Max Verstappen wins the US GP at the Austin circuit in front of Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes and extends the driver’s world rankings over the Englishman. Third place for the other Red Bull of Sergio Perez, while the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc arrives at the foot of the podium. Fifth was the McLaren of Daniel Ricciardo that precedes the Mercedes of Valterri Bottas, and the other red of Carlos Sainz, seventh. The McLaren of Lando Norris, Yuki Tsunoda with the Alpha Tauri and Sebastian Vettel with the Aston Martin close the top ten. Good eleventh place for Antonio Giovinazzi’s Alfa Romeo. Hamilton also wins the additional point thanks to the fastest lap but the points to be recovered on Verstappen are now 12.
Briton Hamilton had started the Austin race well by overtaking poleman Verstappen, never taking his foot off the gas. But when the pit stops begin, Verstappen who stops on lap 11, three before Hamilton, takes full advantage of the undercut and returns to the track in command of the race. Then on the thirtieth lap Verstappen’s second pit stop, who returns behind Hamilton thanks to teamwork with his teammate Sergio Perez, who leaves him the track. On lap 37 it was Hamilton’s turn to pit and back in behind Verstappen to start the final hunt with cooler tires. The gap between the two narrows more and more, up to just over a second, but it is not enough for the Englishman who, despite even the fastest lap, no longer takes his opponent to the finish.
Verstappen thus takes his eighth victory in 2021 and gives an accelerated world title. Good performance for Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari that stops at the foot of the podium, less that of Carlos Sainz also due to a mistake in the pits. Now the challenge moves to Mexico in two weeks.