The Formula 1 caravan returned to the United States of America with the drivers’ world championship resolved. Max Verstappen has already entered the Circuit of the Americas, located in the state of Texas, with his helmet decorated with the stripes of his second title, but it was still to be decided who would be the winner of the best constructor trophy of the season.
The weekend was marked by the death of Dietrich Matesitchz, co-founder of Red Bull and one of the creators of the Austrian brand’s legacy in motorsports. The victory of the Dutchman meant an even more heartfelt tribute, since mathematically the championship title was given to his team nine years after the last one, in 2013.
Inside the track, the beginning of the film could be considered a drama, especially for Ferrari. Carlos Sainz, who started from pole position, was overtaken at the start by a cannon shot from Verstappen. However, under braking after the long climb to the first corner, Carlos Sainz was unable to respond to being touched by George Russell, and he was out of the competition.
While car number 1 fled, the race direction announced the verdict: the Briton from Mercedes would be penalized five seconds from the final time for the incident. After the initial scare, for a few laps tire strategy seemed to be the essential factor in the fight for qualifying positions, and hard compounds were an option for almost all drivers.
Charles Leclerc, who started from 12th, was recovering positions naturally and, in a strategy of stopping later in relation to the distant ones, he benefited from a safety car, on lap 18, which arrived after an exit from the track by Valtteri Bottas. The Finn lost control of the rear and ended his participation by getting stuck in the gravel of the circuit.
The green car driven by Bernd Maylander had just returned to the pits to resume the race and already had reasons to return, on lap number 21. Fernando Alonso, in an attempt to overtake Lance Stroll, climbed with one of the front wheels into the steering wheel. rear compound The Canadian rider and, on a real trail ride, like a MotoGP race, hit the wall. Stroll spun, damaging the car further, causing him to retire, but the Spaniard pitted and managed to continue.
On the tarmac, debris from the incident traveled several meters and caused problems for several cars. The yellow flag flew longer to clear the track, and when racing resumed on lap 26, Verstappen held the lead, with Lewis Hamilton trailing behind.
The fight that remained in the retina in the “third part” of the race was between Leclerc and Sergio Pérez. The Ferrari Monegasque prevailed after some pressure and, in a move as risky as it was fantastic in relation to the Mexican, took third place. In the second peloton, the race also heated up, with intense battles for scoring positions.
The Circuit of the Americas never disappoints us in terms of entertainment. In a new pit stop, what seemed like a quiet race for Verstappen, turned into a thriller due to a problem with the tire gun in the Red Bull box, in a rare mistake by the Austrian brand team. The Dutchman, on lap 36, was in charge of returning to the lead in the last 20 passes down the finish straight.
Opposite was Lewis Hamilton, but without having been Sebastian Vettel, who, for a few minutes, remained in the lead remembering the good times. The German was replaced by the Briton and, at a stop, the number 5 Aston Martin car was knocked out of the lead due to an error in the placement of one of the front tyres.
Going back to Verstappen, the world champion had to sweat to get past Charles Leclerc. In a sequence of déjà vus, the Red Bull driver overtook the rival who gave him so many headaches at the start of the season and then struggled to hold on to the rear of Lewis Hamilton’s car in a rematch of the 2018 race and, more fiercely, in 2021.
The dazzling speed of the RB18 was once again on display and in a skilful manoeuvre, with late braking, the Dutchman regained the lead of the pack, a position he held until the end. The usual radio message came late, but added two realities: “Max, you are world champions and we are constructors’ champions,” said Christian Horner.
Closing out the podium, Lewis Hamilton crossed the line in second and Charles Leclerc finished third. The titles could already be decided, but even so, the soil of the United States of America gave us the opportunity to witness one of the best races of the season, with several worthwhile leaders, incidents and passes.
Max Verstappen thus achieved his 13th victory in 19 grands prix, equaling Sebastian Vettel and Michael Schumacher as the driver with the most victories in a season. There are three races left and this is the last stop to add to a fairy tale written by the world champion. Now Mexico follows, between October 28 and 30, on the calendar of the 2022 Formula 1 season.
Source: TSF
