AUSTIN, Texas –
Max Verstappen handed Lewis Hamilton late to earn a record-tying 13th win of the season at the United States Grand Prix on Sunday, and delivered a victory to honour the recollection of Red Bull workforce founder and proprietor Dietrich Mateschitz.
Verstappen’s race was practically undone by a uncommon sluggish pit cease by Red Bull halfway by way of the race that dropped him properly behind Hamilton. But Verstappen fought again to cross final season’s rival for the championship on lap 50 of 56.
Verstappen then had to maintain off the pestering Hamilton by way of the ultimate laps as his workforce warned him not to exceed monitor limits that may draw a penalty.
The win as a aid for Red Bull. The workforce had introduced shortly earlier than qualifying on Saturday that Mateschitz had died at age 78. Verstappen vowed he’d give every part to get the win to honor him.
The win continued Verstappen’s run of dominance in 2022. He had already clinched the season championship in Japan two weeks earlier. Sunday’s win tied him with Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel for many in a season with three races nonetheless to go.
Since its founding, Red Bull has gained six driver championships and 5 constructors’ titles. Verstappen’s win clinched this season’s workforce championship
Mateschitz, the Austrian billionaire co-founder of the Red Bull vitality drinks world empire, purchased the Jaguar workforce in 2004 and rebranded it as Red Bull in 2005. He added a second workforce to the Red Bull secure when he purchased the Minardi program renamed it Toro Rosso in 2006 to be a program for coaching youthful drivers. That workforce is now Alpha Tauri.
The workforce introduced a teenage Verstappen into its racing program and promoted him to F1 in 2015 when he was simply 17, with the hopes he may develop into the youngest champion in collection historical past. Mercedes’ dominance over 2014-2020 prevented that.
But Mateschitz, who had been reportedly ailing for months and died at age 78, lived lengthy sufficient to see Verstappen win two championships and begin what may very well be one other dominant period for the workforce he based.
F1 held a quick tribute to honor Mateschitz earlier than the race. Large indicators of “Danke Didi” (Thank you, Didi) had been posted on the video screens and Vettel, who gained 4 championships with Red Bull and now races with Aston Martin, appeared to be combating again tears.