Verstappen and Red Bull pushed strategically, but still win US GP

Max Verstappen was pushed, frustrated and rattled but has still claimed victory in the United States Grand Prix. It's victory number 15 for the Dutchman, equalling his own record for wins in a single season. This was probably one of his harder-fought victories in 2023, as both Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton were in the mix at various points, though Hamilton's push for the win wouldn't have mattered. The Brit was disqualified, along with Charles Leclerc, for their skid plank thickness being below the minimum level.

The favourite had the quickest car and won the race, but Verstappen was properly challenged during the United States Grand Prix. The Red Bull strategy team felt the pressure, as did Verstappen, who once labelled his car as a "piece of s***" on the team radio. He also asked for silence on the radio, with the suggestion of a brake issue. Verstappen has now achieved 50 wins in his Formula 1 career.

It was a fascinating strategical race, with various off-sets in terms of compounds and tyre age. The bumpy nature of the circuit might not have helped the RB19 perform at its best, but it was another event that proved the field has closed in on Red Bull. McLaren demonstrated strong pace, but the tyres faded quicker than Mercedes. Ferrari claimed some good points, with Carlos Sainz leading a P4 and P6 finish.

George Russell didn't get off the line well and was unable to show the impressive pace his teammate did. Russell finished in seventh and saw Sergio Perez jump ahead of him. He made a late move on Leclerc for P5. Fernando Alonso had a pit lane start with the old Aston Martin specification. He made some good overtakes and had a good strategy, which allowed him to move into the points. A problem late on caused the Spaniard to drop back and retire.

Lance Stroll also made some good progress in the new Aston Martin spec and scored points. He was joined by Gasly (8th) and Tsunoda (10th) in rounding out the points. The points-paying positions later changed due to the disqualifications for Hamilton and Leclerc.

Max Verstappen had his fastest lap time deleted during qualifying and therefore had to start from sixth place. Charles Leclerc took pole position, with Lando Norris alongside him. As he did in the sprint race, Lewis Hamilton started from P3. Carlos Sainz and George Russell followed. Remarkably, four drivers (Aston Martin and Haas) started from the pit lane due to work car carried out overnight. All drivers started on medium tyres except Hulkenberg and Stroll on the hards.

Norris had a better start off the line than Leclerc and took the lead immediately. Verstappen and Hamilton did well to avoid contact at the first corner, and the Dutchman came under attack from Piastri later on lap one. It was smart thinking from the current World Champion, who showed more signs of patience. Norris had a 1.7-second lead after the first lap. Hamilton made the move on Sainz during the fourth lap of the race, proving the Mercedes' strong race pace. One lap later, Verstappen followed Hamilton through.

Hamilton advanced to second on lap six and went in pursuit of leader Norris. By this time, Norris had a three-second lead. Norris' teammate had to retire on lap 10. The Australian had contact with Ocon on the opening lap. The Frenchman also retired. Verstappen moved up to P3 on lap 12 and had a six-second gap to the leader.

On lap 17, Verstappen made the first move to attempt an undercut. He put on the medium tyres, committing to a two-stop race. Norris and Sainz covered Verstappen by pitting on the next lap, but Hamilton stayed out on the circuit. Mercedes questioned whether Hamilton could stay out for another five laps to place him in the one-stop window, and the Brit wasn't sure. Subsequently, he locked up and ran wide at turn one, then pitted on lap 21. He lost a place to the Dutchman.

Norris made a small mistake, which allowed Verstappen to get within the DRS zone. Verstappen also had tyres that were a step softer. Verstappen made the overtake for the lead on lap 29. Unlike previous races, though, Verstappen didn't zoom ahead, and it didn't immediately mean game over for Verstappen's rivals due to the strategy off-set.

The strategy off-set developed further when Norris pitted on lap 35 for fresh hard tyres. Red Bull responded immediately for hards, and it was a slightly slower stop, but still made it out ahead of Norris. Meanwhile, Hamilton was given track position with a 15-second lead over Verstappen. Mercedes sacrificed track position for a fresh set of medium tyres on lap 39. Norris' pace fell off, and Hamilton caught up with him. The two had a great duel, with the seven-time World Champion getting the better of him. He had six laps to close a five-second gap.

Brake issues for Verstappen allowed Hamilton to close the gap further, but it didn't materialise into a real chance.