Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen drove to victory on Sunday at the 2023 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix, held at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.
It was Verstappen's 50th F1 win, and his 15th this season, meaning he's now equaled his own record of 15 wins in a season, which he achieved last year. However, with four races left on the calendar, there's a good chance he'll set a new record shortly.
Verstappen also won Saturday's Sprint race, but his performance during Friday's qualifying wasn't his best. He qualified sixth, meaning he started Sunday's main race well behind Ferrari's Charles Leclerc on the pole position and McLaren's Lando Norris, who was also at the front of the grid.
Norris finished the race in second place, while third place went to Ferrari's Carlos Sainz. Both drivers were promoted one spot after the finish due to the disqualification of Mercedes-Benz AMG's Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton finished just two seconds behind Verstappen to claim second place, but post-race checks showed plank wear levels on his car, which featured a new floor upgrade, were beyond the allowed limit. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, who finished sixth, was also disqualified for the same reason.
2023 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix
When the lights turned green, Verstappen with a clean start was able to move up to fifth ahead of Mercedes' George Russell. He then passed Sainz on lap five to move into fourth place, and soon Leclerc fell behind Verstappen.
A brilliant pit stop on lap 16 then allowed Verstappen to move ahead of Hamilton, leaving only Norris ahead. Verstappen got his chance to finally pass the McLaren driver on lap 28, when he used DRS to first close the gap and then successfully drive down the inside of Turn 12 to take the lead on the exit and hold it to the finish. With 10 laps remaining, Norris started to fall back, allowing Hamilton to close in. Hamilton then made his move on lap 59 to pass Norris on the inside of Turn 1.
Three drivers failed to make it to the checkered flag. Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso, McLaren's Oscar Piastri, and Alpine's Esteban Ocon all retired from the race due to issues with their respective cars. AlphaTauri's Daniel Ricciardo also made a return after missing the past few rounds due to a wrist injury, though he was last of the finishers.
Following the weekend's action, Verstappen, who already won his third world championship at the previous race in Qatar, currently sits on 466 points in the 2023 Drivers' Championship. In second place is fellow Red Bull driver Sergio Perez with 240 points, followed in third by Hamilton with 201 points. In the Constructors' Championship, Red Bull has already won the title and currently has 706 points. Mercedes is second with 344 points and Ferrari is third with 322 points. The next race on the calendar is the Mexican Grand Prix, which is scheduled for this weekend.
2023 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix
Below are the full results from the 2023 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix:
1) Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
D) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-Benz AMG +2.225
2) Lando Norris, McLaren +10.730 seconds
3) Carlos Sainz, Ferrari +15.134 seconds
4) Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing +18.460 seconds
D) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari +24.662 seconds
5) George Russell, Mercedes-Benz AMG +24.999 seconds
6) Pierre Gasly, Alpine +47.996 seconds
7) Lance Stroll, Aston Martin +48.696 seconds
8) Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri +74.385 seconds
9) Alexander Albon, Williams + 91.014 seconds
10) Logan Sargeant, Williams +87.998 seconds
11) Nico Hulkenberg, Haas +89.904 seconds
12) Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo +98.601 seconds
13) Zhou Guanyu, Alfa Romeo +1 lap
14) Kevin Magnussen, Haas +1 lap
15) Daniel Ricciardo, AlphaTauri +1 lap
NC) Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin – DNF
NC) Oscar Piastri, McLaren – DNF
NC) Esteban Ocon, Alpine – DNF
