Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen broke record set by Brit and Rosberg

F1 preview: A lap at the United States Grand Prix

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Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen have broken the record for securing the most one-two finishes between two drivers after their incredible duel at the United States Grand Prix. Mercedes were handed a chance to secure the victory after Verstappen was stuck in the pit lane during his second stop.

It allowed Hamilton to enjoy a somewhat comfortable lead while Verstappen hunted down Charles Leclerc and then the seven-time champion. However, Verstappen was able to close in on fresher medium tyres and made his move on Hamilton move stick with just a handful of laps remaining.

Using the DRS, the Dutchman pulled in his Silver Arrows rival before diving to the inside at turn 12 to get past. The result marks the pair’s 32nd one-two finish in F1, breaking the previous record set by Hamilton and former team-mate Nico Rosberg.

The Mercedes partners secured 31 one-two finishes during their dominant spell with the constructor. The records easily surpassed Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello during their Ferrari heyday.

The pair only secured 19 one-two results between 2000 and 2005, partly down to the calendar having fewer races for them to capitalise on. Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber picked up 13 one-two finishes between 2009 and 2013 while Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost secured 11.

In a historic day in Austin, Verstappen also equalled Sebastian Vettel and Michael Schumacher’s record for the most race wins during a single F1 campaign. The Red Bull star’s 13th victory of the season matches that set by the two German stars but Verstappen has a chance to exceed this with three races still remaining.

One more win means he will become the most successful driver in a single F1 season to go with his second world title. When asked about his record-equalling win, Verstappen stressed he doesn’t keep an eye on the statistics despite his success.

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He explained: “Ah, I mean, I said it before that we are also doing more races a year, so [these records] are not always justifiable. I mean, I think we are having an amazing season, but when you have a great car, you can win a lot of races.

“Of course, I’m proud of winning a lot of races but I don’t really look at these kind of stats – I’m just happy winning races.” Red Bull also secured the Constructors’ Championship on Sunday, their first team title since 2013.

Ferrari needed a 19-point swing to take the battle to Mexico but were unable to challenge after Carlos Sainz’s early retirement.

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