Max Verstappen secured an exhilarating win by the skin of his teeth at the United States Grand Prix held at Austin’s Circuit of the Americas, marking the 19th round of the 2023 Formula 1 World Championship.
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The race began with McLaren’s Lando Norris boldly snatching the lead from Ferrari’s pole-sitter Charles Leclerc as the lights went out, quickly building a gap while Verstappen manoeuvred his way up from a sixth-place start.
On lap six, Lewis Hamilton, driving for Mercedes, seized second place from Leclerc. A few laps later, Verstappen replicated the move before the pit stops commenced. The pit strategy allowed Verstappen to undercut Hamilton, who opted for an extended initial stint. Verstappen, running on softer tires, eventually closed the gap to Norris and overtook him with ease. Hamilton, on medium tires, put up a fierce chase in the race's final stages, ultimately claiming second place by passing Norris.
Despite Hamilton's valiant efforts, Verstappen successfully defended his position, winning the race. After the race, Formula 1 stewards disqualified both Hamilton and Leclerc for failing compliance checks governing the skid blocks on their cars.
Despite starting from the sixth position due to a track-limits violation during Friday's qualifying session, Verstappen made a strong recovery. A slow start from George Russell enabled Verstappen to advance to fifth after the first lap. He then moved to third after overtaking the Ferraris. Pole-sitter Charles Leclerc had already lost the lead to Norris in a thrilling first-lap sequence.
Red Bull strategically pitted Verstappen ahead of Norris and Hamilton on lap 16. McLaren reacted by bringing in race leader Norris, who rejoined the race ahead of Verstappen. In contrast, Mercedes decided to keep Hamilton out longer for a tire offset. Verstappen ultimately caught and passed Norris for the race's lead halfway through. Norris, who McLaren considered switching to a one-stop strategy but ultimately pitted for a second time, couldn't challenge Verstappen in the final stint. Hamilton, equipped with medium tires, posed a more significant threat to Verstappen.
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Hamilton delayed his final pit stop three laps after Verstappen, subsequently overtaking one-stopping Charles Leclerc before pursuing Norris and Verstappen. After managing to overtake Norris with a cutback at Turn 1, Hamilton reduced the gap to Verstappen, pressuring him lap after lap. Despite facing brake issues and expressing frustration when his race engineer spoke to him during braking phases, Verstappen managed to secure the win with a 2.2-second lead over Hamilton.
This victory marked Verstappen's 50th Formula 1 win and his 15th Grand Prix win of the year, matching his record from the previous season. Norris secured a podium finish in third place, with Carlos Sainz following in fourth. Sainz was permitted to pass his teammate Leclerc, who struggled to complete his one-stop strategy.
Leclerc managed to fend off Sergio Perez to retain fifth place, but Perez was close behind in sixth. George Russell settled for seventh, and Pierre Gasly took eighth for Alpine. Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin made an impressive recovery from the pitlane to reach ninth place. However, he was forced to retire with suspected floor damage. His teammate, Lance Stroll, was promoted to ninth, securing his first points finish since before the summer break.
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Yuki Tsunoda, driving for AlphaTauri, clinched tenth place and secured the fastest lap bonus point on the final lap. Haas, with its most significant upgrade of the season, witnessed Nico Hulkenberg finish in 13th place. Hulkenberg started from the pitlane and ended up behind the Williams drivers. Esteban Ocon and Oscar Piastri were involved in a collision during the opening lap while navigating the Esses. Although they initially continued, both drivers eventually retired due to car damage.
