Max Verstappen easily disposes of Lewis Hamilton and convincingly wins the American sprint race
A thrilling start to the sprint race at the Circuit of the Americas ensured that Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton immediately rose to second place. It was caused by a fierce battle between Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc to see who would pass the first turn first. After the start, Verstappen immediately pulled to the full left in an attempt to close down the Monaco Ferrari and keep it at bay. Maybe his defensive disposition was driven by stats in Austin. In the last five Grands Prix, four times the person who started from second has been first through the first corner.
But not this time, as Hamilton then overtook the beleaguered Leclerc. The seven-time world champion from Mercedes quickly showed that he intended not only to capitalize, but to attack as well. He immediately managed to stay within DRS distance of Verstappen for a few laps. As soon as the Dutchman got rid of him, he was quick to make an excuse. “Max gets out of line too often,” he clicked on the onboard radio.
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That message seemed essentially one of desperation, because in the end Hamilton simply couldn't keep up with his rival. Verstappen easily drove to victory in the sprint and still led by more than nine seconds at the end. Thus he sent a signal towards the next major race. Because Red Bull's speed is good. Sergio Perez has shown that too. The Mexican, who had a disappointing qualifying and a mediocre Sprint Shootout, managed to move up a few more places in the sprint race. But he never came close to the podium, finishing fifth.
The top three remained in a race free of major incidents, as was the case after the first turn. With Leclerc occupying third place behind Verstappen and Hamilton. As a result, Mercedes appears to be somewhat stronger than Ferrari and McLaren on the Circuit of the Americas. Which means that Hamilton may also become Verstappen's main rival during the main race.
Then the Dutch would only have to overtake the British and not the other way around. He will have great confidence that he will succeed, because he said he completed the sprint the way he did 'Simply adorable.'
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