In one of the most even races of the season, Max Verstappen (Red Bull) takes an important step towards winning his first world title by winning, by just one second, the United States Grand Prix, at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin (Texas), to Lewis Hamilton, in a race marked by stop strategy.
Formula 1 is motor, it is speed, it is a driver but also, more and more, it is strategy. Each team has several strategists who slice their brains in each race to decide how many times and when their drivers enter to change tires. A true ‘slate war’ that, on this occasion, Red Bull won, with very little margin, over Mercedes.
The Dutchman, for a change, prevailed again on Saturday in qualifying, although the advantage of starting first in Austin lasted a few meters, which the Briton needed to pass him at the start and lead the first laps of the Grand Prix. In fact, Verstappen fell behind his teammate, Checo Pérez, who of course did not take a single lap to return his leader to second position. Therefore, the race, as planned, was to be a one-two between Max and Lewis.
But the supremacy won at the start lasted just over ten laps for Hamilton, as Red Bull overtook Mercedes and changed Verstappen’s wheels a few laps ahead of schedule, throwing the British driver and German team into disarray. That soon after evolved to grief, because lap by lap it was seen that Red Bull’s strategy was perfect, and Verstappen was cutting much more time than planned to Hamilton, who was forced to enter only three laps after the Dutchman. And when leaving the track again, the seven-time world champion lost more than five places with the eternal contender.
But, we repeat, all these are strategies. Going in first to change the tires facilitates the ‘undercut’ (overtaking strategy), but it also forces you to circulate the rest of the race with tires older than your enemy, something that can be essential on the abrasive asphalt of the Circuit of the Americas, located in deep Texas.
And so the race developed. The second and last tire change was made by Red Bull, again, earlier than expected, and this time it took Hamilton no less than eight laps to perform the required tire change, which left him, again, second behind Verstappen, eight seconds behind and almost 20 laps to go.
And began the slow but not leisurely ‘Verstappen hunt’ that we are seeing so many times this season. The Briton, unfaithful to his history, took it easy at first, gradually warming up his tires, and from the third lap after his change of wheels he launched like a ripper for his victim. And Mercedes’ strategy seemed to be, for once, the right one, as it was giving great puffs to the difference of its rival in the race and in the World Cup.
In this way, and as expected, Hamilton faced the last laps less than two seconds behind Verstappen, who like a good cold northern European, was dedicated more to managing his longest-lasting tires than to be aware of the rear view mirror, where the Mercedes number 44 it was getting bigger and bigger.
And although we all licked each other thinking that the last lap was going to be epic, with Hamilton’s nose glued to Verstappen’s ass … ‘Mad Max’ showed that he is not yet a world champion, but that he deserves it, and a lot. The Red Bull squeezed hard on the last lap, and Hamilton, again this season, was powerless to catch up to the real pimple on his nose that has come out this year, in which he had to forever dethrone Michael Schumacher from the Olympus of Formula 1 by winning his eighth World Cup.
In the end, Verstappen took the 25 points from the victory at Austin, while Hamilton had to settle for the 18 for second place plus the extra point on the fastest lap. Therefore, that of Red Bull is more leader, with an advantage that is now 12 points (287.5 to 275.5 points), with four or five races to be contested (it remains to be seen if the date of the suspended Gran Qatar Prize, which is still free). The conclusion is that something big will have to happen for Max Verstappen, the best driver of the year without a doubt, and riding the best car, to lose this World Championship to the benefit of Hamilton, who is making more mistakes than usual this year and, in addition, For the first time in almost a decade, he is not driving the best car on the grid. In 14 days, the battle continues in Mexico, the land of Verstappen’s faithful companion, Sergio Pérez, who in Austin achieved third place.
Sainz, seventh; Alonso, KO
Discreet role of the Spanish. Carlos Sainz, fifth in the standings, lost the position to Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren) at the start, and spent most of the race desperate to give it back to the Australian. But a pathetic entry into the pits, another one, and the push behind Valtteri Bottas’ Mercedes finished with the Madrid in seventh position.
As for Fernando Alonso, it was clear that this was not his career. Penalized for changing the engine, the Asturian started in nineteenth position, and in a very bumpy race, with touches, claims and other dark episodes, he got to ride the eleventh position, but after three pit stops due to various problems in his Alpine, when final ended abandoned the race.
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