Verstappen takes 50th F1 win in Austin thriller

Max Verstappen crafted a superb 50th F1 victory at the United States Grand Prix despite managing brake issues in his Red Bull RB19.

The Dutchman took his 15th win of 2023 and fended off a hard-charging Lewis Hamilton in the closing stages in Texas.

Hamilton and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc were disqualified because their cars failed a post-race technical inspection.

Leclerc stuttered off the line and conceded the lead as Lando Norris led the field into Turn 1.

The reigning world champion Verstappen resisted increasing pressure from Oscar Piastri on the opening lap as the pair battled hard for fifth place.

Further down the field, Esteban Ocon dropped from P7 to ninth place three laps into the race.

The Frenchman ran wide at Turn 11 as George Russell and Sergio Perez capitalised on the mistake at Circuit of the Americas.

Hamilton dropped behind Carlos Sainz initially but reclaimed third place in the early stages with a textbook pass on the back straight.

Verstappen meticulously worked his way through the field as the race progressed after starting in a relatively lowly sixth place.

By Lap 28, the Dutchman gained the lead after pulling off a daring lunge on Norris at Turn 12, using the DRS to his advantage.

Mercedes pitted Hamilton against Verstappen to give the seven-time world champion fresher tyres than his rival at the end of the race. The British driver rejoined in third place behind Norris.

Fernando Alonso pulled off a decisive move on Yuki Tsunoda to snatch ninth place from the Japanese driver, overcoming a stern defence from his rival.

Hamilton closed down Norris and passed him with seven laps to go at Turn 1 in a superb display of racecraft, forcing an error from his compatriot.

Now in second place, Hamilton tried every trick in the book to catch Verstappen but failed as the Dutchman clung on for victory.