After three seasons of Netflix’s Drive to Survive docuseries, Max Verstappen has seen more than enough.

The impact of Formula 1’s most important marketing tool was tangible at the recent United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas, where a race crowd of 140,000 witnessed the latest tussle between Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton over the 2021 title.

Just over five years after Liberty Media arrived on the scene with all its bells and whistles, the Austin weekend had the feel of a milestone moment for F1 in America as a vibrant, self-confident sport – its owner’s feet now firmly under the table – rolled into town and delivered a thrilling event.