World Champion Max Verstappen cruised to victory in Formula 1’s Sprint Race at the United States Grand Prix Saturday.
It was the first time that the mini-race, introduced at select grands prix in 2021, was run at the Circuit of the Americas.
It proved a tepid affair for the most part as an intriguing opening few laps quickly dissolved with Verstappen fending off challenges from Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton.
After lights out, pole starter Verstappen had to aggressively defend from Leclerc as they climbed the steep incline up to Turn 1, with a compromised Leclerc overhauled by Hamilton.
Hamilton remained within half a second of Verstappen for a couple of laps but was ultimately unable to keep pace with the new three-time World Champion.
Verstappen eventually won by 9.4 seconds ahead of Hamilton, while Leclerc occupied a lonely third throughout the 19-lap encounter, which was largely devoid of entertainment or excitement.
“It was quite tight [off the line] but lucky there’s a lot of space into T1, that definitely helps, after that we could do our race, control the pace a bit, then push a bit more at the end,” said Verstappen.
Of the start Leclerc said: “There was an opportunity, a gap, I tried, obviously it was tight and I lost the position to Lewis, but they were a bit stronger in the race so we need to work to understand what we can do better to be a step ahead tomorrow.”
Mercedes brought a new floor to its W14 for this weekend’s event, aiding the car’s performance, but Hamilton was unable to keep up with Verstappen.
“The car was feeling pretty good, I was attacking to get as close as I could, I just couldn’t bridge the gap close enough to Max, and then once I was out of DRS he started eking away and cruising,” said Hamilton. “It was a good position to be able to watch what Max’s car was doing, how it was behaving, so I got to watch for a while and see where they’re strong.”
Verstappen nonetheless faces a stiffer challenge for Sunday’s main event as he will start from sixth position following a mistake during qualifying on Friday.
Few doubt Verstappen’s ability to overcome the setback on account of winning 14 of this year’s 17 grands prix held so far this season.
“It’s not ideal to start P6 but the pace of the car seems quite strong and hopefully tomorrow we can do something similar,” said Verstappen.
Leclerc and McLaren driver Lando Norris – who was fourth in Sprint – will share the front row of the grid with Hamilton third.
“I think that will be helpful for us at the front,” said Hamilton. “Ultimately he will be breathing down our necks before too long with the pace he had today, but Charles, Lando, we’re quite similar in pace. If we can all keep Max behind that’s awesome, if not, no worries.”
Fi United States Grand Prix Sprint
Results
- Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda RBPT
- Lewis Hamilton Mercedes -9.465
- Charles Leclerc Ferrari -17.987
- Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes -18.863
- Sergio Pérez Red Bull/Honda RBPT -22.928
- Carlos Sainz Jr. Ferrari -28.307
- Pierre Gasly Alpine/Renault -32.403
- George Russell Mercedes -34.250
- Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes -34.567
- Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes -42.403
- Esteban Ocon Alpine/Renault -44.986
- Daniel Ricciardo AlphaTauri/Honda RBPT -45.509
- Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Mercedes -49.086
- Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri/Honda RBPT -49.733
- Nico Hülkenberg Haas/Ferrari -56.650
- Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo/Ferrari -1’04.401
- Zhou Guanyu Alfa Romeo/Ferrari -1’07.972
- Kevin Magnussen Haas/Ferrari -1’11.122
- Logan Sargeant Williams/Mercedes -1’11.449
- Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes DNF
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