Triple world champion, he is the man who wins (almost) every Sunday. Even when he starts from further back on the grid. Starting from 6th place after failing qualifying on Friday by a few centimeters, Max Verstappen finally won his third United States Grand Prix in a row and at the same time signed his 50th career victory.
Closely monitored when the lights went out, the Dutchman was able to control his Red Bull in the confusion of the first corner to already avoid contact with Lewis Hamilton. Managing to stabilize in 6th position, Verstappen was then able to calmly begin his comeback. First Carlos Sainz, then Charles Leclerc, who unfortunately completely missed out in this race while he had pole position. The one-stop strategy did not pay off for the Monegasque, who finished in a disappointing 6th place, and with the lead on bad days.
In a well-planned race, Max Verstappen took advantage of the pit stops to get the better of his two most serious competitors, Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton. Afterwards, all that was left to do was reach the finish line.
One in two for McLaren, Aston Martin and Alpine
Lewis Hamilton, comfortable since the start of the weekend on the Texan track, believed in the final laps to be able to dislodge the triple world champion, but he missed a few laps. The Briton failed in 2nd place, just 2”225 behind.
Lando Norris, suffering in the last laps with his hard tires, completes the podium, more than ten seconds behind Max Verstappen. Satisfaction for McLaren, who very quickly lost Oscar Piastri to retirement on the 11th lap, after a collision with Esteban Ocon (Alpine) in the first few kilometers. He will give up a little before, on the 7th lap.
Pierre Gasly was fortunate to finish in 8th place, after a lackluster race. Unlike Lance Stroll, who crossed the finish line in the points (9th) after starting from the pit lane. Good mention for Yuki Tsunoda (Alpha Tauri), who closes the top 10 with the bonus point for the best lap.
