At the end of a dramatic afternoon, the champion in the golden boots reigned supreme after passing Lewis Hamilton in the late, palpitating moments of this US Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen, the unstoppable missile, notched victory No 13 of the season to go alongside Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel. Luckily enough for the Dutchman, he has three races remaining to eclipse the German pair and put the cherry on top of his achievements
For most of the day, it looked as if Verstappen, flushed with the success of his second title clinched in Japan a fortnight ago, would turn the occasion into a celebratory waltz. That was until a recalcitrant wheel-gun resulted in his front left tyre refusing to go on, his second stop 20 laps from the end taking 11.1sec – and Hamilton was suddenly in the lead.
Max Verstappen had to fight for a thirteenth victory of the season in Austin on Sunday
He suffered an 11 second pit stop but recovered well to take the lead in the final moments
‘Beautiful,’ sighed Verstappen, sarcasm dripping on to the tarmac.
But could the seven-time world champion stay in front? Verstappen, on medium tyres, compared to Hamilton on hards, was closing fast. He first had to pass Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, and he did. Now he had a free run at Hamilton. With 15 laps remaining, Hamilton led by 4.5sec, but the gap was narrowing, narrowing, narrowing. It was 2.2sec with 10 left. It slipped under one second with seven to go.
Neither man would budge, or so you would have thought. There was too much history between them for that. With six laps remaining, they came level, and, at Turn 12, Verstappen made the move stick and wrestled his way emphatically through the next few bends to stay in charge.
Hamilton, to my eye, was not as robust as might have been expected. Verstappen is the driver in the groove. The man of the moment. The Briton is a little rusty at the tip of the field, or a little diminished by age at 37.
Hamilton led the race briefly but could not match the world champion for pace or grip
Anyway, Verstappen had done it, his margin of victory over Hamilton, five seconds. Leclerc finished third.
Victory for Red Bull, plus the constructors’ title for the first time in nine years, were serious tonics after the controversy of their cost-cap busting, denied by them, and then the awful news that owner Dietrich Mateschitz had died.
On the grid before the lights went out stood the visiting cast of celebrities led by Brad Pitt, Ed Sheeran and the man-mountain called Shaquille O’Neal. They stood for applause and the playing of Mateschitz’s favourite song, the Rolling Stone’s Start Me Up.
Verstappen, 25, needs no such invitation as he demonstrated when the race roared off into a headwind up that steep first corner, warmly-peopled by stands containing the biggest share of a crowd that over the three days numbered 440,000.
Carlos Sainz had a disappointing afternoon, crashing out in the first lap after starting on pole
Verstappen, starting second, reached the corner in front of Carlos Sainz, the pole man for Ferrari. Game over, or so it looked.
Behind Verstappen at that opening bend, Sainz was ensnared by George Russell, who was vying with Hamilton for third place. Russell was held culpable, rightly, and handed a five-second penalty. Sainz retired with a puncture. And Hamilton went second, keeping Verstappen honest without seriously threatening his junior of 12 years.
Valtteri Bottas spun his Alfa Romeo off at the penultimate corner with a third of the race gone. Out came the safety car. This allowed Hamilton, who regained second place once Leclerc stopped during the break in racing, to position himself right on Verstappen’s tail.
There was a dramatic crash between Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso that led to a safety car
But, after the short hiatus, the leader maintained his advantage. Moments later, a big smash on the run into Turn 12 caused another delay. Alpine’s Fernando Alonso was closing in on the Aston Martin of Lance Stroll, when the Canadian blocked the path of his pursuer.
The nose of Alonso’s car poked itself into the air, as he travelled on his rear wheels. Wow, as Murray Walker might have said. Alonso grazed the barrier but and carried on to finish seventh.
Stroll, who spun around before stopping on track, climbed out of his cockpit as the race was again suspended behind the safety car.
Cahrles Leclerc completed the podium and put in some fantastic defensive driving
Pitt looked on from the Mercedes garage, as he preps himself for the star role in a putative Apple-backed Formula One movie. He doubtless wanted his co-producer Hamilton to win, but the late drama left means his pal is stuck on precisely no wins this season.
As for Verstappen, it was his 33rd victory overall, which lifted him beyond Alonso and makes his the sixth ‘most winningest’ driver, as they say this side of the Pond. Only Hamilton (103), Schumacher (91), Sebastian Vettel (53), Alain Prost (51) and Ayrton Senna (41) are ahead of him. It is remarkable that record has been accumulated despite this being Verstappen’s only year of total domination.
Where will his story end?
Verstappen’s win gave Red Bull a first win in the constructor’s championship since 2013
