Motorsport

LEWIS HAMILTON looks set for his first winless season in F1 after being pipped to the chequered flag by Max Verstappen in Texas.Verstappen – who equals F1’s record for the most wins in a season with 13 – also helped his Red Bull team wrap up an emotional constructors’ championship at the US GP.
Hamilton had to settle for second spot on the podium after being pipped by VerstappenCredit: Rex
Hamilton pushed him to the wire and crossed the line five second behind the Dutchman meaning his barren run, which stretches back to last November, goes on.
The seven-time world champion also came close to winning in Holland, while he was second in France and Hungary, but feels a win is beyond him given Red Bull’s pace.
He said: “It feels amazing to be within shooting distance of Max for some points of the race.
“It felt for a second that I might be able to hold on to it, but the medium tyre was too strong.”
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When asked if he could win this season, he added: “We need to be realistic. The Red Bull car has been the fastest car all year and it is still the fastest car.
“We were in the position we were in due to reliability. If Charles Leclerc or Sergio Perez were there, they would have been ahead of us.
“It was great starting third and being in a position to fight, but in true pace they were ahead of us and will be in the next three races.
“Unless something drastic happens to any more of them, It is highly unlikely we will have the true pace to compete with them.
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“Max had an 11 second stop and [came out behind] Charles, so get past him and then pass me and get ahead, shows some real speed.”
Hamilton and Verstappen played out a thrilling final six laps, as both struggled to remain inside the while lines as they battled for position.
But it was Verstappen who crossed the line first, helping Red Bull to an emotional victory following the death of the energy drink’s co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz.
There were no black armbands. Instead, Red Bull’s staff wore blue jeans, as was the billionaire’s preference.
There was a one-minute applause as teams paid their respects before the race and a message “Danke Didi” was displayed on the screen.
Verstappen added: “It’s a very difficult weekend for us and this one is definitely dedicated to Dietrich himself for what he has done for everyone.
“We had a big chance to win the constructors here and of course you want to do that in style and I think we did that.
A thrilling race saw Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll collide in a high-speed crashCredit: Sky Sports F1
“It definitely means a lot to me, to the team, because he was so instrumental to the whole team, it will all continue but we of course wanted to have a good result today.”
A record crowd of 440,000 over the weekend reaffirmed F1’s popularity boom in the United States.
And they were treated to a first-lap smash as Verstappen was catapulted into the lead when pole-sitter Carlos Sainz was spun off by George Russell.
And there were more fireworks when Fernando Alonso clipped Lance Stroll and was launched into the air at 200mph, causing his Alpine to do a wheelie.
Pierre Gasly and Lando Norris both had narrow escapes as they missed the wreckage, while Alonso somehow finished the race in seventh.
But after the race the Spaniard was hit with a 30-second time penalty after his damaged car was deemed unsafe by stewards. He is now classified as finishing 15th.
Once the mess from the crash was cleared up and the race restarted on lap 26, Verstappen kept ahead of Hamilton but for the first time in ages, the Mercedes man was able to keep up.
On lap 35, the Brit pitted for fresh tyres in what was a seamless synchronised stop for his Mercedes team.
Red Bull responded by calling in Verstappen a lap later but a problem with the front left wheel resulted in a slow 11.1 second pitstop.
The delay left Verstappen furious – “beautiful, f****** beautiful!” he shouted over the radio as he was leapfrogged in the pecking order by Hamilton and Leclerc.
Verstappen returned to the track in sixth but slowly chipped away at Hamilton’s lead, catching him with six laps to go.
He made his move at Turn 12, the two came incredibly close to banging wheels but he got the move done.
But there was still drama as both were warned about exceeding the track limits, triggering potential penalties. Yet Hamilton did not have to pace to mount a fightback. More

LEWIS HAMILTON came agonisingly close to winning a race for the first time this season.The Mercedes man will have to wait to end his season-long duck as he was pipped to the chequered flag by Max Verstappen.
Max Verstappen did just enough to beat Lewis Hamilton in the United States GPCredit: Getty
The Brit looked set to capitalise on a Red Bull error but had to settle for secondCredit: Getty
Verstappen – who equals F1’s record for the most win in a season with 13 – also helped his team wrap up an emotional constructors’ championship.
Hamilton pushed him to the wire and crossed the line five seconds behind the Dutchman meaning his barren run, which stretches back to last November, goes on.
The two rivals played out a thrilling final six laps, as both struggled to remain inside the while lines as they battled for position.
But it was Verstappen who crossed the line first, helping Red Bull to an emotional victory following the death of the energy drink’s co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz.
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Red Bull boss Christian Horner said: “Max Verstappen you are world champion, we are world champions. That one was for Dietrich, thanks for all you have done”.
The Austrian tycoon passed away on Saturday evening. He was 78 – plunging his team into mourning.
There were no black armbands. Instead, Red Bull’s staff wore blue jeans, as was the billionaire’s preference.
There was a one-minute applause as teams paid their respects before the race and the message “Danke Didi” was displayed on the screen.
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Mateschitz discovered the Krating Daeng energy drink in 1984 when he was a travelling salesman working for a toothpaste company and transformed it into the global brand it is today.
His passing prompted Red Bull to suspend their ongoing discussion with F1’s governing body, the FIA, over their cost-cap breach which has dominated the news agenda for the past three races.
It means it will now rumble on into this week’s Mexican GP, against F1’s wishes given they want the matter resolved quickly as it has tarnished their sport.
Owners Liberty Media have been trying to grow F1’s popularity and a record crowd of 440,000 over the weekend show they are doing just that.
And they were treated to a first-lap smash as Verstappen was catapulted into the lead when pole-sitter Carlos Sainz was spun off by George Russell, earning the Mercedes man a five-second time penalty.
Verstappen set the pace but he was being pressed by Hamilton until the safety car was deployed on lap 18 when Valtteri Bottas spun off.
The race resumed at the end of lap 21 but only briefly as a big smash for Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso saw the safety car redeployed.
The Spaniard went into the rear of the Aston Martin, launching him into the air while Stroll’s wrecked car was spat out by the crash barrier and into oncoming traffic.
Pierre Gasly and Lando Norris both had narrow escapes as they missed the wreckage.
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Once the mess was cleared up and the race restarted on lap 26, Verstappen still kept ahead of Hamilton but crucially he was not able to pull away.
For the first time in ages, the Mercedes man was able to keep up – and it paid off.
On lap 35, the Brit pitted for fresh tyres in what was a seamless synchronised stop for his Mercedes team.
Red Bull responded by calling in Verstappen a lap later but while their stops are routinely the quickest – and they are the pitstop record holders – a problem with the front left wheel resulted in a slow 11.1second pitstop.
The delay left their driver furious – “beautiful, f***ing beautiful!” he shouted over the radio as he was leapfrogged in the pecking order by Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.
Verstappen returned to the track in sixth and had his work cut out to reach Hamilton. Slowly he chipped away.
And with six laps to go, he was within a second of the Mercedes as he eyed up his prey.
He made his move at Turn 12, the two came incredibly close to banging wheels but he got the move done. He was back ahead.
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But there was still drama as both were warned about exceeding the track limits, triggering potential penalties.
Yet Hamilton did not quite have the pace to mount a fight back as he crossed the line some five seconds behind, as Red Bull clinched their first team’s title in nine years.
Carlos Sainz spun on the first corner as Max Verstappen opened up a leadCredit: Splash
The Dutchman crossed the line ahead of this rivalCredit: AP
The Red Bull team celebrated in style in TexasCredit: Splash
Ed Sheeran was among the A-list celebrities in attendanceCredit: Getty
F1 paid tribute to Red Bull chief Dietrich Mateschitz who passed away on SaturdayCredit: Getty More

LEWIS HAMILTON went toe to toe with a JET in his Mercedes Formula One car ahead of the United States Grand Prix.The British racing driver, 37, may have struggled in the 2022 Merc with no race wins so far this season.
Lewis Hamilton filmed himself racing against a jet planeCredit: @lewishamilton
The two vehicles were pretty level on the runwayCredit: @lewishamilton
The plane eventually took off into the skyCredit: @lewishamilton
But he showed he had total control of his F1 machine on an open runway – as he filmed himself racing the aeroplane.
Hamilton recorded the incredible battle from his cockpit.
He started off by pulling the visor down on his purple helmet and then getting off to a flying start, making up good ground on the jet.
But the pilot forced their way back before the pair were equally matched speeding down the track.
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And once the aircraft got up to the required pace, it suddenly took off and lifted into the air before swooping round and straight over Hamilton’s head in crazy scenes.
Hamilton wrote on Instagram: “Racing the jet was so mad, had to record it for myself. Hope you enjoyed the ride.”
Fans flooded the comments section with their replies loving the video.
One said: “Driving a Formula 1 car with one hand on the wheel and the other one recording the JET he is RACING AGAINST… Sir Lewis, you are truly a living legend.”
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Another wrote: “The pure skill, recording and driving simultaneously.”
And a third added: “The engineering involved in both of these machines is incredible.”
Hamilton will start tonight’s Grand Prix in Texas third on the grid.
He qualified 0.6s behind pole-sitter Carlos Sainz while Sergio Perez and Charles Leclerc both took grid penalties for new parts. More