Belgian-Dutch racing driver Verstappen wins Austin Grand Prix; The Red Bull star equals Vettel, Schumacher for most wins in a F1 season

AUSTIN: Max Verstappen passed Lewis Hamilton late to earn a record-tying 13th win of the season at the United States Grand Prix on Sunday, and delivered a victory to honor the memory of Red Bull team founder and owner Dietrich Mateschitz.

Verstappen's race was nearly undone by a rare slow pit stop by Red Bull midway through the race that dropped him well behind Hamilton. But Verstappen fought back to pass last season's rival for the championship on lap 50 of 56.

Verstappen then had to hold off the pestering Hamilton through the final laps as his team warned him not to exceed track limits that would draw a penalty.

The win was a relief for Red Bull. The team had announced shortly before qualifying on Saturday that Mateschitz had died at age 78. Verstappen vowed he'd give everything to get the win to honour him.

"We gave it everything out there, it was a difficult weekend for us," Verstappen said. "The only thing we could do today was win."

"This one is definitely dedicated to Dietrich," Verstappen said. "I pushed it to the limit to come back."

The win continued Verstappen's run of dominance in 2022. He had already clinched the season championship in Japan two weeks earlier. Sunday's win tied him with Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel for most in a season with three races still to go. Agencies

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