Max Verstappen admits he wasn't sure Red Bull's aggressive tyre strategy would work out after taking his eighth win of the season at the United States Grand Prix . The Dutchman kept his cool in the closing stages of the race with championship rival Lewis Hamilton bearing down on him with fresher tyres. In the end, it was too little too late, as a relieved Verstappen crossed the line first to extend his lead in the World Championship. "We lost out in the start, so we had to try and do something else, but the tyre wear is quite high around this track," Verstappen said after the race. "We did go aggressive and I wasn't sure it was gonna work, but the last few laps were fun. "[It was] a bit sideways through the high-speed corners, but [I'm] super happy of course to hang on." A packed grandstand cheered Verstappen home, with the Red Bull driver delighted to see so many fans in the stands. He added: "It's amazing, first of all, to be here, but also to see so many of you around the track. Hopefully we can do this for many years to come."
Most read
