As spectacular as the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Austin may have been, thoughts of the late Dietrich Mateschitz still dominated the pit lane in Texas. “It was a race he would have loved,” said Max Verstappen, who celebrated his 13th win of the season ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. Only Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel had managed so many within a year. “This (victory, note) is for Mr. Mateschitz. Thank you Didi,” wrote Verstappen’s Red Bull Racing team after the success that sealed the constructor’s title. Toto Wolff struggled with Hamilton’s second place, but the Red Bull victory was “perhaps right,” said the Mercedes boss on ORF: “I’m an Austrian at the end of the day. Mateschitz was the best entrepreneur that we had.”
Verstappen underlined in Austin why he is the new world champion: After an eleven-second pit stop, the Dutchman had crowned a catch-up race past Leclerc and Austin record winner Hamilton with victory. As sad as Saturday was, “we are so happy and proud of what Red Bull Racing has achieved thanks to Dietrich Mateschitz,” said consultant Helmut Marko.
The scary moment of the race was a violent rear-end collision between Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll, as the latter crossed the road at the last moment. The Canadian, who is often said to only drive in Formula 1 thanks to his father Lawrence (owner of the Aston Martin team), has been criticized, above all by Jacques Villeneuve. “He should be banned for one race because of the incident,” says the ex-world champion of a “poor and super dangerous” maneuver by his compatriot. “In Formula 4 and Formula 3 you sometimes see drivers who drive like in a video game,” he says, demanding severe penalties.
Source: Nachrichten
