WATCH: See the tense final lap in full as Hamilton pushes Verstappen all the way in Texas
After polesitter Max Verstappen lost the lead at the start in Austin, Red Bull went aggressive on strategy, pulling their man in early to get the undercut on Lewis Hamilton.
There was risk involved – it meant he’d have to complete the closing stages of the race on much older tyres than his Mercedes rival – but would it work?
Sure enough the move gave Verstappen track position, but as team boss Christian Horner predicted from the pit wall, it would all come down to the final few laps.
After his final stop, Hamilton was eight seconds behind the championship leader, but some relentless ‘hammer time’ saw the gap steadily fall until with just one tour of the Circuit of The Americas remaining, his Red Bull target was within DRS range.
It set up the tensest finale imaginable to the United States Grand Prix – and you can relive the tension of that final lap in full in the video above. Enjoy!
Next Up
Related Articles
Half Term Reports 2025How Alpine’s 2025 season has played out so far
UnlockedInside the F1 driver’s bubble – The Race Engineer
Hamilton insists Ferrari have ‘every ingredient needed’ to win titles
Mercedes suspect Monza crash impacted start of Antonelli’s 2025 season
How the Norris vs Piastri battle has played out
Winners & Losers5 Winners and 5 Losers from 2025 so far