The 19th round of the 2022 F1 season saw the championship return to the US for the second time this year. Our resident F1 writer Nick van der Meulen outlines the race in his report titled F1 Review USA 2022.

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The Circuit Of The Americas (COTA) is situated in Austin, Texas, and is an undulating and extremely bumpy circuit. It is a challenge to drive, however, the circuit is highly regarded by the F1 drivers. Every victory at the venue has been a driver starting from the front row of the grid…

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Penalties

Following the qualifying session, technical penalties were dished out to some drivers that affected the grid positions. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) dropped ten places. Sergio Perez (Red Bull Racing), Fernando Alonso (Alpine), Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo) were penalised five places each.

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Sad News

Red Bull Racing was racing under a cloud at COTA, after the FIA finally determined the team breached its cost cap for 2021. Sadly, Red Bull mogul Dietrich Mateschitz passed away over the weekend, aged 78, adding a sombre tone to the paddock.

The team provided the tribute to the Austrian, with Max Verstappen storming to victory and securing the 2022 constructors title. Verstappen claimed his 33rd victory and equals Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel by winning 13 races in a season. The victory was by no means simple. Verstappen’s second pit stop was a disaster (11 seconds stationary) and the Dutchman worked hard to regain the lead. Teammate Sergio Perez performed solidly and finished fourth, after having to start ninth.

On The Pace

Mercedes will be satisfied with its machine upgrade after a strong weekend at Austin. Lewis Hamilton managed to lead the race for nine laps, but Verstappen scythed past him with five laps remaining. The Englishman had no answer to the eventual winner and settled for second place.

George Russell had an eventful start to the race, turning Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari around at the exit of Turn 1, which is a negative camber corner. Polesitter Sainz cut back after being passed by Verstappen for the lead. He turned in on Russell, who had nowhere to go, and contact was made. Sainz retired with severe damage and Russell was penalised five seconds for being at the wrong place at the wrong time. The Englishman recovered to finish fifth.

Another Weekend To Forget

Ferrari endured a difficult weekend. Carlos Sainz took pole position, but his race ended soon after the first corner thanks to contact with Russell. The Spaniard failed to finish a lap for the second race in succession. Leclerc was relegated to 12th position on the grid and had to work hard to finish a strong third.

Aston Martin featured prominently in the race. Initially, the team ran third (Lance Stroll) and fifth (Sebastian Vettel), but soon settled down in fifth and sixth, respectively. A massive shunt between Stroll and Alonso on lap 22 brought out the safety car. Alonso made a move to pass Stroll, but the Canadian moved across very late to defend. It resulted in Alonso’s machine being launched into the air, and Stroll’s spinning across the circuit.

The Alpine managed to continue, but the Aston Martin was destroyed. Vettel’s day was more successful and spent some time leading the race (clocking 3 500 laps led in his F1 career). Unfortunately, the German’s hard work was undone with a 16-second pit stop, after problems fitting the front left tyre. He charged from 13th to snatch seventh position from Kevin Magnussen (Haas) at the penultimate corner of the race. He won the fans’ Driver of the Day accolade for his efforts.

Record Attendance

Some sterling driving performances wowed the fans at COTA – a record 440 000 spectators attending the weekend event. Lando Norris (McLaren) should be commended for his hard-charging drive to finish a superb sixth position. Alonso demonstrated his Alpine’s robustness by finishing seventh on the track after his scary clash with Stroll. However, the Spaniard was dropped to 16th after 30 seconds was added to his race time thanks to a protest from Haas. Yuki Tsunoda (Alpha Tauri) wrestled with Alex Albon and overtook the Williams driver on the penultimate lap. 

Verstappen (391 points) has an unassailable lead in the 2022 F1 world championship. Leclerc (267 points) and Perez (265 points) vie for runner-up in the standings. Russell (218 points) has stretched his lead over Sainz (202 points) following the Spaniard’s non-finish.

Red Bull Racing (656 points) has won the constructors’ championship. Ferrari (469 points) has a reduced lead over Mercedes (416 points). Alpine (149 points) and McLaren (138 points) continue to duke it out for fourth in the standings.

The F1 circus moves to Mexico for the 20th round of the world championship on 28 to 30 October. Sergio Perez will be hoping to deliver a victory for his fans at home, now that both championships are decided.