Thrilling fight and record show
Cursing Verstappen races to victory like a wild bull
October 22, 2023, 10:42 p.m
Max Verstappen breaks the next sound barrier in Formula 1. The three-time world champion wins the US Grand Prix in Austin and celebrates his 50th Grand Prix success in the premier class. He also beats his own World Cup points record from last year with at least 466 points.
Max Verstappen breathed hard at the saving sight of the black-and-white-checkered flag. The journey to the 50th Grand Prix success of his Formula 1 career had become an unexpected stress test for the three-time world champion. Ultimately, the next sound barrier fell in Austin. At the end of an impressive comeback, Verstappen, who started from sixth place, celebrated victory in the US Grand Prix despite ongoing technical difficulties with his Red Bull. “I had problems with the brakes the whole race. That made it difficult, it was really close. I’m of course very proud of the 50th victory. We’ll keep pushing.”
Verstappen saved the victory from the rushing Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes and McLaren driver Lando Norris in his 100th Grand Prix to the finish. With 466 points, he has also surpassed his own World Cup points record from last year (454). Nico Hülkenberg started from the pit lane in the Haas and didn’t get past 13th place. The rear wings of the 36-year-old and his colleague Kevin Magnussen’s cars were changed to generate more downforce. Both Aston Martins also started from the pit lane.
After the bitter qualifying, Verstappen returned with a confident sprint victory and showed confidence for the Grand Prix. “Overtaking five cars is never easy. But our car is doing well in the race, I’m confident,” said Verstappen. The three-time champion moved up to fifth place at the start, with Norris taking the lead, while the big loser was Charles Leclerc. After the pole position, the Monegasque quickly lost further positions due to the inferior performance of his Ferrari. On the eleventh lap, Leclerc gave up third place to Verstappen and lost sight of the podium.
“I’m really struggling here”
Despite being able to drive freely, Norris did not put a decisive gap between himself and Hamilton as his first pursuer – on the contrary. “I don’t know what’s wrong. I’m having problems with my balance,” he radioed. Verstappen was the first driver from the front to switch to a fresh set of medium tires and promptly set fast lap times. This marked the beginning of the tactical game. Norris also came to the pits, but Mercedes initially left Hamilton outside to save himself a stop at the garage. “I’m really struggling here,” said the 38-year-old, whose tires were deteriorating significantly.
When Hamilton finally came to the pits, Norris and Verstappen passed. “You’ve given me a hell of a gap that I have to close,” reported Hamilton, looking at the duo in front. Halfway through the race, the usual order was temporarily restored: Verstappen took the lead, but complained about brake problems. The 26-year-old complained heavily about the performance of his brakes and subsequently expressed his dissatisfaction with the performance of his car via radio. Some sounds from the cockpit were beeped away on the TV.
The second round of pit stops mixed up the picture again. Verstappen and Norris got fresh rubber rollers, now Hamilton was leading again. But the seven-time world champion had put so much strain on his tires that he also had to stop again. This cleared the way for series winner Verstappen, even if the gap was narrower than usual until the end. Hamilton grabbed Norris, but he could no longer get close to Verstappen. “Max was just flawless, but we could have caught her if there had been a few more laps,” said Hamilton.