"As in Former Times" - The Smooth Sail to Triumph in the Races
Max Verstappen put an end to his unexpected losing streak in Formula 1. The three-time world champion celebrated his first victory since his Grand Prix triumph on June 23 in Barcelona in the sprint race at Austin. In the championship battle, he didn't lose any points to his pursuer Lando Norris in the Red Bull for the first time since the Belgian Grand Prix. "It wasn't so bad. It felt a bit like the old times. We finally raced again."
As a result, he extended his lead over the McLaren driver by two points to 54. However, this could change as early as this Sunday (9 pm/Sky and in the live ticker at ntv.de) in the main race with the United States Grand Prix. The starting positions for this will be determined around midnight in Germany. Norris managed to finish third in the sprint, but was overtaken by Carlos Sainz in the Ferrari on the final lap.
"I'm quite happy, to be honest," said Norris, whose tires were completely worn out: "We lacked a bit of pace against Max and the Ferraris." Charles Leclerc finished fourth in the second car of the Scuderia ahead of the two Mercedes drivers George Russell and Lewis Hamilton. Nico Hülkenberg managed to finish eighth and score a point for that.
The Red Bull is regaining its speed
It had already become apparent in the first and only free practice session: The innovations and changes to Verstappen's RB 20 are currently paying off. The pole position for the sprint race was the first proof of this. Over 19 laps, the 27-year-old Dutchman provided the second.
When the red lights went out, Verstappen defended his starting position. And that's not easy on the Circuit of the Americas. It goes uphill first, then there's a left-hand bend and it goes downhill again. Especially advantageous for the one on starting position two, in this case Russell. The Mercedes driver, whom Verstappen had beaten by 12 thousandths of a second in the sprint qualification, had no chance. Verstappen pulled alongside the Briton in the Mercedes and into the first corner. Behind him, however, his WM rival Norris had a great start.
Otherwise often plagued by starting difficulties, the 24-year-old McLaren driver gained two places and drove to second place. Instead of being able to attack Verstappen, Norris first had to defend himself against Russell, who then had problems with his tires and fell back. At the front, Verstappen drove rather comfortably towards his fourth sprint win in the fourth sprint race of this year, while Norris had a lock-up shortly before the end and had to let Sainz pass.
Max Verstappen's winning streak continues as he finishes first in the sprint race, maintaining his position ahead of Lando Norris in the championship. Max Verstappen's Red Bull is regaining its speed, as evidenced by his pole position and dominant performance in the sprint race.
