corner.
Yuki Tsunoda and Esteban Ocon completed the top 10.
Up next is the Mexico GP on October 30. Verstappen has already claimed a record-equalling 13th win this season, but with three more races to go, he has every chance to set a new record. And then there’s also the question of whether Mercedes – armed with a fresh set of updates – will be able to secure their first win this season.
Dipan Sur
