Red Bull's Max Verstappen extended his lead in the 2021 Formula One World Championship by holding off Great Britain's Lewis Hamilton to win an absorbing United States Grand Prix at Austin. In yet another captivating duel between the title contenders on Sunday evening that went all the way to the final lap, Verstappen withstood heavy pressure from a charging Hamilton, the seven-time champion, on fresher tyres to claim his first victory in the USA.

Starting from pole position, Verstappen lost out to Hamilton at the start, but retook the lead by pitting three laps before the Mercedes driver and taking advantage of his fresher rubber to pump in faster lap times. The high degree of tyre wear at the Circuit of the Americas meant that two pit stops were the order of the day, but while Verstappen made his second stop on lap 29, Hamilton stayed out until lap 37 before pitting again, eventually emerging 12.5 seconds behind the Dutchman.