Verstappen, who won the eighth of the season, covered the 56 laps of the Las Americas circuit (5,513 meters of rope) in a time of 1h. 34m. 36s. 552/1000, at more than 195 kilometers per hour on average.
With this result, The Dutchman reached 287.5 units in the tournament, with a difference of 12 over Hamilton, who preferred not to follow the advice given by his engineers from the pits and stopped to change tires when he himself decided to do so..
Mexican Sergio ‘Checo’ Pérez (Red Bull) completed the podium, arriving in third position, but more than 42 seconds away.
Further back were the Monegasque Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), the Australian Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren), the Finn Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes), the Spanish Carlos Sainz (Ferrari), the British Lando Norris (McLaren), the Japanese Yuki Tsunoda (Alpha Tauri) and the German Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin) to define the top ten places.
Hamilton took the lead at the start, harnessing the power of the Mercedes engine and reaching the opening corner to the left first.
However, the Dutchman remained on the lookout, always close by, to deliver the first hit on lap 11, when he stopped to change tires for the first time.
The seven-time world champion fulfilled that routine on lap 14, starting second on the track, a gap that oscillated 6 seconds behind Verstappen.
The British driver was closing the gap and was able to get within 4 seconds at turn 25. A few laps later, Verstappen stopped for the second time in the pits and started in third place, behind Hamilton (who had 16 seconds in the lead). ) and Pérez, his teammate.
The performance of the Englishman at the top was so devastating that – even – he set the provisional record with a 1m. 40s. 081/1000 at turn 31.
From the Mercedes pits, meanwhile, the reigning world champion was instructed to stop and refuel “as soon as possible.”
Then, Hamilton himself advised his position to avoid the feeling of frustration he experienced in the previous race, in Turkey, invade him. Thus, the British pilot said by intercom: “Brother, let me choose (the decision).”
So the Englishman stopped on lap 38 and came second behind Verstappen, almost 9 seconds behind.
As the end of the competition approached, the world champion approached the leader’s line (he set a new record for the lap with 1m. 38s. 485/1000), but he could not break the line of the Dutchman, who celebrated obtaining a victory that consolidates him at the top in the World Cup.
The next race will be held on Sunday, November 7 at the Hermanos Rodríguez racetrack in Mexico City.
Main positions of the Drivers’ World Cup: Verstappen 287.5 points; Hamilton 275.5; Bottas 185; Pérez 150; Norris 149; Leclerc 128; Sainz 122.5; Ricciardo 105; Gasly 74; Alonso 58
Constructors’ World Cup: Mercedes 460.5 points; Red Bull 437.5; McLaren 254; Ferrari 250.5; Alpine 104; Alpha Tauri 94; Aston Martin 62; Williams 23; Alfa Romeo 7; Haas 0.
David William is a talented author who has made a name for himself in the world of writing. He is a professional author who writes on a wide range of topics, from general interest to opinion news. David is currently working as a writer at 24 hours worlds where he brings his unique perspective and in-depth research to his articles, making them both informative and engaging.
