Verstappen extends lead
Red Bull driver’s U.S. win puts him 12 points up on Hamilton
Max Verstappen held off Formula One title rival Lewis Hamilton over the final thrilling laps of the U.S. Grand Prix on Sunday 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 1 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 breathing room heading into Mexico City, a high-altitude stronghold for Red Bull.
Hamilton, a five-time winner at COTA who couldn’t catch Verstappen in the end, is seeking a record eighth F1 title.
As the popularity of Formula One explodes in the U.S., 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, and Shaquille O’neal.
Verstappen and Hamilton were locked in a tense fight all weekend, with Verstappen edging Hamilton for pole position on the final lap of qualifying Sunday.
It set up a fierce fight for the lead into the first turn because the winner at COTA has always come from the front row. Hamilton jumped past Verstappen and the two traded the lead four times over 56 laps.