It wasn’t exactly a drive in the park, but Max Verstappen won the U.S. Grand Prix in Austin on Sunday to claim his record-extending 15th feature race win of the season.
Verstappen, who also won the sprint race on Saturday, had to start from sixth position after his pole-winning qualifying lap was deleted because he exceeded the track limits on the last turn.
It wasn’t an issue for the Red Bull driver as he was able to take the lead midway through the race.
He built up a large lead, but saw it dwindle in the closing laps as he fought a brake issue and Lewis Hamilton quickly closed the gap, but was just more than a second behind when they entered the last DRS zone that offered an opportunity to pass.
It wouldn’t have mattered, however, as Hamilton and sixth-place finisher Charles Leclerc, who started his Ferrari from pole position, were both disqualified after their cars failed post-race inspections for issues with the underbody skids that regulate the car’s ride height during a race.
That moved Williams Racing’s American driver Logan Sargeant up from 12th to 10th, which was the best result of his rookie career and earned him his first point as an F1 driver.
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Hamilton’s original finish moved him just 19 points behind Red Bull’s Sergio Perez in third, but the adjusted result has spread the gap to 39 with four races remaining.
Verstappen locked up the title during the Qatar Grand Prix sprint race two weeks ago.