Max Verstappen fought back to pass Lewis Hamilton to win a dramatic United States Grand Prix and equal the record for victories in a season.
Verstappen was controlling the race until a delay at his final pit stop handed the lead to Hamilton and also dropped the Red Bull driver behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
The pit problem gave Hamilton a chance to end his and Mercedes’ win drought in a difficult season for the team.
But the pace of the new world champion was just too much, and Verstappen caught and passed Hamilton with six laps to go, the seven-time champion defenceless against the formidable straight-line speed of the Red Bull.
Verstappen’s 13th win this year equals the record for wins in a season, held by Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel, and was sufficient for Red Bull to clinch the constructors’ title for the first time since 2013, securing a double after Verstappen clinched the drivers’ title last time out in Japan.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished third from 12th on the grid, helped by the two safety car periods that punctuated the middle of the race, ahead of Red Bull’s Sergio Perez and Mercedes’ George Russell.
