Source : @F1
AUSTIN — Formula 1 has looked back at one of the most dramatic endings in the history of the United States Grand Prix, when Max Verstappen snatched a podium place from Kimi Räikkönen on the final lap in 2017, only to be stripped of it moments later in the cooldown room.
The sport’s official X account shared a 47-second clip on Tuesday (Oct 20) with the caption: “Austin gave us a dramatic final lap in 2017… and an even more dramatic cooldown room! 🤯”, alongside the hashtags #F1 and #USGP. The video combines trackside and onboard footage of the last-lap move with scenes from the room where the top three wait before the podium ceremony.
The footage shows Verstappen’s Red Bull diving past Räikkönen’s Ferrari through the final sequence of corners, followed by a Race Control message on screen: “5 second time penalty for car 33 (Verstappen) – leaving the track and gaining an advantage.” In the cooldown room, Verstappen is seen alongside Lewis Hamilton, with captions reading “I think there is a penalty so…” and, later, “Yeah, I tried…”.
The race took place on Oct 22, 2017. Verstappen had started 16th and, according to the FIA, gained 10 places in the first 10 laps. A late switch to supersoft tyres for the final 19 laps allowed him to pass Valtteri Bottas and hunt down Räikkönen, and as the last lap began his race engineer told him he would probably have only one chance. He chose the long right-hander at the end of the lap, Turn 17, and was punching the air seconds later.
The stewards acted almost immediately. Their decision stated that “car 33 did leave the track, with all four wheels clearly off the track by at least half a metre, and overtook car 7 in doing so,” gaining a lasting advantage. The five-second penalty dropped Verstappen to fourth, and Räikkönen took his place on the podium alongside race winner Hamilton and Ferrari team-mate Sebastian Vettel, who finished 10.143 seconds behind.
Red Bull were furious. Team principal Christian Horner told Sky Sports the call was “unbelievably harsh”, adding: “It’s wrong, it’s wrong.” Verstappen said: “We had a great race but with those stupid decisions you really kill the sport.” Former driver Paul di Resta, analysing the move for Sky Sports, felt the stewards had made the right decision. Verstappen was nonetheless voted Driver of the Day.
Hamilton’s victory, his sixth in the United States, combined with Bottas’s fifth place to hand Mercedes their fourth consecutive constructors’ championship that afternoon, and left the Briton 66 points clear of Vettel with three rounds remaining.
Nine years on, the order has changed considerably. Verstappen arrives in Austin fourth in the 2026 standings on 221 points for Red Bull, while Hamilton, now at Ferrari, is third on 229. Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli leads the way on 340 points and can clinch the title in Texas if he wins, with George Russell ninth or lower and Hamilton fifth or lower.
The United States Grand Prix runs from Oct 23 to 25, with the 56-lap race starting at 3pm local time on Sunday, which is 4am on Monday (Oct 26) in Malaysia. The original Formula 1 post can be viewed on X: https://x.com/F1/status/2112613066823045178.
About The Author
