Both Verstappen and Red Bull team boss Christian Horner dedicated the victory to team co-founder and team owner Dietrich Mateschitz who died aged 78 over the weekend.
In a frantic race, two safety car periods disguised how dominant Verstappen could have been, and then a slow pitstop meant the 2022 F1 world champion had to chase down Hamilton and Leclerc.
Hamilton and Mercedes can be buoyed by second place after an upgrade package strengthened their performance, as Ferrari’s Leclerc recovered to third following a grid penalty for an engine change.
Elsewhere, it was a nightmare race for polesitter Carlos Sainz who got hit by George Russell in a tangle at the first corner, and future team-mates Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso had a dramatic crash on the back straight.
A knock-on effect of the crash saw Haas protest Alonso’s damaged car on safety grounds, and the Alpine driver was given a post-race time penalty which dropped him out of the points – a decision the French squad has appealed.
In the latest Autosport podcast, host Martyn Lee is joined by Autosport F1 reporter Luke Smith and US journalist Mandy Curi in Austin to look back at the United States GP.
You can listen to the podcast using the player below, or via all good audio platforms including Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts.
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