Memorable F1 moments from the US Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton claims another World Championship
Kimi Raikkonen gets caught in the gravel
Sebastian Vettel's Ferrari spins out - again!
Ladbrokes looks back through the archives at some of the most memorable F1 moments from the US Grand Prix in Austin, including Lewis Hamilton's dramatic World Championship win in 2015.
Austin has hosted Formula One since 2012, and is a track that - like many - has been dominated by Max Verstappen in recent years, with the Dutchman winning back-to-back-to-back races here between 2021 and 2023.
The US Grand Prix, which also hosts the F1 Sprint, has seen some epic races since being introduced to the F1 calendar, and we're revisiting the very best of them - so check out some of the US Grand Prix's most memorable F1 moments below.
Memorable F1 moments from the US Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton's World Championship victory (2015)
No driver has won more races at Austin than Lewis Hamilton, with the Brit taking the chequered flag here on six separate occasions - but it's his dramatic victory in 2015 that kickstarts our look at the most memorable moments from the US Grand Prix.
In order to secure his third World Championship title - and second in a row - Hamilton needed to finish nine points clear of Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel, but as the final lap edged closer, it was Hamilton's teammate Nico Rosberg who looked set to finish first. That was until Lap 48, when Hamilton made his move - and held on.
The Brit ultimately finished nearly three seconds in front of Rosberg in second, and with Vettel having to settle for third after starting from P13, Hamilton's third World Championship title was confirmed, drawing level with Ayrton Senna. Hamilton has since equalled Michael Schumacher's record of seven F1 titles, and still races for Ferrari today - and we're always backing him to challenge at the top.
Kimi Raikkonen's unfortunate retirement (2015)
Sticking with the 2015 US Grand Prix, we turn our attention to Kimi Raikkonen, whose race was ended prematurely when he lost control of the car and smashed into the advertising hoardings.
The rear end of Raikkonen's car stepped out on Lap 25, causing the Finn to skid over the gravel and into the wall - which then proceeded to stick out and block his car. He managed to vigorously wiggle his car out of the signage and rejoin the race against all the odds - but not for long.
Raikkonen promptly got a message from the pits that his right front brake temperature was 'going through the roof', and an early retirement was forced. This summed up a 2015 that the Ferrari man described as 'average', with Raikkonen finishing fourth in the Drivers' Standings - more than 200 points behind Lewis Hamilton in first.
Lap 1 chaos featuring Fernando Alonso (2018)
Jumping forward to 2018 now, with Fernando Alonso - the oldest F1 driver on the 2025 circuit - getting caught up in the opening-lap chaos in Austin, and his McLaren ending up dangerously close to the wall after a collision.
The Spanish veteran was hit by the Williams of Lance Stroll - his teammate at Aston Martin these days - with both cars spinning out and debris being scattered all over the fourth corner, with a number of other drivers being forced to take a shortcut to avoid the mayhem.
Both Stroll and Alonso continued the race, but the latter was eventually forced to retire the car after that chaotic crash at the 'Esses' section of the track, with his opinions made quite clear as he described the other drivers as 'impossible to race with'. Stroll received two penalty points on his Super Licence for his part in the incident, and ended the race outside of the points in 14th.
Sebastian Vettel's eye-catching spin (2018)
Wrapping up Ladbrokes' look at the most memorable F1 moments from the US Grand Prix, we're revisiting another high-profile spin from 2018, with Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo colliding in Turn 13 and the former's Ferrari doing a dramatic 180-degree swivel.
Vettel utilised the speed of his car to pass Ricciardo as the pair took on Turn 12, but a minor misjudgment in his braking left him side-by-side with the Australian's Red Bull. Vettel lost the rear of his car ever so slightly, and ultimately rammed into the side of Ricciardo, resulting in an eye-catching spin with plumes of smoke and the German's Ferrari facing the wrong way.
This was the third time in five races that Vettel had been spun for one reason or another, also spinning at Monza and Suzuka - and he subsequently finished short of the podium on all three occasions. Vettel finished second in the final 2018 Drivers' Standings, a mere 88 points behind champion Lewis Hamilton.
So that concludes our look at the most memorable F1 moments from the US Grand Prix. For more Formula One content, why not take a look at our predictions for the 2025 Drivers' Standings, or dive into our piece on the 10 youngest F1 world champions of all time. You can also see other articles from our memorable moments series, such as a look at the best moments from the Singapore Grand Prix.
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