F1 United States GP: Red Bull's Max Verstappen Clocks 50th Career Win in US GP

Max Verstappen claimed victory ahead of Lando Norris in the United States Grand Prix after Lewis Hamilton, who initially finished second, was subsequently disqualified. The victory was Verstappen's 50th in Formula 1, and it happened despite him having brake problems throughout the race. Charles Leclerc, leading the charge for Ferrari, struggled early on and wound up in sixth place. Carlos Sainz finished fourth for Ferrari, and Sergio Perez finished fifth for Red Bull. Even though Leclerc started the race in first place, his day was marred by the possibility of a post-race disqualification. Furthermore, Mercedes' George Russell finished sixth, close behind Leclerc. Pierre Gasly of Alpine finished seventh, and despite starting from the pit lane, Lance Stroll made up ground to score points. Yuki Tsunoda of AlphaTauri not only finished in tenth place, but he also set the race's fastest lap and earned an extra point.

Norris got off to a sensational start, passing Ferrari's pole-sitter Charles Leclerc and gaining the lead early in the race. Hamilton, further back in the pack, tried to avoid being passed by Carlos Sainz, but the latter eventually got by him when he followed Norris through the steep hairpin on the inside line.

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F1 United States Grand Prix: 2023 Circuit of The Americas Race Result

Due to a track-limits violation during qualifying on Friday, Verstappen's fastest lap was voided and he started the race from the sixth position. He took advantage of George Russell's sluggish start and advanced five spots on the first lap. As a result of his persistent driving, Verstappen passed both Ferraris and moved up to third place. On the very first lap, Norris passed pole-sitter Charles Leclerc and took the lead.

For whatever reason, on lap 16 of 56, Red Bull decided to put Verstappen into the pits ahead of Norris and Hamilton. Quick thinking from McLaren allowed Norris to beat Verstappen out of the pits. Mercedes, on the other hand, decided to leave Hamilton on the sidelines in order to obtain a tyre advantage, even if it meant giving up second place to Verstappen. After a close chase, Verstappen was able to pass Norris and take the lead midway through the race.

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Norris was unable to attack Verstappen in the final laps despite making a late pit stop. On medium tyres, Hamilton emerged as Verstappen's main competition. Because Hamilton waited three laps longer than Verstappen before making his final pit stop, he had to pass Charles Leclerc, who only made one stop, before he could catch Norris and Verstappen.

F1 United States Grand Prix: Max Verstappen Proud of his 50th Race Win

Max Verstappen was overjoyed to win his 50th Formula 1 race at the United States Grand Prix despite having brake problems for much of the race's duration. Verstappen, who started in sixth place, showed his superior racing talents by working his way up through the pack and passing Lando Norris for the lead around the halfway point of the race. When questioned about the complexities of the race compared to a standard outing, Verstappen acknowledged, "Of course, it started already with starting in P6. But I think the whole race I was struggling a lot with the brakes."

Reflecting on this significant milestone, Verstappen remarked, "It's, of course, incredible to win my 50th Grand Prix here as well." He expressed his immense pride and determination to continue striving for more success in the future.

Sergio Perez, on the other hand, finished the day in fifth place for the Red Bull team, moving up four spots from where he started. The Mexican driver nevertheless found it difficult to complete the race.