Max Verstappen converts pole to victory to seal record third Sprint win of 2023 season; Lewis Hamilton beats Charles Leclerc to second after opening-lap overtake; watch the United States Grand Prix live on Sky Sports F1 and Main Event at 8pm on Sunday
Last Updated: 21/10/23 11:50pm
Max Verstappen held off Lewis Hamilton’s early challenge to claim a record third Sprint victory of the season at the United States Grand Prix.
Red Bull’s Verstappen, who sealed his third successive drivers’ title at the previous round of the 2023 championship in Qatar, led the 19 laps from start to finish to become the first driver to win three Sprints in a season.
Hamilton was given the benefit of the doubt by the stewards after running off track as he overtook Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc on the opening lap, and applied early pressure to Verstappen in the early stages.
However, the Dutchman moved out of DRS range about a third of the way through the race and then opening up a nine-second gap, which suggests he will have a strong chance of sealing another victory in Sunday’s Grand Prix despite only starting sixth on the grid.
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Lewis Hamilton moves up into second position as Max Verstappen holds the lead on the opening lap of the Austin Sprint.
Leclerc, who will start on pole on Sunday, finished a further eight seconds back from Hamilton, suggesting Ferrari are in for a challenging afternoon.
After losing a place on the opening lap, Lando Norris regained his starting position of fourth and showed promising pace in the final stages to suggest that he, along with Hamilton, are most likely to challenge Verstappen on Sunday, starting from second and third, respectively.
Verstappen’s team-mate Sergio Perez climbed from seventh on the grid to take fifth, but lost ground on Hamilton in the drivers’ standing as he attempts to hold onto second to seal Red Bull’s first ever one-two.
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George Russell received a five second penalty for overtaking Oscar Piastri with all four wheels off the track.
Carlos Sainz benefitted from being the only driver to use soft tyres rather than the medium compound to jump two places at the start, but ultimately finished where he began in sixth.
Pierre Gasly took seventh for Alpine, while George Russell hung on to the final point for Mercedes after being given a five-second time penalty for going off track when passing McLaren’s Oscar Piastri.
United States GP Sprint Result
1) Max Verstappen, Red Bull (8 points)
2) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes (7 points)
3) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari (6 points)
4) Lando Norris, McLaren (5 points)
5) Sergio Perez, Red Bull (4 points)
6) Carlos Sainz, Ferrari (3 points)
7) Pierre Gasly, Alpine (2 points)
8) George Russell, Mercedes (1 points)
9) Alex Albon, Williams
10) Oscar Piastri, McLaren
More to follow…
When to watch the US GP and F1 Academy finale live only on Sky Sports F1
Sunday October 22
- 3.30pm: F1 Academy Race Three
- 6.30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: US GP build-up
- 8pm: THE UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX (also on Sky Sports Main Event)
- 10pm: Chequered Flag: US GP reaction
- 11pm: Ted’s Notebook
Watch Formula 1 return to Texas for the United States Grand Prix on Sunday, with lights out at 8pm at Circuit of The Americas. Stream F1 on Sky Sports with NOW