F1 United States GP: Max Verstappen stages fightback victory just ahead of charging Lewis Hamilton
Max Verstappen pulled off an impressive fightback victory at the United States Grand Prix to claim his 50th F1 win ahead of a charging Lewis Hamilton.
The three-time world champion started sixth but moved into the lead by Lap 28 and was able to hold off former title rival Hamilton, who was running on an offset strategy, to score his 15th win from 18 races this season.
For Hamilton, his wait to end a winless drought stretching back to the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix goes on, after falling just two seconds shy of catching a flustered Verstappen, who was managing a late issue with his brakes.
McLaren’s Lando Norris, who led much of the opening stint after snatching the lead from polesitter Charles Leclerc at the start, completed the podium in third.
Carlos Sainz claimed fourth for Ferrari, ahead of Red Bull’s Sergio Perez.
It was a disappointing day for Leclerc, who slipped from pole down to sixth at the chequered flag, just three-tenths clear of Mercedes’ George Russell.
Alpine’s Pierre Gasly finished eighth, while Lance Stroll rose into the points having recovered from a pit lane start.
Rounding out the points-scoring positions was AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda in 10th, with the Japanese driver picking up an extra point for setting the fastest lap of the race right at the end.
