F1 News
This is how the British F1 press reacted to Max Verstappen's win in America
The British press have applauded the strong performance by Max Verstappen in the United States Grand Prix. The Dutchman opened up a 12 point advantage in the World Championship after a stunning drive that saw him fend off a rampant Lewis Hamilton in the closing stages of the event. Hamilton had the fresher tyres, but Red Bull favoured track position with their strategy and that proved to be the order of the day in a 56 lap race. This is how the British press reacted to the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas.
BBC Sport
The BBC looks at how Verstappen performed in the final stages of the event, applauding The 24-year-olds maturity. "Verstappen's victory, taken in impressively mature and controlled style in a tense strategic fight, extended his championship lead to 12 points with five races to go. Verstappen deserves it for the mature way in which he measured out his tyres and controlled the race from the front once he had been handed the lead by his team's strategy."
The Guardian
The Guardian reflects on the move at the opening corner of the race that saw Hamilton take the lead, and how he couldn't replicate this on the final lap. "With its steep rise towards a hairpin left turn, the first corner here is an open-throttled test of nerve. An aggressive approach initially paid off for Lewis Hamilton as he overtook Max Verstappen at the start. Hamilton dived for the inside and surged into the lead, forcing his title rival’s Red Bull wide after he was unable to cut off the Mercedes. But Verstappen endured, coolly and stubbornly, and the British driver could not get close enough to try another bold overtaking manoeuvre that would have produced an ending as thrilling as the start."
Sky Sports
Sky Sports believe this result gives Verstappen and Red Bull an important foothold. "With almost a quarter of this gripping 22-race campaign still to come over the next seven weeks, it would be dangerous to read too much into the significance of Verstappen's Austin success but is undoubtedly still acts a timely fillip for Red Bull just when their title challenge just seemed to be losing a little momentum."
The Mirror sees the result as a "huge blow" to Lewis Hamilton's title chances. "That was evident at the US Grand Prix as Verstappen recovered from a stuttering start to end his three-race winless run and extend his lead over Hamilton to 12 points heading into the final five races of this season. Last night's result will come as a huge blow to Hamilton who is bidding to to eclipse Michael Schumacher's record of seven world championships."
The Daily Mail highlight how Hamilton's dream is wobbling. "Lewis Hamilton’s dream of an eighth world title wobbled here in Texas, as Max Verstappen took victory and a tighter grip on the championship’s destiny. The Briton gave it his all, both with a lightning start and consistently pulverising laps, but the might of the Red Bull and its 24-year-old master racer was too much on this occasion. Hamilton finished a very close second, hunting to the end, the margin vanishing to almost nothing, hearts-in-mouths, but he now trails his Dutch rival by 12 points with five races remaining in this captivating duel that refuses to die."
