Many of Verstappen’s recent successes have not exactly pushed the Dutchman to dig deep, such has been the advantage of the RB19, but the United States Grand Prix was different. As Alex Kalinauckas explains, a combination of a track limits penalty, Red Bull brake problems, improved performance from McLaren and Mercedes, and an inspired Hamilton made Verstappen’s job more challenging than anyone expected on Sunday.
In the end, Hamilton’s disqualification (and also that of Charles Leclerc, both explained in the news pages) made the battle academic, but it was good while it lasted before F1 heads to Mexico – where the Red Bulls are likely to disappear down the road at a rate of knots. Verstappen has won four of the past five GPs there…
