MONDAY MORNING DEBRIEF: Exactly how did Verstappen negate a brake problem to rise from P6 and take the win?

/MMD-USA-2023.webp)
Everyone was assuming that Max Verstappen would win the United States Grand Prix despite starting only P6. The lap he’d had deleted for track limits in qualifying would have been pole, after all. And he’d totally blitzed Saturday’s Sprint event from pole, pulling out 9s on Lewis Hamilton’s upgraded Mercedes in just 19 laps.
But Verstappen himself wasn’t so sure, and knew he had a very tough job ahead of him. To get past five cars while keeping the delicate tyres in shape on a track which induces super-high rear temperatures would be a challenge. Furthermore, around the Circuit of The Americas the RB19 wasn’t as quick as usual.
Next Up
Related Articles
Antonelli evaluates how much he's stepped up in second F1 season
UnlockedThe F1 drivers who went back-to-back for their first wins
Antonelli's first F1 win was ‘just a matter of time’ says Bottas
UnlockedHinch picks his top five drivers of 2026 so far
Stella on where McLaren need to improve after Japan
Mekies explains if Red Bull are paying price for late 2025 push
