F1: There is one King. Verstappen ties his own record
The United States Grand Prix could definitely be exciting from start to finish. However, the name at the top remains unchanged - Max Verstappen has won this year for the 15th time!
Charles Leclerc, who started the US Grand Prix from pole position, did not have the best start. Lando Norris immediately capitalized on this, taking the lead in the race's first turn. In the battle between Lewis Hamilton, George Russell, and Max Verstappen in the very wide first turn, Carlos Sainz took full advantage, securing the 3rd position.
After just a few laps, it was clear that the race pace of Ferrari left much to be desired. Norris consistently outpaced Leclerc, and Sainz lost his gained positions, being overtaken first by Hamilton, then by Verstappen.On the 6th lap, Hamilton took the second position from Monacan.
The race quickly ended for Esteban Ocon, who collided on the first lap with Oscar Piastri. The Australian did not finish the competition either.
In this race, the already 3-time world champion, Max Verstappen, truly performed spectacularly. The Dutch driver started from 6th place, but swiftly began his climb up the ranks. By the 16th lap, he had made it onto the podium, and after pitting and putting on a new set of tires, he was even faster. He ultimately overtook Norris (it was his 100th F1 race) on the 28th lap, even though the Brit did not make it easy for him.
At this point, the fight for victory had essentially ended, but there was still excitement behind Verstappen. Lewis Hamilton made a very strong attack after the second round of pit stops, saving his intermediate tires for the very last lap. The 7-time world champion overtook Norris and began a mad chase after Verstappen. He was only 1.12 miles short - if the race had lasted a few more laps, its victor could have been different.
Norris safely secured the third position, but tensions rose in Ferrari. Charles Leclerc was the only driver who only pitted once during the race. This turned out to be a very bad decision and towards the end of the competition, the Monegasque dropped down the ranks, behind his team-mate Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez, finishing in 6th place. Leclerc was, to put it mildly, quite disheartened.
Behind Leclerc, the ones who ended up on the mat are George Russell (Mercedes), Pierre Gasly (Alpine), Lance Stroll (Aston Martin), and Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri).
Verstappen, for his part, secured his 15th victory of the season, thereby tying his record from 2022. There are still four rounds left in the season, so there'll be several opportunities to outdo this feat.
