Two weeks after completing his three-peat in Formula 1 in Qatar, Max Verstappen managed yet another three-peat, as he won his third consecutive US Grand Prix that was held in Austin, Texas, last weekend. With his latest triumph, the Dutchman just joined an exclusive club in the process.
Meanwhile, it wasn’t all smiles in Texas, as Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, among others, weren’t so lucky last Sunday as the title of this article suggests. So, all of them are keen on bouncing back at the Mexico Grand Prix this upcoming weekend.
With another race week in the books, SBOTOP is here to recap and review the US Grand Prix 2023 results.
Another major milestone for Verstappen
Not only did Max Verstappen win his 15th race this season (tying his single-season record that he set last year), but he also won his 50th race of his career. That makes him the fifth racer in Formula 1 history to join the illustrious half-century club alongside Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, and Alain Prost.
There wasn’t much incentive for the Dutchman to go all out, but he still did it anyway, which just goes to show his competitive nature.
Verstappen cruised to his third Sprint win of the season, as he was largely unchallenged from pole position to chequered flag, finishing 9.465 seconds clear of second-placer Lewis Hamilton.
But in the actual race, Verstappen had to earn it the hard way because he started sixth on the grid. Verstappen started behind because he lost the fastest lap time of the qualifying session for exceeding track limits at the penultimate corner at COTA after temporarily holding pole position.
After a quiet start because he was struggling a lot on the braking of his car, Verstappen eventually took the lead from Lando Norris, who led the opening lap ahead of pole-sitter Charles Leclerc.
Verstappen had to fend off a feisty challenge late by Lewis Hamilton after the Mercedes star chased down Lando Norris for P2 with a few laps to go.
During the final lap, Verstappen had a rough two-second advantage over the seven-time world champion, and he held on just enough to secure yet another victory to break his previous record for the most points scored in a season after having 454 points last year (he now has 466 points and counting).
Tough day in the office for several drivers
Lewis Hamilton could have won his first race since the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix had the Silver Arrows tightened up their strategy. But even if he somehow defeated Verstappen, it would still be for naught because he and Charles Leclerc were disqualified from the race for running an illegal floor.
The wooden plank underneath the car is only allowed to be worn by 1mm throughout the race due to aerodynamic reasons, but Hamilton and Leclerc’s cars failed that certain requirement, hence the penalties handed out by the FIA after their investigation.
On the other hand, it was a day to forget for the Aussies, as breakout star Oscar Piastri and former McLaren driver Daniel Ricciardo missed out on points on Sunday.
Piastri started well when he moved up four places in just his first lap, despite starting the grid from 10th. But disaster struck when he was forced to retire after the radiator of his MCL60 was severely damaged due to his accidental collision with Esteban Ocon.
Ricciardo, who made his comeback since breaking his hand in Zandvoort, ended up in P17, which was the last position out of the finishing drivers.
The 34-year-old actually exceeded his initial US Grand Prix 2023 odds as he climbed from 15th to as high as P7 at one point. But that was as good as it got for him, as he was eventually beaten by teammate Yuki Tsunoda, who finished P8.
Norris nearing Heidfeld’s ignominious record
Lewis Hamilton’s disqualification meant that Lando Norris is officially P2 in the 2023 US Grand Prix, his fifth such finish this season and fourth podium in a row.
Norris looked like he was going toe-to-toe with Max Verstappen, but he eventually lost ground as the race wore on, with Lewis Hamilton leapfrogging him with his fresh medium tyres.
For what it’s worth, Norris won the public vote for being the Driver of the Day after impressing in COTA, but that might not mean much to him as he’s closing in on Nick Heidfeld’s unwanted record for having the most podiums without a win (13) with 11 under his belt.
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