Max Verstappen won the US Grand Prix in Austin

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Andy Gutierrez
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Max Verstappen won the US Grand Prix in Austin


AUSTIN, Texas – Max Verstappen won the United States Grand Prix despite being right about the brakes in the race. Here’s what you need to know:

After the post-race inspection, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were disqualified for being too thin for the skis on both cars. Lando Norris looked to be in contention for his first F1 win, but Verstappen, who started driving the McLaren in the closing stages, opened up a huge gap. On lap 48, Norris and Hamilton began battling side by side. Esteban Ocon and Oscar Piastri retired fairly early. The Alpine driver’s day ended on lap 7 after suffering damage in lap 1 contact with Piastri, who later retired on lap 11. Fernando Alonso competed in a Qatar-spec Aston Martin after the team brought upgrades to the American Grand Prix, but Lance Stroll will compete with the new lineup. Both started from the pit lane, and a two-point finish looked possible, but Alonso reported something wrong with his car and Aston Martin brought his car.

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How Verstappen beat Norris, Hamilton

Norris looks set to win his first Formula One Grand Prix as he celebrates his 100th F1 GP start at the weekend.

After starting P2, he grabbed an early lead and began to build a gap, reaching over two seconds by the end of lap 2. But later, Verstappen began to eliminate his opponents one by one, only to get into a rhythm after a quiet start. He earned a spot in the first several rounds. “At the beginning I tried to be patient, but at the same time following for a long time, I hurt my tires a little bit,” said Verstappen, who was struggling with the brake – the feeling continued to the end. The competition. “That was a big factor, because I really didn’t have a lot of confidence to be consistent in braking.”

“He couldn’t feel the brakes,” Verstappen later said, simply locking up. It caused moments on the radio when he made it clear that he didn’t want anyone to talk to him while braking. Despite talking about the brakes on the radio several times, Verstappen did not feel he would win the race after taking the lead and creating a large gap. He had to come from sixth and fend off rival Norris and a late-season charge from Hamilton to claim his 50th win – and set his record for a single season with 15 wins.

“The gap was big enough,” Verstappen said when asked if there was a time he thought he might not have won, “and there weren’t many laps left.”

In the end, Red Bull made the right strategy call.

When it comes to Norris and his elusive first F1 victory, fans seem to be waiting for another season. “I think our good luck has passed. “I think Qatar was our best chance to win the race,” the McLaren driver said on Sunday. “I don’t want to say no, I don’t want to say never. I think the super high speed Suzuka type circuits are left. Qatar-style districts remain, which we are strong at.

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Unqualified but energetic: Hamilton and Mercedes take hope from US GP.

Temporary competition results

Max Verstappen (Red Bull) Lando Norris (McLaren) Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) Sergio Perez (Red Bull) George Russell (Mercedes) Pierre Gasly (Alpine) Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) Yuki Shunoda (Alfa Tauri) Alex Albon (Williams) Logan Sargent (Williams) Nico Hulkenberg (Haas) Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo) Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo) Kevin Magnussen (Haas) Daniel Ricciardo (Alfatori)

DNF – Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) DNF – Esteban Ocon (Alpine) DNF – Oscar Piastre (McLaren)

DQ – Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) DQ – Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)

(Photo: Clive Mason – Formula 1 / Formula 1 via Getty Images)



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