A fine, hard-fought victory that demonstrated the double world champion’s thirst for victory and confirmed the constructors’ title to his team, which had eluded them since 2013.

Tears of happiness at Red Bull, but also of emotion contained in a complicated weekend for them since the death of Mateschitz occurred a few minutes before qualifying on Saturday.

Not even having the championship, the second of his career, curtailed the appetite of ‘Mad’ Max, who recovered from a mistake made by his team during a pit stop and took the honey of the lips of Briton Lewis Hamilton when the seven-time champion was close to his first victory of the year.

That of Stevenage fought for the victory, but could not prevent it. Something similar happened to the Spaniard Fernando Alonso (Alpine) in the last meters with the Briton Lando Norris (McLaren), who took sixth place after a resistance race from the Spaniard.

HARD BLOW TO CARLOS SAINZ

Carlos Sainz (Ferrari), who had brilliantly won pole position on Saturday, and Alonso chatted on the way to their cars, just before the race. They were talking about sensations, about the track being prepared for a frustrating Grand Prix for the Madrid native.

The ‘poleman’ did not get his best start on medium tyres, like almost all cars (only Alpine and Haas drove hard) and lost position to Verstappen in the first corner, but the worst came moments later when Britain’s George Russell, in his battle with partner Lewis Hamilton, slammed into the Ferrari. Sainz’s career was definitely going to be ruined. He went to the garage and there he ended up parking his car.

A blow for the Spaniard, the second consecutive retirement in the first lap, more cruel than that of Japan because he started from the first position and, although he favored Verstappen, he counted on giving him more battle than Russell wouldn’t allow him. That of Mercedes receives a penalty of five seconds.

VERSTAPPEN AT THE FRONT

The champion took his 13th victory of the season to equal the record held by Germans Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel, which he can break.

The wind was one of his biggest obstacles. Soon he was complaining on the radio about the difficulty of driving in the sweltering Austin air. In the rearview mirror, further and further, Hamilton, with Lance Stroll (Aston Martin), behind the seven-time champion in these first laps of the race. The Canadian was quickly overtaken by Russell and ‘Checo’ Pérez, who started from ninth position. Having not even lost an ‘end plate’, the lateral end, of the front fender, stopped him.

The Guadalajara man led the race after early saves from Hamilton and Verstappen, who went flat out. For the Dutchman, everything went smoothly. He only had to resist Stroll for a few meters, he fell behind his teammate and regained the lead.

Behind, Leclerc had managed, without making any stops, to place himself in second provisional position, two seconds behind Verstappen and four ahead of Hamilton when the Finn Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo), on the 17th lap, lost control of his single-seater and stopped at turn 19, forcing the safety car out, which seemed unlikely at this circuit.

ALONSO’S FLIGHT

Those who hadn’t stopped, like Alonso, took the opportunity to enter the pits. The race resumed on lap 21 with Verstappen, Hamilton, Checo and Leclerc in the lead, who did not change. Yes, there were changes later. Alonso passed Gasly and, as he came out of Stroll’s slipstream, a late move from the Aston Martin caused the collision which, thankfully, scared him off. The Alpine did a wheelie, on two wheels, but was able to continue past the pits. The Canadian, who will be his teammate next year, has ended his career.

Again a safety car on track and, behind him, without news at the head of the race, Pérez and Leclerc began the battle for third place. A fight that won the Ferrari on the second attempt, on the 30th lap.

THE RED BULL BUG

Verstappen kept complaining about the wind, feeling uncomfortable. His distance from Hamilton was reduced to just under a second and a half. The Briton attempted the undercut (advance the stop) in the 35th. He was wearing hard shoes. ‘Mad’ Max had 21.6 seconds left for Stevenage to make his save. He entered after him, but his time in the box was disastrous (11.1 seconds due to a left front wheel problem). Leclerc, who also stopped, even left before him.

The champion, enraged, beat the Monegasque, Checo did the same with Russell. Several track battles and, meanwhile, Vettel’s Aston Martin was in the lead. Until lap 41, when Hamilton overtook him. The German went to the garage and a stoppage of 16.8 seconds lost him many places (he finished eighth).

It’s been a long race for Hamilton. It was a time trial for ‘Mad’ Max. Red Bull’s was going full throttle, reducing the difference to half a second per lap, until he got to two seconds with ten laps to go and caught him with six to go after an impulse like the one they knew last year on this same track, then with the title at stake.

The result was the same. Verstappen, again leader, was warned of a penalty for exceeding the limits of the track. Hamilton tried not to let him get away, but was also threatened with a penalty and threw in the towel.

After Hamilton, Leclerc, who started twelfth, finished on the podium, ahead of Pérez and Russell. Behind, the boar Fernando Alonso, who had lost a mirror along the way, had no choice but to give up sixth place, the first in the other league, to Lando Norris on the day of Red Bull and the tribute to Dietrich.