Lewis Hamilton believes that there was little he could do to stop Max Verstappen from claiming the US Grand Prix victory. Hamilton took the lead of the race when Verstappen was demoted to third place through a slow pit stop. The Mercedes driver held the lead until lap 50 out of 56, when Verstappen caught and passed into Turn 12. The Briton kept up the pressure, but Verstappen sealed the victory and secured Red Bull's first Constructors' Championship since 2013. Speaking after the race, Hamilton said the Red Bulls were "too quick" to compete against. "I want to give a big shout out to my team. We came here with upgrades, we closed the gap a little bit," Hamilton told media. "It was so, so close, but I did everything I could to try and stay ahead but they were just a little bit too quick today. "But great strategy, great race by Red Bull and, again, my condolences to the team."
Hamilton on future victory prospects: 'It will come'
The result means that Hamilton's and Mercedes' search for a win in 2022 continues, following their comparatively uncompetitive season. Hamilton now has just three races left to prevent his first winless season in Formula 1, something which he and the team will be hoping to avoid in the final three races of the year. "I'm shattered. The car was a handful today," added Hamilton. "It felt amazing firstly to be in a lead, that's something we've been working so hard on as a team through the year, and I felt so much hope. "But it's okay, we'll hold on to that, we'll keep pushing. We'll try and give it everything we can in these next three. It'll come to us at some stage."
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