The Formula One United States Grand Prix made a return this past weekend after skipping 2020, and the race turned out to be one of the most thrilling in years.
Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen claimed victory, edging out Mercedes-Benz AMG's Lewis Hamilton by just 1.3 seconds at the checkered flag and doubling his points lead in the process. Fellow Red Bull driver Sergio Perez rounded out the top three positions, finishing 42 seconds behind the winner.
The race was held at a scorching Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, with Verstappen starting on pole and Hamilton also at the front of the grid. The Mercedes driver was the quicker off the line and had a clear lead by the end of Turn 1, but ended up losing this due to an undercut when Verstappen made an early pit stop on lap 11, with Hamilton coming in three laps later.
2021 Formula One United States Grand Prix
Verstappen then controlled the race and would make a second stop on lap 29. Hamilton would stop eight laps later and emerge 8.7 seconds behind Verstappen, at which point he charged hard on his fresh tires to narrow that gap down to just a second, helped along by traffic slowing Verstappen. Despite the pressure, and his tires barely hanging on, Verstappen kept his cool and managed to hold Hamilton at bay.
Behind them, Perez was in a race of his own, while further back there was intense competition between Ferrari's Carlos Sainz and McLaren's Daniel Ricciardo, with Ricciardo resisting Sainz’s undercut attempt on lap 29 by pitting immediately after his rival. The two would later bang wheels on lap 43, with Ricciardo coming out better and going on to claim fifth at the finish, one spot behind Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.
With his latest win, Verstappen's tally in the 2021 Drivers' Championship has grown to 287.5 points, with Hamilton in second with 275.5 points and fellow Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas in third with 185 points. In the Constructors' Championship, Mercedes leads with 460.5 points, versus the 437.5 of Red Bull and 254 of McLaren. The next race on the calendar is the Mexican Grand Prix in a fortnight.
2021 Formula One United States Grand Prix
Below are the full results from the 2021 Formula One United States Grand Prix:
1) Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
2) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-Benz AMG +1.333 seconds
3) Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing +42.223 seconds
4) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari +52.246 seconds
5) Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren +76.854 seconds
6) Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes-Benz AMG +80.128 seconds
7) Carlos Sainz, Ferrari +83.545 seconds
8) Lando Norris, McLaren +84.395 seconds
9) Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri +1 lap
10) Sebastian Vettel, Aston Martin +1 lap
11) Antonio Giovinazzi, Alfa Romeo +1 lap
12) Lance Stroll, Aston Martin +1 lap
13) Kimi Raikkonen, Alfa Romeo +1 lap
14) George Russell, Williams +1 lap
15) Nicholas Latifi, Williams +1 lap
16) Mick Schumacher, Haas +2 laps
17) Nikita Mazepin, Haas +2 laps
NC) Fernando Alonso, Alpine DNF
NC) Esteban Ocon, Alpine DNF
NC) Pierre Gasly, AlphaTauri DNF
