During his final pit stop, Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team) was told, “It will all comes down to the final three laps” by team principle Toto Wolff.
And how right he was.
With three laps to go, Hamilton trailed race leader Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing Honda) by less than 2 seconds. Hamilton had the newer tires and the DRS advantage, but Verstappen held on due in part to precision driving and the fortunate ability to use the DRS himself as a result of a lapped driver in front of him on the final lap.
With just six races left in the 2021 Formula 1 season, the United States Grand Prix was a critical race in the scuffle between reigning champ Hamilton and Verstappen.
Some F1 tracks almost guarantee a win for the pole-sitter, as they may not have enough straightaways (and/or DRS zones) or passable corners. But COTA is different, as the 20-turn, counterclockwise circuit features undulating surfaces that can rapidly shift weight distribution in the racecar, or damage it, and a 133 foot climb to the left turn on corner one from the main straight. COTA’s long main straight allows for high speed DRS passes, and enough corners for wily racers like Hamilton and Verstappen to be in contention for the win no matter the starting position.
Race start was a superb reflex show by Hamilton, who got the jump on Verstappen and bolted into the lead from P2 to P1.
It was game on from there.
Verstappen then radioed in that his rear was sliding through turns. That, combined with turbulent and dirty air from Hamilton, the task of regaining the lead would be more difficult for the charging bull.
Strategy and pit lane timing proved to be the winner for Red Bull Racing Honda as twice they used the undercut strategy, to force Hamilton back in between Verstappen and Perez.
Undercutting involves a driver making a pit stop a few laps earlier than the car ahead of you.
This ensures the driver has a fresher set of tires, which can help him overtake the worn-out tires of his opponent. The lap times are quicker, and once he gets within 1 second of the opponent ahead, the DRS (Drag Reduction System) can help in overtaking.
Once this happens, one could naturally expect the opponent to go for a pit-stop of his own. The opponent would go for a fresher set of tires too, but if the gap is big enough by then, he could end up behind the undercutting driver. It’s a very tricky maneuver, but if done well, can yield the driver the crucial track positions.
“It was an exciting race and it feels incredible to win here in front of all the fans,” said Max Verstappen. “The pressure was on for the whole race and not knowing how quickly Lewis would catch up. I actually thought I had a decent start, but Lewis had an even better one. So we went for an aggressive strategy after losing the lead into turn one and we pitted early in the first stint. Then for the middle stint we were in that undercut range, so we had to respond and we went for track position which made the last stint very long, especially in this heat. The last two laps were definitely difficult on the tires, there wasn’t much grip left. But, then with two laps to go, I had the Haas in front of me and I was able to benefit from the DRS, so we managed to hang on in the end. We definitely gave it our all today as a Team and it was great to have Checo up there with me on the podium.”
With the win, Verstappen and Perez secured the 200th podium for Red Bull Racing doing it in style featuring both of their drivers.
With only six races left in the 2021 Formula 1 season, Verstappen now leads Hamilton by 12 points in one of the best title chases in a decade.