Verstappen “holds on” at COTA to take 50th Grand Prix Victory
Max Verstappen was able to hold off Lewis Hamilton despite break issues to take his 50th Career Victory in Formula 1. Despite Lewis originally finishing second, he was Disqualified after the race for a technical infringement which saw Lando Norris get promoted up to P2 whilst Carlos Sainz was given the final trophy of the weekend.
The Biggest Talking Points
Lando Norris got a really good start to take the lead into Turn 1 whilst Esteban Ocon and Oscar Piastri came together a couple of corners later, which ultimately resulted in both drivers having to retire. Lewis Hamilton also cleared Charles Leclerc to take P2 whilst Max Verstappen was just easing himself into the race and making moves when possible. Max then surprised everyone by pitting first and this forced Lando to cover Verstappen, but Lewis didn’t follow suit. This cost Hamilton a “potential win” in the end as we saw Verstappen overtake Norris with a lovely move into Turn 12. Elsewhere in the field, Charles Leclerc’s attempt at a one-stop didn’t work at all as he was passed by both his teammate Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez whilst Fernando Alonso, who was having a great recovery from starting in the Pitlane, was forced to retire with suspension damage. Near the end of the race, it became pretty clear that Verstappen was struggling massively with brake issues, and after Lewis Hamilton cleared Lando Norris, he hunted the 3-time World Champion down, but he wasn’t quite able to get within the crucial one-second mark. Pierre Gasly also held off Lance Stroll for what was P8 after Lance had a really good recovery through the field after he also started in the Pitlane whilst Yuki Tsunoda doubled his points tally on the final lap of the race by setting the Fastest Lap.
However, all of this changed a bit after the race after both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were Disqualified for a technical infringement. The infringement was actually because their skid blocks on the underfloor weren’t in compliance with the technical regulations. I don’t know this, but I’d be intrigued to know how much performance Hamilton and Leclerc gained from this and surely, this was a result of the bumpy track surface at COTA. Anyway, this all means that Carlos Sainz was promoted to P3, Pierre Gasly and Lance Stroll scored good points respectively whilst Yuki Tsunoda scored a massive 5 points for Alpha Tauri which has put them right on Haas’ heels for 9th in the Constructors’ Championship, and Williams scored double points, and I have to say, I’m really happy for Logan Sargeant.
The Standout Drives in the Race
I’ve actually only given out one 10 for the United States Grand Prix and that 10 is for Max Verstappen. Max was challenged a lot more than I expected in this race, but he held his nerve and did an exceptional job to not make a mistake given he was clearly struggling with his brakes a lot. I also believe that Lewis Hamilton does deserve plenty of praise because he had a terrific race (even with the penalty) whilst Lando Norris can be delighted with another Podium. I also felt like Carlos Sainz, Pierre Gasly, and Yuki Tsunoda all had really good races whilst Lance Stroll and Logan Sargeant both deserve a small shootout.
Drivers who had a Shocker
Amazingly, I haven’t given out a single 1 for the United States Grand Prix and that is a first for me on this website. However, I will still say that Kevin Magnussen was slow, Daniel Ricciardo finishing last on the road isn’t a good look (even though his strategy killed him) and Zhou Guanyu had a disappointing day (Alfa Romeo did in general).
Overall Race Results and My Ratings
Max Verstappen: 10
Lando Norris: 9
Carlos Sainz: 8
Sergio Perez: 6
George Russell: 5
Pierre Gasly: 8
Lance Stroll: 7
Yuki Tsunoda: 8 (FL)
Alex Albon: 7
Logan Sargeant: 7
Nico Hulkenberg: 6
Valtteri Bottas: 4
Zhou Guanyu: 3
Kevin Magnussen: 2
Daniel Ricciardo: 2
Fernando Alonso: 7 (DNF)
Oscar Piastri: -
Esteban Ocon: -
Lewis Hamilton: 9 (DSQ)
Charles Leclerc: 5 (DSQ)
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