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The 2023 F1 US GP ended with Max Verstappen fending off Lewis Hamilton and winning his 15th race of the season. The entire race was an interesting game of chess from start to finish with different strategic approaches taken by the top three runners.
Sunday's race was arguably more engaging and enjoyable than the sprint on Saturday which was uneventful. The eventful nature of the race did not end with the chequered flag, however, as both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were disqualified from the 2023 F1 US GP for a technical infringement.
So, who would be sitting happy with how the race went and who would be a bit disappointed? Let's take a look.
2023 F1 US GP
Winner
Max Verstappen
Several fans and sometimes even pundits claim that a lot of Max Verstappen's success is down to the car he drives. There have been claims that many drivers on the grid would have the same results as the Dutchman in the Red Bull.
Well, there aren't many drivers in F1 who would have been able to win the 2023 F1 US GP on Sunday. Especially if we consider the fact that Verstappen was nursing brake issues and a strange loss of performance of the car as compared to the sprint on Saturday.
The fact that he still won is a testament to his skill and ability to get it done against all odds.
Loser
Charles Leclerc
It does not make sense for Ferrari to put Charles Leclerc, its lead driver in the race, on a strategic gamble of a single-stop race in a car that eats through its tires. It does not make any sense at all! What's weird, however, is why Leclerc ended up with the short end of the stick far too many times at Ferrari.
Why does it happen that every time he's the one bearing the brunt of a strategic mishap? It's fair to say that the team needs to do a better job but with more than 100 races in the belt, it's about time Charles grew up.
Winner
Mercedes
That new upgrade seemed to work like a charm for Mercedes at the 2023 F1 US GP and it showed. Lewis Hamilton was a contender all race and one could see how he was able to fight at the sharp end of the grid with the best of the drivers.
Was a win on the table? It certainly was but the team should take the positives from this one as it was overall a good showing.
Loser
Aston Martin
Aston Martin was ultimately on course for a double points finish in the race. Although it didn't materialize the 2023 F1 US GP was a complete disaster for the team.
Losing out in Qualifying the way it did and then the race just proves the fact that the team is too far behind the top four now. Alarm bells should be ringing at the team and they need to figure out what's going on with the car.
Winner
Logan Sargeant
Even if he did not score points this weekend, Logan Sargeant had already shown substantial improvement. The fact that he ended up getting a point is just the validation he might have needed.
The driver was only a second behind in the final classification from Albon and had a strong pace throughout the race. He needs to use the 2023 F1 US GP result to build himself up from here. A good outing for the American in his home race.
Loser
Haas
Other than Guenther Steiner arguing to the media during the 2023 F1 US GP race weekend that Andretti, an American team, should not get a spot on the grid, Haas was more or less anonymous.
That too on a weekend where it brought a massive upgrade with high hopes of turning things around. The team made zero progress, the car was still not fast in qualifying and Nico Hulkenberg's race stint will show you how poor the race pace was as tires just fell off after the first 10 laps.
