Max Verstappen outshines Lewis Hamilton for a ‘tricky’ US GP Sprint race victory

Max Verstappen aims to mirror the pace he showed today in tomorrow's race to clinch his 50th career win.

Max Verstappen (Via IMAGO)

The 2023 world champion, Max Verstappen, storms to victory in the Sprint race in Austin. The Dutchman managed to make amends for a challenging Friday by completely dominating Saturday, securing the Sprint pole position and a dominant win, besting Lewis Hamilton. Verstappen led every single lap of the race, effortlessly overcoming any initial race difficulties, and securing his third Sprint race victory of the season.

Verstappen’s race began with a tight battle for the lead. The Dutchman managed to retain his pole position at the start, holding off the challenge posed by Charles Leclerc into the turn one. However, it was Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes who emerged as his primary rival. Hamilton quickly overtook Leclerc, chasing Verstappen relentlessly during the early stages of the race. The Briton was right behind the gearbox of the Red Bull for over 6 laps.

Despite Hamilton’s initial pressure, Verstappen showcased his prowess, gradually pulling away from his pursuers. By the midway point of the sprint race, he had established a near 3-second lead over Hamilton, which only expanded as the laps unfolded. In the end, he crossed the finish line with an impressive lead of over 9 seconds, sealing his victory in style.

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Speaking to former driver David Coulthard, who hosted the interview, Max talked about his race.

It was quite tight, but luckily there was a lot of space into turn 1. Then we could control our race, and push a bit more. It was always about 8 or 9 tenths but all controllable. I think the pace of the car was very good today.

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Max Verstappen claims that it is exciting to watch F1 grow in the States

The COTA has seen a jam-packed audience attendance for this weekend. With action all around the weekend, it is projected that nearly 450,000 people will be attending the race. The sport has been growing exponentially in America, and Max was elated about it during his post-Sprint interview, as stated by the FIA recordings.

The capacity is getting bigger and bigger every year, you almost don’t see the hill over there and it’s always great to be here.

Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez at the fan meet in America (Credits: The Mirror)

Verstappen’s triumph in the Austin Sprint Race sets the stage for a thrilling United States Grand Prix. He will start the race in sixth position as he had a very difficult qualifying yesterday and will undoubtedly slice through the pack. However, with the pace that his rivals have shown this will not be an easy task like it usually is for him. He acknowledges that he needs the race pace he showed today for a better result tomorrow.

Max Verstappen gets sassy about the sprint format (again)? ?#F1 #USGP pic.twitter.com/xByHTEOrBU
— Autosport (@autosport) October 21, 2023

As the main event draws closer, it will be exciting to watch if Verstappen can score his 50th career victory at COTA. Moreover, the focus will mainly be on the drivers ahead, who will be doing everything in their power to defend against a charging Verstappen. He acknowledges that starting P6 tomorrow will be a bit different to today and hopes to have fun passing up the field.