A special win, as it was Red Bull Racing’s 200th podium and came on the anniversary of Honda’s very first Formula 1 victory on this day back in 1965, when Ritchie Ginther won the Mexican Grand Prix in the Honda RA 272.
Starting from pole position, Max dropped to second place behind Lewis Hamilton at Turn 1 but smart strategy from Red Bull would soon reverse those positions. An early first pit stop for hard tyres – on lap 10 – gave him the undercut to regain the lead.
Sergio slotted into third place at the start and remained comfortably there, making his first stop on lap 12. Sergio switch to mediums and the change meant Hamilton had to respond on the next lap and that allowed Max to pull clear.
Yuki had made a good start to run eighth ahead of Pierre in tenth, but the Frenchman soon overtook Valtteri Bottas so that the two Scuderia AlphaTauri cars ran one behind the other. Yuki’s first stop came on lap nine, and Pierre came in one lap later but then was forced to retire after reporting a problem at the rear of his car.
With Hamilton closing in during the middle part of the race, Red Bull remained aggressive and called Max in for a second stop on lap 29, covering off the undercut as he then would go to the end on hard tyres. The team believed track position was the key and they were proved right.
Sergio made his second stop on lap 32 and comfortably remained in third place, while Yuki’s second pit stop came two laps later, rejoining on the edge of the points.
Max had stopped eight laps before Hamilton, so the Mercedes made inroads into his lead in the latter part of the race, but the championship leader was faultless in managing his pace and keeping Hamilton at bay. The pair started the final lap less than a second apart, but Max pulled clear to win by 1.3s and take his eighth victory of the season.
After racing without a drink for the majority of a very hot afternoon, Sergio took a very solid third place to help close the gap in the constructors’ championship by 13 points, while Yuki scored a very solid two points in ninth place.
Red Bull Racing Honda
MAX VERSTAPPEN – 1st
“It was an exciting race and it feels incredible to win here in front of all the fans. The pressure was on for the whole race and not knowing how quickly Lewis would catch up. I actually thought I had a decent start, but Lewis had an even better one. So we went for an aggressive strategy after losing the lead into turn one and we pitted early in the first stint.
Then for the middle stint we were in that undercut range, so we had to respond and we went for track position which made the last stint very long, especially in this heat. The last two laps were definitely difficult on the tyres, there wasn’t much grip left. But, then with two laps to go, I had the Haas in front of me and I was able to benefit from the DRS, so we managed to hang on in the end. We definitely gave it our all today as a Team and it was great to have Checo up there with me on the podium.”
SERGIO PÉREZ – 3rd
“That was the hardest and longest race of my life. I wasn’t feeling great before the race and then my drinks system stopped working on the first lap and with the hot weather today it was very physical and a pretty tough afternoon. I was struggling massively and by lap 20 I was done, so it was a shame I couldn’t keep up with Max and Lewis but there are a lot of positives to take from this weekend and back to back podiums are always nice. It’s a good result for the Team, the undercut worked well and Lewis had no option but to cover me which helped Max out in front, so we can be very happy as a Team.
I’m so looking forward to Mexico, the Team have done well there in the past and I think we’ll have a good package for my home race. I can’t wait and I hope to be on the podium again in front of my home fans.”
CHRISTIAN HORNER – Team Principal
“What an incredible victory and double podium for the Team! It’s our first US GP win since 2013 and what a way to do it. At the beginning of the race we had really good pace on the mediums and Max was able to put pressure on Lewis, but we know that he is so strong at the end of the race and he went long which bought himself an advantage. So we went for track position and Max held on and managed the race superbly, especially his last stint on the hard tyre to have enough left to keep his lead at the end. It was a tough race for Checo with no drinks system, but again the way he managed the race was fantastic and you can see him growing in confidence with his second podium in consecutive races. He produced a phenomenal drive and with his home race coming up he’s finding his form, which is crucial for us at this time of year. It’s five to go now, and we know that there are a couple of races where Mercedes will have the edge and a couple where we will be strong, so the rest of the season is going to be really tight.”
Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda
YUKI TSUNODA – 9th
“It’s been a good day, I’ve managed to score some important points for the team in the Championship, so I’m really happy with that. It was really tough out there as it was so hot! It wasn’t easy starting on the soft tyre, as I had a different strategy to everyone around me, but it meant that I had the advantage on the opening lap, and I tried to make the most of it. The pace today was quite good, so I’m pleased to be coming away with points.”
PIERRE GASLY – DNF
“Unfortunately, we had a suspension problem today, that forced us to retire the car. At the moment we don’t know the real cause, so we’ll have to go away and investigate this. It’s very frustrating because we know every point counts at this stage in our midfield battle. It would’ve been really good to go until the end of this race, as the atmosphere has been incredible this weekend, right from the very beginning, so it’s a shame to not be seeing the chequered flag.”
JODY EGGINTON – Technical Director
“Today we’ve had a fantastic, well-deserved points finish for Yuki. He managed his race well, making good use of the soft tyre in the first stint and then managing both sets of the hards to maintain his track position and score points. Frustratingly, Pierre had what looks like a suspension issue, which meant that we had to retire his car. This is something we need to ensure we have understood and resolved ahead of the next race. It cost us some crucial points, which is unfortunate for Pierre and the team. Overall, the package has shown a good level of performance here in Austin, so the objective is to continue this form and keep the pressure on for fifth in the Constructors Championship.”