AUSTIN, Texas — Compared to the 18 other drivers taking part in the U.S. Grand Prix, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton were in a league of their own.
Pushing each other to the limit until the final lap, the two title rivals finished 40 seconds clear of the next car on the road — Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez — and crossed the line with just 1.333s separating them.
Either driver could have won the race, but when it came down to it Verstappen just had the edge. And with five more rounds to go, it’s looking increasingly likely that a similarly small margin will decide the championship in his favour by the end of the year.
A big win for Verstappen
Make no mistake, Verstappen’s victory on Sunday was one of the best of his career. It showed a level of maturity, patience and class that was occasionally lacking in his earlier career but has now become a staple of his performances each race weekend.
The win, Verstappen’s eighth from 17 races this year, saw him double his lead from six points to 12 in the standings with five races remaining. It was a body blow to Hamilton’s campaign as the championship heads to two circuits, Mexico and Brazil, where Red Bull is expected to have a significant advantage.
It means that by the time F1 heads to the Middle East for the final three races in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi, there is a very real chance Verstappen will have one hand firmly on the world championship trophy.
By contrast, the Circuit of the Americas was supposed to be a track that favoured Mercedes. Prior to this weekend, the reigning champions had been on pole position every year since 2014 in Texas and won five of the six races in the same period.
Yet somewhere between first practice on Friday, when Mercedes looked like it had the stronger car, and qualifying on Saturday, Red Bull stole a march on its rivals and Hamilton and Mercedes were left with…
Source : espn
