MONDAY MORNING DEBRIEF: Exactly how did Verstappen negate a brake problem to rise from P6 and take the win?

/MMD-USA-2023.webp)
Everyone was assuming that Max Verstappen would win the United States Grand Prix despite starting only P6. The lap he’d had deleted for track limits in qualifying would have been pole, after all. And he’d totally blitzed Saturday’s Sprint event from pole, pulling out 9s on Lewis Hamilton’s upgraded Mercedes in just 19 laps.
But Verstappen himself wasn’t so sure, and knew he had a very tough job ahead of him. To get past five cars while keeping the delicate tyres in shape on a track which induces super-high rear temperatures would be a challenge. Furthermore, around the Circuit of The Americas the RB19 wasn’t as quick as usual.
Next Up
Related Articles
REVEALED: Your favourite race of the 2025 season
ExclusiveVesti on life as Mercedes reserve and his F1 plan
F1 AcademyHaas name Countryman as 2026 F1 ACADEMY driver
Beyond The GridThe best of 2025, from Norris’ evolution to Brad Pitt’s ‘need for speed’
‘I hated this car at times’ – Verstappen on his 2025 season
Lindblad's car number confirmed for rookie season
