Hamilton couldn't keep up with Verstappen: 'I had nothing left'

F1 News

24 October 2021 at 23:04
  • GPblog.com

A great start allowed Lewis Hamilton to get through turn one first at the United States Grand Prix. With an aggressive strategy by Red Bull, Max Verstappen was eventually able to take the lead in the race back from the Mercedes driver.

Verstappen too fast for Hamilton

"They were too quick," Hamilton explained to the Ziggo Sport cameras about Verstappen's speed in the Red Bull. A good start was therefore the only chance for the Briton to win the race. "If he had been first in turn one he would have been first the whole race," he said.

According to Hamilton, there was no real chance to overtake Verstappen after that. "I could only just keep up this pace. They had enough speed today. There was literally nothing left, but we need to fight another day. We just have to try to come back and fight harder next race."

Hamilton saw Verstappen pull even further ahead in the battle for the world title in Austin. With five races to go Hamilton is trailing Verstappen by 12 points. With races in Mexico and Brazil, there are two races on the schedule in the coming weeks where Red Bull seems to have the advantage.