AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Max Verstappen and Red Bull started the United States Grand Prix determined to honor the memory of founder and team owner Dietrich Mateschitz and the racing powerhouse he built.
Driver and team both delivered, overcoming self-inflicted race drama to chase down Mercedes's Lewis Hamilton to win Sunday. “I think this is a race he would have loved to see,” Verstappen said of the victory that came a day after the team announced Mateschitz , the Austrian billionaire co-founder of the Red Bull energy drinks global empire, had died at age 78.
The Red Bull team was told shortly before Saturday qualifying that Mateschitz had died, and Verstappen vowed he’d give everything to get the win to honor him. “The only thing we could do today,” Verstappen said, “was win.” Still, seeing the checkered flag was a relief.
Verstappen's race was nearly undone when a rare slow pit stop — 11 seconds lost to a tricky change of the front left tire — dropped him out of the lead and well behind Hamilton. “Beautiful,” Verstappen said over team radio.