Max Verstappen won the US Grand Prix sprint race in Austin, Texas, capitalizing on an early safety car period and a subsequent battle for second between george Russell and himself. The race featured a late collision between Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and Haas’ Esteban Ocon, ending the event under another safety car.
The safety car was initially deployed after five laps following an incident involving Stroll and Ocon at the first corner, causing significant damage to both cars and requiring extensive repairs ahead of qualifying at 22:00 BST.
Following the restart, Russell aggressively challenged Verstappen for the lead, attempting a late dive into Turn 12 on lap seven.Both drivers ran off track, but Verstappen maintained his position and quickly extended his advantage.
Carlos Sainz Jr. held third, closely watched by Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton overtook teammate Charles Leclerc on lap eight down the back straight, after Leclerc had a snap through the Esses and briefly cut a corner earlier in the lap.
Leclerc attempted to regain the position through the stadium section, but Hamilton successfully defended. Leclerc ultimately finished fifth, with Alex Albon of Williams sixth and Yuki Tsunoda of Red Bull seventh.
Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes secured the final point, benefiting from a 10-second penalty assessed to Haas driver Oliver bearman, who was deemed to have gained an advantage by leaving the track during a passing attempt on Antonelli into Turn 12.
Bearman disputed the penalty,believing Antonelli had forced him off track.
Lance Stroll was given a five-place grid penalty for Sunday’s grand prix and two penalty points on his license as a result of the collision with Ocon.
