Max Verstappen and Red Bull won the American Grand Prix, determined to honor founder and team owner Dietrich Matschitz and the racing powerhouse he built.
"I think it's a race he wants to see," Verstappen said of the victory coming a day after the team announced that Austrian billionaire Mateschitz, co-founder of Red Bull Energy Drink Global Empire, died at the age of 78.
Shortly before Saturday's qualifying, Red Bull were told Matt Hitz had passed away and Verstappen vowed he would do everything he could to secure the victory in his memory.
"The only thing we can do today," Verstappen said, "is win."
Still, it was a relief to see the checkered flag.
Verstappen's race was almost equalised as a rare slow pit stop - 11 seconds lost due to a tricky change in the front left tire - took him out of the lead and far behind Hamilton.
"It's beautiful," Verstappen said on a team broadcast.
He then chased last season's champion opponent and overtook him on lap 50 of 56. Verstappen had to stop pestering Hamilton in the final laps, and both drivers were warned not to exceed the track limits or face penalties.
"This one is definitely dedicated to Dietrich," Verstappen said. "I pushed it to the limit and wanted to come back.
Hamilton said he simply could not stop the charging Red Bull.
"At certain moments of the race, even if it's just within Max's shooting range, it feels great," Hamilton said. "For a second, I thought we might be able to hold on... He came from a long, long way.
The victory extends Verstappen's dominance in 2022.
Two weeks ago, he had won the championship in Japan for the second consecutive season. Texas is 13th with victory this year, tied with Michael Schumacher (2004) and Sebastian Vettel (2013), the most in a season, with three games to play.
Since its inception, Red Bull has won six drivers' championships and five constructors' championships. Verstappen's victory also won the team title of the season. His Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez finished fourth.
"We wanted to do it in a better way, and I think we did it today," Verstappen said.
Matt Hietz bought Jaguars in 2004 and renamed them Red Bull in 2005. He added a second team to the Red Bull Stables and named it Toro Rosso in 2006 as a program to train young drivers.
Red Bull Racing plans to elevate Verstappen to F1 in 2015, when he was just 17 years old, in the hope that he will become the youngest champion in series history.
But Matt Hitz, who has been ill for months, reportedly lived long enough to see Verstappen win two titles and begin another era of domination for the team he founded.
F1 held a brief tribute ceremony before the race in memory of Matt Hitz. A large sign of "Danke Didi" (thank you, Didi) was posted on the video screen. Vettel has won four titles with Red Bull and now races with Aston Martin, who seems to be fighting back in tears.
Verstappen stood on the victory podium, the team gathered under him, and seemed to wipe away tears as well.
Ferrari's Charles Leclerc is the champion leader, having won two of his first three races of the season. He finished his third race on Sunday and was asked if Verstappen was starting a new era of Red Bull domination.
"I hope not," Leclerc said. "I'm going to do everything I can to keep that from happening. I believe we can do that.
Ferrari
Leclerc's podium was a highlight for Ferrari, who fought back from 12th place at the start.
Mercedes without winning
Hamilton is getting closer to a winless season that will be the first in his 16-year career. The seven-time champion has 103 career wins, but thanks to Mercedes' hard work, he has only finished on the podium seven times this season. He has trailed teammate George Russell eight times, and they all finished the race.
Aston Martin's Reims Walk and Alpine's Fernando Alonso were involved in the most horrific crash of the day. The cars were on the fastest part of the track on the long straights, and they reached top speed when Strohl moved his car slightly to the left as Alonso passed.
Their tires clamped, and Alonso's car made a wheel that lifted off almost as the Strohl spun, pulling the two cars through the gap between them. Neither driver was injured, but Strol's car was knocked out of the race. Amazingly, he also tore his car from one end to his garage and was still able to finish seventh.