AUSTIN: Red Bull’s triple world champion Max Verstappen held off a charging Lewis Hamilton to take the 50th win of his Formula One career, and record-equalling 15th of the season, at the US Grand Prix on Sunday.

Mercedes driver Hamilton finished second, a mere 2.225 seconds behind, with McLaren’s Lando Norris third at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.

The victory was Verstappen’s third in a row in Austin and equalled with four races to spare the record the Dutch 26-year-old set last year for most wins in a single season.

Dominant Red Bull and Verstappen, who started in sixth place, have already secured the constructors’ and drivers’ titles.

Norris, lining up on the front row, seized the lead from pole-sitter Charles Leclerc into the first corner but his hopes of taking a first win in his 100th start had faded by the half distance.

Verstappen was fifth by the end of lap one and moved through the field using the DRS drag reduction to take the lead from Norris on the 28th of 56 laps.

Hamilton started the last lap just 1.8 seconds behind after being 5.3 adrift when he passed Norris for second with seven laps remaining.

Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz was fourth with Red Bull’s Sergio Perez fifth and Leclerc sixth.

Verstappen increased his unassailable lead over Mexican Perez to a whopping 228 points.

Published in Dawn, October 24th, 2023