F1 U.S. Grand Prix: Max Verstappen’s win feels like watershed moment in title showdown with Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton
New York TimesAUSTIN, Texas — Too much can still happen. Yet in the aftermath of Verstappen winning Sunday’s United States Grand Prix from the pole, there was an unmistakable feeling that the Dutchman took a sizable step toward securing his first Formula One world championship. That this victory is the moment Verstappen and Red Bull would look back on as the one that catapulted them to the title, snapping the stranglehold Hamilton and Mercedes have had on the drivers’ title; Hamilton’s streak ending at four, Mercedes’ streak at an unmatched seven. “So he’s using that really well.” And when Red Bull twice used pit strategy to undercut Hamilton, Verstappen maintained the lead while Hamilton exited the pits. Related reading Gluck: Formula One’s U.S. growth, NASCAR’s decline come together in one startling weekend ‘It’s about time somebody kicked ass’: Christian Horner on pressuring Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes and Max Verstappen Netflix’s ‘Drive to Survive’ effect on F1’s U.S. popularity is on full display at the U.S. Grand Prix Could the United States host three Formula One races every year?