Coulthard on Verstappen's race: 'Max factor came into play again'

David Coulthard held his breath as Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton battled each other for victory in Austin. The former Formula 1 driver feared the two drivers would come together, but in the end nothing happened and Verstappen walked away with the victory.

Last year's season revolved around the title fight between Verstappen and Hamilton. The two rivals clashed twice on track in major crashes at Silverstone and Monza. The season ended in Abu Dhabi, where Verstappen controversially won the world title on the very last lap.

This season, Mercedes is not fighting at the top, so the two rivals have rarely met on the track. At the US Grand Prix, Verstappen and Hamilton battled it out for victory for the first time this year. However, the Dutchman was a lot faster than the seven-time world champion and managed to overtake him for the win despite a slow pit stop.

'Verstappen factor came into play again'

Coulthard held his breath as the two rivals battled it out. "I was watching the unfold and I was thinking ‘they’re going to come together, they’re going to come together’ because they did it so many times last year," the Scot says on Channel 4.

Hamilton was disappointed afterwards that he had not won the race, but the Mercedes car is just not as strong as the RB18. "Hamilton had done a faultless race, but the Verstappen factor came into play again. An uncharacteristic slow pit stop that will be reviewed and understood, and then Max makes the difference."