Lewis Hamilton (front) and Charles Leclerc lose their positions in the race in the USA. Image: Reuters
Lewis Hamilton’s elation over second place in Austin quickly disappeared. Like Charles Leclerc, he is disqualified. The incident is reminiscent of discussions about Michael Schumacher’s Benetton.
The winner seemed almost apologetic when he was asked to assess the 50th Formula 1 success of his career. “I did everything right,” said Max Verstappen about the US Grand Prix, as if anyone had even questioned that. It was probably the 2.2 seconds that he had a lead at the end of the 56 laps in Texas that definitely deserve the addition “only”, considering the Red Bull driver’s other dominance.
After successfully defending his title, Verstappen certainly didn’t take it easy when he started the race from sixth place. It was old adversary Lewis Hamilton, who only started from third place, who had regained strength thanks to a final overhaul of his Silver Arrow and had put the front runner under stress. If Mercedes hadn’t chosen the wrong tire tactics and therefore had to change at the worst possible time, Verstappen’s pulse would certainly have been even higher.
