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US Grand Prix LIVE: F1 race result and reaction tonight as Max Verstappen holds off Lewis Hamilton to win

US Grand Prix LIVE: F1 race result and reaction tonight as Max Verstappen holds off Lewis Hamilton to win

A thrilling Formula 1 title race between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen continued this evening as the United States Grand Prix played out in Austin, Texas.

Verstappen started in pole position at the Circuit of the Americas, with rival Hamilton joining him in the front row. Dutchman Verstappen entered the race leading the Briton by six points in the drivers’ standings and having reclaimed top spot in the championship battle at this month’s Turkish GP, and the Red Bull driver was able to take another step towards his first F1 title by emerging victorious here.

Although Verstappen was overtaken by Hamilton almost immediately after lights out, he regained first place when the Mercedes man made his first pit stop of the day. That moment even saw Verstappen gain a six-second lead on the defending champion, who spent the rest of the race trying to close down his rival. Hamilton could not erase the gap, however, as Verstappen crossed the line first to double his points advantage over the seven-time title-winner to 12 points with five races left this season. Hamilton came second, while Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez rounded out the podium places.

Follow all the fallout from the United States Grand Prix below.

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United States Grand Prix result: Lewis Hamilton suffers title blow as Max Verstappen holds on for victory

US Grand Prix LIVE

  • Max Verstappen on pole with Lewis Hamilton second

  • Verstappen overtaken by Hamilton ahead of first corner

  • Dutchman regains lead during Briton’s first pit stop

  • Hamilton fails to close down Red Bull driver in final laps

  • Verstappen doubles lead over Hamilton to 12 points in title race

Max Verstappen wins the US Grand Prix

21:57 , Jamie Braidwood

For the first time since winning the Dutch Grand Prix on home soil, Max Verstappen stands on top of the podium.

We’ll be back in two weeks’ time for the Mexican Grand Prix!

Max Verstappen wins the US Grand Prix

21:52 , Jamie Braidwood

Shaquille O’Neal carries the US Grand Prix trophy atop the Texas Longhorn car - as you do. Podium ceremony coming up shortly.

MAX VERSTAPPEN WINS THE US GRAND PRIX

21:48 , Jamie Braidwood

Hamilton: “Firstly, congratulations to Max. He did a great job today. It was such a tough race. We made a good start and gave it absolutely everything, but they had the upper hand this weekend. I think this is our acceptance to the US, I hope we get more races out here and the sport continues to grow.”

Verstappen: “We lost out at the start so we had to try and do something else. There’s a lot of tyre wear here. We went aggressive and I wasn’t sure it would work. The last few laps were fun and I’m happy we could hang on.”

Perez: “I ran out of water! I couldn’t drink at all, it got pretty difficult! I was losing strength towards the end and it was physically the hardest race of my career.”

MAX VERSTAPPEN WINS THE US GRAND PRIX

21:47 , Jamie Braidwood

Drivers

1. Verstappen - 287.5

2. Hamilton - 275.5

3. Bottas - 185

4. Perez - 150

5. Norris - 149

Constructors

1. Mercedes - 433.5

2. Red Bull - 397.5

3. McLaren - 240

4. Ferrari - 232.5

5. Alpine - 104

MAX VERSTAPPEN WINS THE US GRAND PRIX

21:43 , Jamie Braidwood

Verstappen increases his lead in the drivers’ standings to 12 points, what a huge moment in the title race that could be.

Hamilton was a couple of laps away from catching his title rival.

MAX VERSTAPPEN WINS THE US GRAND PRIX

21:42 , Jamie Braidwood

1. Verstappen

2. Hamilton +1.3s

3. Perez +43s

4. Leclerc +52s

5. Ricciardo +76s

MAX VERSTAPPEN WINS THE US GRAND PRIX

21:41 , Jamie Braidwood

What a massive win for Verstappen! “Yes, guys! Unbelievable!”

“Sheer class, Max!”, says Horner. “I think I’ve age 25 years in that race. I didn’t think we would hold on.”

MAX VERSTAPPEN WINS THE US GRAND PRIX

21:38 , Jamie Braidwood

Verstappen holds on and wins the US Grand Prix by 1.3 seconds!

US Grand Prix

21:38 , Jamie Braidwood

LAP 56/56: Verstappen stays ahead with brilliant first sector.

US Grand Prix: FINAL LAP!

21:37 , Jamie Braidwood

LAP 56/56: Verstappen and Hamilton catch up with Schumacher, which holds them up slightly.

US Grand Prix

21:36 , Jamie Braidwood

Lap 55/56: Hamilton is within a second! But Verstappen is fighting back with a massive last effort!

US Grand Prix: TWO laps to go!

21:35 , Jamie Braidwood

Lap 55/56: Down to 1.1 seconds! That’s almost DRS range.

US Grand Prix: THREE laps to go!

21:35 , Jamie Braidwood

Lap 54/56: Now we’re seeing Hamilton gains again! It’s back down to 1.5 seconds.

US Grand Prix

21:34 , Jamie Braidwood

Lap 53/56: Or has Verstappen saved himself for a final defence?

Raikkonen takes a spin and loses 10th place to Vettel.

US Grand Prix

21:32 , Jamie Braidwood

Lap 52/56: Is Hamilton saving himself for one final push over the last three laps of the race?

Verstappen increases his advantage. It’s back up to 1.9s.

US Grand Prix

21:31 , Jamie Braidwood

Lap 51/56: Indeed, Hamilton has not been able to cut the gap to Verstappen over the past couple of laps. In fact, Verstappen was 0.1 seconds faster.

Alonso is forced into a retirement, joining Ocon and Gasly.

US Grand Prix

21:29 , Jamie Braidwood

Lap 50/56: The rate of Hamilton’s gains will slow the closer he gets to Verstappen, as he begins to enter the dirty air behind the Red Bull.

US Grand Prix

21:27 , Jamie Braidwood

Lap 49/56: It’s a waiting game now, Hamilton is 1.8 seconds behind and we’re just a few laps away from Hamilton potentially being able to go for a move at the lead!

US Grand Prix

21:24 , Jamie Braidwood

Lap 46/56: Verstappen can see Hamilton is closing and asks his team what the pace advantage needed for the pass is.

Further back, Bottas is closing in on Sainz for sixth place.

US Grand Prix

21:21 , Jamie Braidwood

Lap 45/56: Hamilton can now see Verstappen up ahead. He’s within 3.5 seconds and is roughly half a second faster per lap.

US Grand Prix

21:19 , Jamie Braidwood

Lap 44/56: Hamilton is now within four seconds of his title rival and there’s no further traffic further up the road.

We will be seeing Hamilton going for the overtake of Verstappen over the course of the closing stages!

US Grand Prix

21:17 , Jamie Braidwood

43/56: Verstappen finally gets past the lapped Tsunoda, but Hamilton has cut the gap to 4.5 seconds!

Sainz goes for Ricciardo but the McLaren holds him off after a scrap for positioning! There’s was contact there. “That was dirty and deliberate,” says Sainz.

US Grand Prix

21:15 , Jamie Braidwood

Lap 42/56: Oh, but there we go. Hamilton takes a huge 1.9 seconds out of Verstappen’s lead and is now just 6.2 seconds behind!

It looks like Verstappen got stuck in traffic behind Tsunoda and Raikkonen - while that was compounded for Red Bull by Hamilton setting the new fastest lap of the race.

US Grand Prix

21:13 , Jamie Braidwood

Lap 40/56: As expected, Hamilton hasn’t cut the gap on Verstappen just yet - despite having the fresher tyres.

Both drivers have just set personal bests, although Perez still holds the fastest lap of the race so far.

US Grand Prix

21:11 , Jamie Braidwood

Lap 38/56: Mercedes tell Hamilton: “It’s all about the last three laps.”

Mercedes don’t want Hamilton to go all-out immediately. They think they will be able to strike late on.

US Grand Prix

21:07 , Jamie Braidwood

Lap 37/56: Hamilton pits!

It’s a good stop from Mercedes. Verstappen takes the lead and Hamilton comes out in second, 8.7 seconds behind the Red Bull.

18 laps to go... it’s a race for the line from here!

US Grand Prix

21:06 , Jamie Braidwood

Lap 36/56: Hamilton is dropping off the pace, with Verstappen cutting the gap to under 13 seconds now. When do Mercedes pull Hamilton in?

US Grand Prix

21:04 , Jamie Braidwood

Lap 34/56: Perez is currently the fastest driver out on the track. Verstappen did the last lap 1.3 seconds faster than Hamilton.

Bottas comes in for his second pit stop and comes out ahead of Norris in seventh.

US Grand Prix

21:01 , Jamie Braidwood

Lap 33/56: “We’re still target-plus-six or seven, if we can manage it,” Mercedes tell Hamilton.

This is going to go down to the wire!

US Grand Prix

20:59 , Jamie Braidwood

Lap 32/56: “The race is going to all about the last five laps,” Horner tells Sky. “Verstappen’s pace was starting to drop off.”

Wolff to Hamilton: “We can win this race, Lewis.”

US Grand Prix

20:57 , Jamie Braidwood

Lap 31/56: A flurry of action in the pits! Perez, Sainz, Ricciardo and Norris have all pitted. That shakes things up a bit, with Leclerc now third, Bottas up to fifth, and Ricciardo ahead of Sainz in sixth. Norris is eighth.

US Grand Prix

20:56 , Jamie Braidwood

Lap 30/56: Verstappen immediately overtakes Perez. He’s got 26 more laps, on a hot day, with his new tyres and there’s a 17-second gap to Hamilton.

US Grand Prix

20:54 , Jamie Braidwood

Lap 29/56: Verstappen pits! The Dutchman was told to push on the last lap of those medium tyres. At 2.8 seconds, it’s slower than his first one and he comes out behind team-mate Perez in third.

“Target-plus-six,” is the Mercedes message to Hamilton.

US Grand Prix

20:51 , Jamie Braidwood

Lap 28/56: Virtual safety car! It’s just a quick one though to clear up some debris. That hasn’t changed much. Actually, I take that back. Verstappen gained about half a second out of that brief VSC.

US Grand Prix

20:49 , Jamie Braidwood

Lap 26/56: Hamilton is down to just 2.7 seconds now. There was a 0.6s difference in time on the last lap, and that’s been fairly consistent.

There’s all sorts of back and forth between Alonso and Giovinazzi. This time it’s the Italian who makes the pass before he is immediately told to give the place back.

Elsewhere, Vettel gets past Russell to take 13th.

US Grand Prix

20:45 , Jamie Braidwood

Lap 24/56: Hamilton’s cut the gap down to 4.6 now. Hamilton’s tyres are three laps younger than Verstappen’s, so he’s probably able to be a bit more aggressive.

US Grand Prix

20:43 , Jamie Braidwood

Lap 22/56: Further gains from Hamilton on the next lap, now down to 5.3 seconds. I would imagine that Hamilton and Verstappen have been told to manage their tyres until the second round of pit stops, which are expected to come at around lap 34-38.

US Grand Prix

20:41 , Jamie Braidwood

Lap 21/56: Hamilton is cutting the gap to Verstappen, not by much, but gradually. It’s now down to 5.6 seconds.

Further back, there’s a good old battle between Alonso and Giovinazzi for 11th. Alonso took the place but ran wide and has been told to give the place back.

US Grand Prix

20:37 , Jamie Braidwood

Lap 19/56: Bottas has worked his way back up to eighth after getting past Tsunoda. Norris is next for him, but the McLaren is well clear.

Confirmation that Gasly is out of the race.

US Grand Prix

20:36 , Jamie Braidwood

Lap 18/56: Red Bull boss Christian Horner, speaking to Sky: “It was a shame about the start but we’ve got good pace and Max is doing well. It was a good [start] from Lewis and an average one from us. It’s like a game of chess this race. We’ll see how the strategies play out.”

US Grand Prix

20:34 , Jamie Braidwood

Lap 17/56

1. Verstappen

2. Hamilton +6.1

3. Perez +11.6

4. Leclerc +22.4

5. Ricciardo +21.2

US Grand Prix

20:32 , Jamie Braidwood

Lap 16/56: Bottas had yet to pit but does so now from fifth position. He comes out behind Vettel, Stroll and Tsunoda. Not where Mercedes want him.

And then there’s some brilliant battling between Raikkonen and Alonso for 13th place! The Finn comes out ahead but Alonso is not happy.

US Grand Prix

20:30 , Jamie Braidwood

Lap 15/56: Gasly has a problem. The Frenchman is slowly making his way back to the pits and has dropped to bottom place.

US Grand Prix

20:29 , Jamie Braidwood

Lap 14/56: Hamilton comes out six seconds behind Verstappen. What a huge swing from Red Bull, all thanks to that decision to pit early.

US Grand Prix

20:28 , Jamie Braidwood

Lap 13/56: Hamilton pits, and Red Bull have successfully executed the undercut! Hamilton comes out behind Verstappen.

US Grand Prix

20:26 , Jamie Braidwood

Lap 12/56: Verstappen: “We should force Hamilton to go long with Checo.”

But Perez pits immediately, and it’s a slow stop from Red Bull this time! He still comes out in third, with Verstappen now in second after Leclerc also pitted.

US Grand Prix

20:24 , Jamie Braidwood

Lap 11/56: Verstappen immediately overtakes Ricciardo into fourth. Leclerc is about three or four seconds ahead.

Hamilton has stayed out and has a five-second lead over Perez.

Verstappen’s message on the Red Bull radio was interesting before his pit stop. He effectively said his tyres were finished.

US Grand Prix

20:22 , Jamie Braidwood

Lap 10/15: Verstappen is coming in for his first pit stop as Red Bull go for the undercut! That’s early, but it’s a good stop from Red Bull, and the Dutchman comes out behind Ricciardo.

US Grand Prix

20:20 , Jamie Braidwood

Lap 9/56: Sainz has been told to let Lando Norris through following the Ferrari-McLaren battle in the first lap, in which it was Riccardo that actually passed the Spaniard into fifth place after he went wide. Not sure how that one will work out...

US Grand Prix

20:16 , Jamie Braidwood

Lap 8/56: “He’s quicker than me right now,” says Hamilton on the Mercedes team radio.

Verstappen: “He’s sliding a lot and I’ve got a lot more pace.”

US Grand Prix

20:15 , Jamie Braidwood

Lap 7/56: Latifi and Ocon have both been forced into early stops. Meanwhile, here’s the top five.

1. Hamilton

2. Verstappen +0.805

3. Perez +3.354

4. Leclerc +12.1

5. Ricciardo +14.4

US Grand Prix

20:13 , Jamie Braidwood

Lap 5/56: The front three have broken clear of the Ferraris and McLarens, who will be a brilliant side-plot in this United States Grand Prix.

There’s a six-second difference between Perez and Leclerc.

US Grand Prix

20:12 , Jamie Braidwood

Lap 4/56: A look at that perfect start from Hamilton, who has now set the fastest lap of the race.

US Grand Prix

20:10 , Jamie Braidwood

Lap 3/56: Bottas has dropped a position to Gasly and is now 10th, while Latifi and Stroll made contact on the first corner and are down with the two Haas cars.

Russell has gained seven places and is 13th early on.

US Grand Prix

20:08 , Jamie Braidwood

Lap 2/56: Hamilton is looking to pull away from Verstappen, while Perez has held onto third place. But listen to this from Verstappen: “He [Hamilton] is sliding around,” he says. Indeed, the Dutchman is starting to close the gap.

How about that start from Hamilton, though? Verstappen almost pushed Hamilton off the edge of the track but the Mercedes pulled clear into the first corner.

US Grand Prix: Hamilton leads!

20:06 , Jamie Braidwood

Lap 1/56: Incredible! It’s a huge start from Hamilton, and there’s a massive battle between the Ferraris and McLarens between fourth and seventh! Ricciardo takes Sainz into fifth!

US Grand Prix: LIGHTS OUT!

20:04 , Jamie Braidwood

Verstappen pushes Hamilton to the edge, but Hamilton takes the lead after the first corner!

US Grand Prix: Formation lap underway!

20:02 , Jamie Braidwood

Here we go!

US Grand Prix

19:59 , Jamie Braidwood

We are moments away from the United States Grand Prix! The first corner is going to be epic, and the Circuit of the Americas ranked third for overtakes when the race was last held in 2019. And with Verstappen starting on pole ahead of Hamilton, there are surely going to be some fireworks.

US Grand Prix: Starting grid

19:53 , Jamie Braidwood

  1. Max Verstappen - Red Bull

  2. Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes

  3. Sergio Perez - Red Bull

  4. Charles Leclerc - Ferrari

  5. Carlos Sainz - Ferrari

  6. Daniel Ricciardo - McLaren

  7. Lando Norris - McLaren

  8. Pierre Gasly - AlphaTauri

  9. Valtteri Bottas - Mercedes

  10. Yuki Tsunoda - AlphaTauri

  11. Esteban Ocon - Alpine

  12. Antonio Giovinazzi - Alfa Romeo

  13. Lance Stroll - Aston Martin

  14. Nicholas Latifi - Williams

  15. Kimi Raikkonen - Alfa Romeo -

  16. Mick Schumacher - Haas

  17. Nikita Mazepin - Haas

  18. Sebastian Vettel - Aston Martin

  19. Fernando Alonso - Alpine

  20. George Russel - Williams

US Grand Prix

19:52 , Jamie Braidwood

Gasly’s car been given the all clear. The AlphaTauri is up and running.

Toto Wolff tells Sky Sports that the tyres will be “melting” on the hot track surface in Austin, Texas today.

US Grand Prix

19:50 , Jamie Braidwood

There seems to be an issue with Pierre Gasly’s car. It looks like he might have been hit by a mechanical issue and AlphaTauri are desperately trying to fix it.

US Grand Prix

19:48 , Jamie Braidwood

A huge US flag is flown over the track as we pause for the national anthem. This feels like a huge occasion at the Circuit of the Americas today, by far the biggest US Grand Prix many in F1 have ever seen.

This from George Russell: “It’s warm out there. The tyres are going to be tricky. I think it will be a two-stop strategy for everyone.”

US Grand Prix

19:44 , Jamie Braidwood

Christian Horner to Sky Sports on what he told Verstappen and Perez ahead of today’s race: “Go for it - get round the first corner and get stuck in. We need both guys to get a good start,” he says.

Moments before, Horner met former NBA champion Shaquille O’Neal, while other stars on the grid include Rory McIlroy and Ben Stiller.

US Grand Prix

19:36 , Jamie Braidwood

The cars are on the starting grid and we have less than 30 minutes to go until lights out at the United States Grand Prix.

Sergio Perez had some drama with a leaky water bottle in his cockpit, but it seems the issue has been resolved by Red Bull.

There’s a packed crowd in Austin on what has turned out to be a blistering hot day in Texas.

US Grand Prix: Pit-stop strategies?

19:24 , Jamie Braidwood

It’s expected that the leading drivers will opt for a two-stop pit strategy at the Circuit of the Americas today, with potential pit-stop windows opening up from laps 10-17, and then laps 32-37.

After an overcast morning in Texas, the sun has broken through and track temperatures are expected to increase to 40 degrees. That could result in high degradation levels on the tyres today.

US Grand Prix

19:15 , Jamie Braidwood

Formula 1 has enjoyed its return to the United States for the first time since 2019, after last season’s race was cancelled due to Covid-19.

The sport has experienced a boom in popularity in those two years, and we’re set for a packed home crowd in Austin for the latest instalment of his dramatic title race. Serena Williams and Megan Thee Stallion are leading the “celebrity watch” standings so far.

 (Getty Images)
(Getty Images)

US Grand Prix: Hamilton and Verstappen on first corner

19:07 , Jamie Braidwood

After two on-track collision so far this season, all eyes will be on Verstappen and Hamilton’s run to the first corner at the Circuit of the Americas. Naturally, both drivers were asked about another potential head-to-head in Austin today.

Hamilton: “I hope we make it through turn one and we get a good race. It is all fun and games. We are going to have fun tomorrow, and give it everything as you would expect. It is no real difference to any other part of the season.”

Verstappen: “I don’t see why we have to keep bringing this up. It is not like we are the only ones who have touched in this sport. These things happen unfortunately. But we are on the front row again and everyone is just expecting a great race and as drivers that is what we expect, too. We will be professional.”

US Grand Prix: Verstappen beats Hamilton to pole

19:02 , Jamie Braidwood

In case you missed the action from qualifying yesterday, you missed a brilliant final lap from Max Verstappen to pip Hamilton to US Grand Prix pole.

After Sergio Perez had set the early pace, Verstappen beat Hamilton by two tenths, with the seven-time world champion unable to respond to the Dutchman’s pace on the final lap.

Valtteri Bottas finished fourth but will start ninth after taking an engine penalty.

Max Verstappen beats Lewis Hamilton to pole position at the United States GP

18:50 , Lawrence Ostlere

A thrilling Formula 1 title race between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen will continue this evening as the United States Grand Prix plays out in Austin, Texas.

Verstappen will start in pole position at the Circuit of the Americas, with rival Hamilton joining him in the front row. Dutchman Verstappen leads the Briton by six points in the drivers’ standings with six races left this season – including today’s event – having reclaimed top spot in the championship battle at this month’s Turkish GP. The Red Bull driver appears to be on track for his first ever F1 title, but he will need to navigate the remaining races without incident in order to dethrone seven-time champion Hamilton, and there is no guarantee of that.

Verstappen and Hamilton have already collided twice this season, including on the opening lap of the British GP this summer, when the Mercedes man went on to claim the victory while Verstappen could not continue. The pair then took each other out of the Italian GP in September, but it is the first of those two incidents that will leave fans wondering whether the rivals can make it through the opening corners in Texas without losing their cool.