First Lap Disaster
As the lights went out, it only took a couple of seconds for the whole race to descend into chaos. Following the steep climb to Turn 1, cars came crashing together.
The incident left both McLaren machines severely damaged, resulting in the immediate retirement of both cars. Norris, frustrated and unaware of the full sequence, radioed in, simply stating, “Someone just wiped me out… I’m out!”
When asked about the matter post-race, both papaya drivers remained relatively silent, claiming they had not seen the replay yet. However, we can only imagine that the internal animosity is set to escalate as the championship battle intensifies once again.
Fernando Alonso was soon also confirmed out of the race following the collision. The accident also saw Hulkenberg sustain damage, losing his front wing as well as his 4th place in the process.
Post-race, Hulkenberg stated that the McLarens “probably forgot other cars were there,” calling it “very unfortunate for everyone.”
An inevitable Safety car then followed, allowing marshals to clean the significant amount of debris that resulted from the crash.
“There’s debris all over the track mate, like everywhere!” – Lewis Hamilton
Unlikely Winners Emerge
Verstappen, with two of the championship rivals out of the race, was able to capitalise directly from the situation.
Several other drivers were also given a great advantage following the crash. Indeed, both the Ferraris and Mercedes were able to navigate through the disaster and gain a significant advantage.
As the cars stabilised behind the Safety car, George Russell followed behind Verstappen. Charles Leclerc had jumped to 4th place, his teammate, Lewis Hamilton, secured the P5. Yuki Tsunoda remarkably settled in 7th position.
Race Restart
After 5 laps, the Safety car headed for the pits. Verstappen immediately set the tone, promptly restarting the race.
Lap 8 was marked by Russell’s assault on the Red Bull. Pushing both cars wide in Turn 12, Russell’s attempted overtake ultimately failed. Although noted by stewards, no further investigation took place as neither drivers gained an advantage.
Post-race, George Russel claimed that he knew opportunities would be scarce considering who was in front of him. Seeing an opening, the Mercedes driver knew he had to take his chance.
On that same corner, a lap later, Hamilton executed a clean move on Leclerc which allowed him to overtaking him. Indeed, the Monegasque made — what he called — a “stupid error”, running wide and compromising his exit, thus allowing his teammate to breeze past.
Following an overtake on Lap 14 from Ollie Bearman onto Kimi Antonelli, the Haas driver was quickly handed a 10-second time penalty as the overtake was done outside of track limits.
When informed of the sanction, the young driver’s incredulous reaction was broadcast over the team radio: “What the hell? That is incredible.” The penalty ultimately dropped him out of the points-scoring positions, promoting Antonelli into the final points-paying spot (P8).
Safety Car Finish
The race was interrupted a second time on Lap 16 as a yellow flag was deployed following a collision between Lance Stroll and Esteban Ocon. The accident took place in Turn 1 after Stroll braked too late. Stroll’s immediate apology to Ocon is to be noted — especially as both drivers are known to be friends. However, the damage was clear and both cars DNFed.
Stroll was quickly summoned to the stewards about the incident. He earned a five-place grid drop for the Grand Prix and two penalty points on his Superlicence.
The race ultimately ended under that second Safety car.
Final Results
Max Verstappen crossed the line to claim the victory, confirming Verstappen’s dominance in Austin Sprint Races. The 8 points gained by the Dutchman are extremely valuable, keeping the championship hopes alive after the double-DNF for the McLarens.
The final podium was completed by George Russell in a strong P2 finish for Mercedes and Carlos Sainz who secured an impressive P3.