US Grand Prix review
US Grand Prix Review
Max
Verstappen held off a charging Lewis Hamilton to win the US Grand Prix and
extend his lead in the Formula 1 drivers’ championship at Austin on Sunday.
Hamilton
did take some consolation from getting a bonus point for the fastest lap, but
the gap at the top is now 12 points with five races left in the season.
Here
is a review of the 2021 US Grand Prix.
A Max masterclass
At the
front of the grid, it wasn’t quite as action packed as some of the earlier
races this season, with the two title chasers managing to avoid contact with
one another during the race.
Instead
this was all about pure racing.
But
that was down to both a clever strategy from his team, and a classy drive from
Verstappen, as the leader didn’t give enough room for Hamilton to overtake in
the final laps.
It was
a gripping fight, but after losing the lead at lights out when Hamilton made a
better start and got the position on the inside of turn one, the Red Bull
driver never put a step out of place
His
team brought him in for the earlier stop in a bid to regain first and once
Verstappen had the lead out on track, he never looked like giving it away.
Even
though the Mercedes number one managed to whittle the lead down to under a
second with two laps to go, the pressure never got to the Dutchman and he
produced an inch-perfect finish to the grand prix.
As Red Bull boss Christian Horner said himself on the team radio after the chequered flag, "That was sheer class Max."
Leclerc shines again
On
paper it could be easy to dismiss the drive of Charles Leclerc, who both
qualified fifth but was upgraded one place on the grid after a grid penalty for
Valtteri Bottes. He ended up P4 in the Ferrari.
But
that would be an unfair assessment of the Frenchman’s drive.
It was
an outstanding drive from Leclerc, on a track where Ferrari were not expecting
to be quick.
At one
point it even looked as if he would challenge Sergio Perez for the final podium
spot.
He
ended up close to 25 seconds ahead of the Australian Daniel Ricciardo, in the
McLaren, who along with Bottas managed to get ahead of his teammate Carlos
Sainz.
The
result could prove crucial to the race for third place in the Constructors
Championship with Ferrari now just 3.5 points behind McLaren.
As
with Silverstone earlier this year, Sunday was another reminder of the obvious
talent Leclerc possess and how he needs to be in car that can sustain a
challenge in both World Championships throughout the season.
For
the sport's benefit, it would be great for the fans to see Leclerc do that with
Ferrari, rather than needing to move to Red Bull or Mercedes.
A blow for Lewis Hamilton but not championship defining
Hamilton
couldn’t quite catch Verstappen in the closing stages, a result that will
particularly hurt considering how he managed to get a dream start.
His
team were thrown off by the early pitstop from Verstappen and couldn’t quite
reel him in the Red Bull, in the closing stages
But by
still picking up 19 points, this was very much a case of damage limitation. The
Mercedes man is still right in the mix for a record breaking eighth
championship just 12 points behind.
The
Silver Arrows team will fancy their chances at two tracks they have excelled at
previously next up, in Mexico and Brazil.
The
situation is still in Hamilton’s hands and although Sunday was a frustrating
result, it won’t define his season.
It would still be a surprise if the title fight was over by the time the teams roll into Abu Dhabi for the season finale in December.
Feverish support in the stand
Off
the track, one of the highlights of the weekend was the fanatical support in Austin.
140,000
fans packed into the grandstands to watch a compelling grand prix, something
that would have seemed impossible in America at one time.
We are
still only 16 years on from the infamous 2005 US Grand Prix at Indianapolis,
which seriously damaged the reputation of F1 as a viable sport in the country -
as all but six drivers refused to race because of safety concerns.
Yet
that felt a world away on Sunday as another successful race weekend was
completed in Texas, with next year the tenth anniversary of Formula 1’s
return to American soil.
Photo credit: Getty Images