FACTS AND STATS: Verstappen joins exclusive 50-wins club as Norris closes on Heidfeld record

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Sean Kelly
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AUSTIN, TEXAS - OCTOBER 22: Race winner Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull

It didn’t come easily, but Max Verstappen’s win for Red Bull in Austin has put him in some very esteemed company in the F1 history books. Meanwhile, McLaren’s Lando Norris could soon beat a famous, although perhaps unwanted, record after yet another non-winning podium appearance. Here’s our round-up of the top race trivia from Texas…

• Today was Verstappen’s 50th career win in what was the 200th race of the hybrid era of Formula 1.

• Verstappen joins Lewis Hamilton, Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel and Alain Prost in the 50-win club.

• It was Verstappen’s 15th win of the season, which ties his single-season record, set in 2022.

REPORT: Verstappen holds off charging Hamilton to claim 50th F1 victory at the United States GP

• It was Verstappen’s 30th win with car #1, surpassing Vettel's total with the number and only Michael Schumacher has more.

• Verstappen is the first driver to win five consecutive Grands Prix in the USA (Schumacher and Hamilton both won four in a row).

• Verstappen can now become the first driver ever to win three times in the same country in a single season if he is victorious at the upcoming Las Vegas Grand Prix.

• Verstappen today broke his previous record for the most points scored in a season (he scored 454 in 2022).

AUSTIN, TEXAS - OCTOBER 21: Oscar Piastri of Australia and McLaren prepares to drive on the grid

Despite Oscar Piastri's retirement, McLaren moved up to P4 in the standings

• Verstappen and Hamilton finished one-two on track in both the Sprint and the Grand Prix this weekend.

• With Lando Norris taking P2, McLaren move up to fourth in the constructors' championship, ahead of Aston Martin.

DRIVER OF THE DAY: Norris gets your vote for superb podium result in Texas

• It was a fourth consecutive podium finish for Norris – the longest current streak for any driver.

• It was also McLaren's first podium in Austin since Lewis Hamilton won the inaugural race for them in 2012.

• Norris now has 12 career podium finishes without ever winning, putting him just one short of Nick Heidfeld's record.

• Norris today won the fan-voted Driver of the Day Award for the third time this season. McLaren drivers have now won the prize for three consecutive races.

AUSTIN, TEXAS - OCTOBER 22: Fourth placed Carlos Sainz of Spain and Ferrari reacts in parc ferme

Carlos Sainz enjoyed his best-ever result at the Circuit of The Americas

• P3 for Carlos Sainz at Ferrari was his best-ever result in eight starts in Austin.

• P4 for Red Bull’s Sergio Perez was his first top-four finish since Monza.

• In the second Ferrari, Charles Leclerc’s P6 would have been his fifth consecutive top-six finish, none of them a podium, until he was disqualified post-race.

HIGHLIGHTS: Relive the action from the United States GP as Verstappen clinches win ahead of Hamilton

• George Russell took P5 in the second Mercedes and has still only scored one podium finish this season (third in Spain).

• Alpine’s Pierre Gasly scored his first-ever points finish in Austin with P6 on his fifth start on this track.

• With P7, Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll also took his first-ever points finish at the Circuit of The Americas on his sixth start here.

• It was also Stroll’s first points finish since the summer break, and the first time he has scored points this year when his team mate Fernando Alonso has not.

AUSTIN, TEXAS - OCTOBER 22: Yuki Tsunoda of Japan driving the (22) Scuderia AlphaTauri AT04 leads

Yuki Tsunoda became only the third Japanese driver to set an F1 fastest lap

• At AlphaTauri, Yuki Tsunoda’s P8 was his best result of the season.

• Tsunoda set his first career fastest lap today and clinched the bonus point that comes with it.

• It was only the third time a Japanese driver has set the fastest lap in an F1 race, after Satoru Nakajima at Australia 1989 and Kamui Kobayashi at China 2012.

• Williams' Logan Sargeant took P12 in his home race on track, but then secured his first-ever championship point after post-race disqualifications promoted him to P10.

• Alonso’s DNF was his first retirement as an Aston Martin driver.

• McLaren’s Oscar Piastri was another early DNF – all three of his retirements this season have come before Lap 13.

• Esteban Ocon’s DNF in the Alpine was his sixth official retirement of the season, the most of any driver.

• There were no yellow flags and no Safety Car appearances in this race.

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