Australia

Verstappen beats Hamilton at US GP to edge closer to F1 championship


Max Verstappen has held off Formula One title rival Lewis Hamilton over the final thrilling laps of the US Grand Prix to win his eighth race of the season and double his lead in the championship standings.

Verstappen, who entered the Circuit of the Americas with a six-point lead over Hamilton in the standings, now leads the seven-time champion by 12 points with five races remaining.

Hamilton in his Mercedes was bearing down on Verstappen over the final 18 laps and had cut the Red Bull driver’s lead to less than one second by the final lap. But he couldn’t make the pass at the end and settled for second.

Verstappen, the 24-year-old Dutchman chasing his first championship, now has some breathing room heading into Mexico City, a high-altitude stronghold for Red Bull.

Hamilton, a five-time winner at COTA, is seeking a record eighth F1 title.

The championship rivals delivered a dramatic finish under a blazing Texas sun in front of an estimated crowd of 140,000. It was one of the largest sporting events since the start of the pandemic and drew the rich and famous to the Austin circuit.

Among the celebrities in attendance were actor Ben Stiller, rapper Meghan Thee Stallion, golfer Rory McIlroy and tennis champion Serena Williams, who all participated in the pre-race grid walk.

Max Verstappen started in pole and outlasted Lewis Hamilton.(Getty Images: Clive Mason)

Shaquille O’Neal hosted a post-race dance party and delivered the winner’s trophy to the podium, where the seven-footer loomed large over Verstappen and Hamilton.

Verstappen and Hamilton were locked in a tense fight all weekend, first when Verstappen called Hamilton a “stupid idiot” and flipped him the middle finger during Friday practice. Then Verstappen edged Hamilton for pole position on the final lap of qualifying.

It set up a fierce fight for the lead headed into the first turn because the winner at COTA has always come from the front row. Hamilton quickly jumped past Verstappen and the two traded the lead four times over 56 laps.

But Hamilton just couldn’t make one more pass in the end.

It was a missed victory at a circuit where Mercedes have been dominant, and the result could prove pivotal if Verstappen hangs on to dethrone Hamilton.

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen cheers with large bottles of champagne on the podium
Verstappen and Hamilton’s championship race is going to go down to the wire.(Getty Images: Chris Graythen)

Verstappen has carried the burden of high expectations since he first joined the F1 grid as a 17-year-old in 2015.

Hamilton, at 36 a series veteran, has been the dominant figure in F1 for a decade and has won four consecutive championships.

One more Hamilton title will break his tie with Michael Schumacher for the most F1 titles. But he hasn’t been in a fight like this in a long time.

The US Grand Prix was canceled in the 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

AP



Source link

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button