2023 United States GP Sprint Race: Full Report & Highlights

Max Verstappen delivered another statement performance in the 2023 season, converting Sprint pole into an untroubled victory at the United States Grand Prix in Austin. After fending off Charles Leclerc’s Turn 1 lunge, the Dutchman immediately asserted control, pulling away relentlessly to claim his third Sprint win of the year. Lewis Hamilton made the most of the opening moments to jump Leclerc and settle into a secure P2, while the Ferrari driver resisted late pressure from Lando Norris to hold onto third.

Cooler temperatures greased the circuit compared with the earlier Shootout, and tyre strategy was almost uniform: every driver selected the medium compound for the 19-lap Sprint—except Carlos Sainz, who made a bold and ultimately costly choice to start on softs. That call brought early gains, but Sainz eventually fell backwards as tyre life vanished.

When the lights went out, Verstappen launched perfectly from pole and aggressively shut the door on Leclerc’s attempt to sweep around the outside of Turn 1. As Leclerc tucked in, Hamilton seized the opportunity, powering around the Ferrari on the exit to snatch second. Behind them, Sainz surged on his soft tyres, muscling past Norris for P4 after light contact with Oscar Piastri. George Russell also made early progress, climbing from 11th on the grid to eighth by the end of the first lap and settling onto the rear wing of Sergio Pérez.

As Lap 2 began, Pérez attacked Piastri into Turn 12, drawing alongside around the outside but unable to complete the move until the following lap, when he powered past on exit—Russell slipping through moments later to climb to seventh. But the stewards quickly placed Russell under investigation for leaving the track and gaining an advantage, prompting Pierre Gasly, watching closely from ninth, to demand the Briton give back the place.

On Lap 5, Hamilton briefly dipped into DRS range of Verstappen, demonstrating strong early pace from the Mercedes W14. Verstappen responded over team radio with frustrations about the RB19’s driveability, but the Dutchman soon settled into a pattern of metronomic laps. Further back, Sainz’s soft tyres began to wilt, inviting Norris onto his gearbox. At the same time, Russell was handed a five-second penalty for the earlier infringement—a further setback for his charge.

Piastri’s Sprint afternoon soon worsened. Lacking pace, he fell victim to Gasly and Alex Albon in quick succession, dropping to P10 and then coming under fire from Esteban Ocon and Daniel Ricciardo. The rookie was later shown the black-and-white flag for repeated track-limit violations, and the stewards added an investigation into an incident with Albon for leaving the track and gaining an advantage.

By Lap 10, Norris finally dispatched Sainz at Turn 12, freeing the McLaren to chase Leclerc ahead. A lap later, Pérez overtook Sainz at the same corner to move into sixth, as Ferrari’s soft-tyre gamble continued to unravel. Meanwhile, Ricciardo pressured Lance Stroll for P12, and Yuki Tsunoda executed a clean move on Nico Hülkenberg for 16th. The stewards then announced an investigation into Zhou Guanyu for forcing Kevin Magnussen off the track.

As Lap 15 began, Russell closed on Sainz for P6, but the Spaniard defended robustly despite fading tyres. Up ahead, Verstappen continued to expand his advantage, the gap to Hamilton stretching comfortably beyond six seconds. Stroll then radioed complaints about his brakes, and Aston Martin soon retired his AMR23—the Sprint’s sole DNF.

In the closing laps, Albon, running ninth, began pushing to get within five seconds of Russell so he could capitalise on the Mercedes driver’s penalty. Zhou was cleared of the earlier incident with Magnussen but received a separate five-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage—the punishment having minimal impact on his final position.

Verstappen claimed the chequered flag with authority, finishing nearly 10 seconds clear of Hamilton, who secured his best Sprint result since Silverstone 2021. Leclerc held off a late surge from Norris to take third, the McLaren driver settling for P4 ahead of Pérez. Sainz clung on to P6 under intense pressure from Russell, and Gasly claimed eighth—promoted to seventh once Russell’s penalty was applied.

Albon finished just 0.3s behind Russell after a personal-best final lap, ending up ninth. Piastri completed the top ten ahead of Ocon and Ricciardo, while Alonso led the remaining runners from Tsunoda, Hülkenberg, Bottas, Zhou, Magnussen and Sargeant.

2023 United States GP Sprint Race Results

2023 United States Grand Prix Sprint Race, 21 October 2023