United States Grand Prix as it happened - Max Verstappen holds off Lewis Hamilton to triumph in Austin
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Updated 24/10/2021 at 20:57 GMT
With seven laps remaining, there were under two seconds between Hamilton, trailing, and Verstappen, looking to extend his lead to 13 points in the championship. Hamilton needed to maintain his car’s position as it was buffeted behind the leader, waiting for DRS to give him the boost he needed. However Hamilton simply could not negotiate the dirty air well enough to get close to challenge.
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VERSTAPPEN WINS
Hamilton falls just short as Vertsappen hangs on brilliantly. Both teams played their tactics well, but it was Red Bull who managed the situation better in the end. A one-point lead was on offer for the Mercedes man, but the Dutchman has 13 points over his rival now. He looks set for the championship.
Lap 56/56 - Both have DRS
With Hamilton and Verstappen going past Mick Schumacher, both have/had DRS.
Lap 55/56 - 1.1 seconds
Hamilton is 0.2 seconds from getting DRS this lap.
Lap 54/56 - 1.3 seconds
Three laps to go. Who knows, really?
Lap 52/56 - Verstappen puts up resistance
After the gap had started to narrow, Verstappen added a touch onto his lead, with it now at 1.75 seconds. There is speculation that Hamilton is keeping a little powder dry, charging up his battery.
Lap 49/56 - Gap narrows further
1.9 seconds between Hamilton and Vertsappen now.
Lap 47/56 - Verstappen wary
The Dutchman is told that keeping his rear tyres in decent shape will help. There are 2.5 seconds between the front two now, and nine laps remaining.
Lap 44/56 - The gap closes
Less than four seconds between the two, and there are no backmarkers between the pair. It is up to Verstappen to hold off this incoming challenge.
Lap 42/56 - Ocon retires
He's told to come in by his team and the race is over for him. He asks the team what's wrong but they let him know he'll be informed once he returns to the pit. He follows Pierre Gasly out of the race to be the second retiree.
Lap 41/56 - Front two deliver best laps
Perez has the fastest of any rider, but the front two are now hitting their stride with their own best times as they search for the win.
Lap 37/56 - Hamilton pits
He pits eight laps later than Verstappen,with 8.7 seconds to make up over 18 laps remaining.
Lap 34/56 - Hamilton clear
Hamiltoin is now 14.5 seconds clear of Verstappen, with Perez aiming to close in by recording the fastest lamp.
Lap 22/56 - Verstappen pulling away
He's six seconds clear.
Lap 16/56 - Verstappen in front
Vertsappen takes the lead on 14 laps after pulling off a successful undercut.
Lap 11/56 - Verstappen in
He's onto the hards, dropping behind Leclerc and Ricciardo.
Lap 7/56 - 'He's quicker than me right now'
Hamilton is worried.
Lap 6/56 - Verstappen warned
The Dutchman gets a warning for overstepping track limits.
Lap 4/56 - Ocon pits
Ocon has a front wing replaced and he is down in 20th as a result. Hamilton lobs in the fastest lap of the race so far.
Lap 3/56 - Hamilton retains lead
The Mercedes driver is around 2/3rds of a second clear now. And it's a huge chance for Hamilton.
Lap 1/56 - GO GO GO
Verstappen and Hamilton get away well, but Haliton pushses Verstappen ride with Perez pushing his teammate hard. He's now ahead, with Sainz, Leclerc, Ricciardo, and Norris all bunched up. Ricciardo is up into fifth.
19:55 - Five minutes until lights out
START PANICKING
19:45 - The national anthem has been done
They have gone full American here.
19:35 - Verstappen on his pole
“In Q3, my first lap wasn’t amazing, and then in the final lap it also started spitting – like a bit of drizzle in the last sector especially – so I was not sure I was going to hang on to my lap time, but it was enough and of course to put the lap time in and be in pole position - but also to be P1 and P3 as a team - I think was a very strong performance.”
19:20 - Red Bull practice
19:05 - Last minute prep
You can catch the build-up here:
18:55 - A third serving of American things
"Tex" like Texas.
18:45 - The grid
18:40 - Where things stand
Hamilton is six seconds behind Verstappen and the Dutchman starts from the front of the grid. This is his chance to extend his lead and win his first Austin GP.
18:35 - More Americans
18:30 - Americans
18:15 - Intro
Sometimes you think life is going swimmingly and then BAM! You have an existential crisis, cut ties with your significant other and hotfoot it to another city in search of giving your life meaning, and then BAM! You find another significant other and instantly blow up out of fear of the same thing happening again, and you find yourself in an existential crisis.
Is this a metaphor for Mercedes' engine problems this season, or a genuine cry for help? You tell me!
Welcome
It's time for the race in Austin! Thank you for joining us.
Qualifying report
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen finished ahead of title rival Lewis Hamilton to take pole position in the United States Grand Prix qualifying.
Hamilton, who finished second, took provisional pole towards the end of Q3 but Verstappen continued to apply pressure on the Mercedes driver.
Despite some light rain starting to fall in the final moments, Verstappen kept up the pace and carried the momentum through the final set of corners to take pole with a 1m32.910s.
Speaking to F1 after the race, Verstappen said: “It was quite exciting out there!
“In Q3, my first lap wasn’t amazing, and then in the final lap it also started spitting – like a bit of drizzle in the last sector especially – so I was not sure I was going to hang on to my lap time, but it was enough and of course to put the lap time in and be in pole position - but also to be P1 and P3 as a team - I think was a very strong performance.”
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Lewis Hamilton
Image credit: Getty Images
Leclerc was fastest in Q1 as Red Bull edged out Mercedes, with Daniel Ricciardo setting the pace early as Mercedes lacked pace to contend at the top end.
The latter sent out Hamilton and Bottas for a second run on used soft tyres and despite improving, still remained outside the top five.
In Q2 both Mercedes and Red Bull switched to medium tyres, with both teams avoiding soft tyres that aren't very durable in race conditions.
Verstappen enjoyed an electric lap to top the charts, 0.333s quicker than Hamilton. Lando Norris, Charles Leclerc, Valtteri Bottas and Carlos Sainz completed the top six.
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