Max Verstappen Applauds ‘Incredible’ 50th Win: ‘We Keep on Pushing for More’
In a difficult and tactical United States Grand Prix on Sunday, newly crowned triple world champion Max Verstappen won for the 50th time in his career, capping off a hat trick of Texan triumphs.
Ahead of the resurgent seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton, who was disqualified hours after the race because his Mercedes car failed a technical inspection, was the 26-year-old Dutchman, who started sixth on the starting grid in his Red Bull vehicle.
Verstappen, who last time out triumphed in the race in Qatar, remarked that starting from sixth place made things a bit more challenging.
“Fifty victories is amazing, and I’m delighted to have accomplished it here. We are now pressing for more.
After Lewis Hamilton’s disqualification during a dramatic race in which he out-started pole-sitter Charles Leclerc, who like Hamilton was disqualified for failing a technical inspection after the race, Lando Norris, competing in his 100th Grand Prix, was promoted to second.
Verstappen tied the record of 15 victories set last season with his third straight victory at the Circuit of the Americas.
The gap between him and Sergio Perez in the drivers’ championship has grown to 228 points.
Verstappen said, “I think the whole race I was struggling with the brakes,” to the jeers of some spectators.
“Leading the race, we controlled it a lot, but just not enough today,” Norris said. I just couldn’t hang on.
George Russell, who was competing in his 100th race, came in eighth, but when Hamilton and Leclerc were disqualified, Russell moved up to fifth.
Aston Martin and Haas had changed their setup the night before, leaving 16 cars on the starting line and four in the pitlane. Tough for tires since the temperature was 29 degrees Celsius and the track was 40 degrees.
In the first turn of the race, Norris, who had a flawless start, passed pole-sitter Leclerc to take the lead. Carlos Sainz passed Hamilton for third place, while Verstappen moved up to fifth from sixth during the very frenetic first lap.
By lap three, Norris had a two-second lead over Russell as Perez lost seventh to Russell after Russell dropped from fifth to eighth. Hamilton then past Sainz on the back straight to retake third at Turn 12.
On lap 6, he repeated the maneuver to overtake Leclerc for second, and he then started after Norris, who had taken the lead by 3.2 seconds. Verstappen, who was racing cautiously, passed Sainz for fourth.
Verstappen rammed Leclerc inside at Turn 12 on lap 11.
It has a wide gap,
After 16 laps, Verstappen was the first to pit, using mediums to move up to tenth. As a tactical conflict developed, Norris replied by pitting for hards, giving the lead to Hamilton. Norris rejoined in fourth place.
Hamilton stopped on lap 21 for hard tires and rejoined sixth behind Verstappen, making it quite evident that Mercedes was taking a chance by offsetting their stops and risked losing the lead.
Leclerc was still in the lead after all of this, 1.2 seconds ahead of Norris, and he didn’t stop until lap 24, when he rejoined in sixth place on hard tires.
When Verstappen overtook Norris on lap 28, on the inside of Turn 12, and went on to easily lead by 3.5 seconds on lap 35, when Norris stopped for extra hard tires and dropped to sixth, the Dutchman had been stalking his pal.
Verstappen, on the other hand, was having trouble and vented four-letter complaints to his crew about his brakes before pitting in 3.3 seconds and finishing fourth on hards.
Having to stop once again, Perez and Leclerc were behind by Hamilton by 7.7 seconds.
On lap 38, he returned to the race for mediums and moved up to fourth as Verstappen reclaimed the lead from Norris after he had overtaken Leclerc.
Tyres and tyre wear were undoubtedly major concerns for the last few circuits as Hamilton passed Leclerc for third on lap 44 and pursued the hard-shod pair in front on mediums.
After Norris blocked him on lap 49, Hamilton quickly moved into second position, 5.2 seconds behind Verstappen with seven laps left, setting up a frantic finish.
