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Despite a botched Red Bull pit stop, everything is going well for the team founded by Dietrich Mateschitz at the GP USA.
The pedestal
- 1. Max Verstappen (NED, Red Bull) 1:42:11.687 hours
- 2. Lewis Hamilton (GBR, Mercedes) +5.023
- 3. Charles Leclerc (MON, Ferrari) +7.501
Max Verstappen celebrated his 13th win of the season in Austin. Thanks to this success, the 7th of the last 8 races, he draws level with Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel. In 2004 and 2013, the two Germans were also able to celebrate 13 successes in one calendar year. On top of that, Red Bull won the constructors’ classification early. Ferrari can do the team of the founder Dietrich Mateschitz who died the day before.
The race itself was a back and forth for Verstappen. The Dutchman, who is already world champion, started from second place, but overtook Carlos Sainz thanks to a strong start before the first corner. The safety car subsequently ensured that the Dutchman was never able to completely pull away.
A faulty impact wrench at Red Bull caused Verstappen to lose time on lap 36 and with it tension. But the 25-year-old stayed cool after a little freak out, first grabbing Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari and later Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes. Verstappen and the Red Bull were clearly the best duo in the field and deservedly won.
The Ferrari fiasco
For Ferrari it was once again as it had been so often this season. With Carlos Sainz on pole position, the prospects were promising. But already after the first corner, George Russell made contact and the Spaniard spun. A flat tire and a water leak in the cooling system prevented Sainz from continuing. The race stewards later blamed Russell for the accident.
The fact that Leclerc finished on the podium in 3rd place after being penalized 10 places for the start (12th place on the grid) is a small consolation for the Italian racing team.
The Alfa Romeo team
Valtteri Bottas, who started from 7th place, had a race to forget. He was already losing places shortly after the start, finally ending up in the gravel trap on lap 18. Gunayu Zhou finished 13th.
This is how it goes
The next race is scheduled for next weekend in Mexico City, a little more than 1000 kilometers away.