United States Grand Prix – Race: Verstappen emerges victorious not without difficulties

It was in front of 440,000 spectators that the drivers were about to start this United States Grand Prix. Although Verstappen had already been crowned champion in the last race in Japan, the position of the runner-up is still to be determined.

The departure

If Carlos Sainz’s Saturday had ended in the best possible way, with him securing his 3rd pole position of the 2022 season, the Spanish driver’s hopes of victory were shattered at the first turn of the race. Starting off slower than Max Verstappen when the lights went out, the Ferrari driver was then hit by George Russell’s Mercedes. With significant damage to his car, the Maranello team was forced to retire Sainz before the end of the first lap. The FIA placed the blame on George Russell for this collision. The British driver received a 5-second penalty that he would have to serve during his pit stop.

Tense start between Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas as well. Starting in 9th place on the grid, the Mexican knew he had to act quickly in the early moments of the race to avoid being left behind by the leaders. The Red Bull driver then attempted a very daring overtake on the inside of the 9th corner. This hasty attempt resulted in a slight contact between the two drivers. As a consequence, it damaged the front wing of the car sporting the number 11. Five laps later, on the 6th lap of the race, the damaged end of his wing shattered into pieces.

With Perez and Leclerc further back on the grid due to engine penalties, it allowed Lance Stroll to climb up to 3rd position. However, with his modest Aston Martin, the Canadian driver struggled to keep the very fast Mercedes of George Russell behind him. After several laps of holding off, Stroll cracked on the 5th lap, allowing the Briton to pass him thanks to his DRS on the straight between turns 11 and 12. Two laps later, the former Williams driver was overtaken at the same spot by Sergio Perez’s Red Bull.

Pit stop period

Comfortably seated in second position, Lewis Hamilton knew that in order to put pressure on the race leader, Max Verstappen, he would have to rely not only on his race pace but also on his strategy. Indeed, during the first stint, Hamilton was nearly 4 tenths slower than Verstappen. On the 13th lap, Mercedes decided to bring the British driver in, attempting the undercut on the new double world champion. Max Verstappen pitted one lap later to cover his rival’s strategy. The Dutchman came out of the pit lane still ahead of the Mercedes.

The exit of the safety car

On the 18th lap of the race, the yellow flags were waved in the last sector of the circuit. The reason: Valtteri Bottas went off track between the 19th and 20th laps of the race. With the Finnish driver stuck in the sand, the FIA had no choice but to deploy the safety car.

This notably offered Charles Leclerc a free pit stop. This strategic decision allowed the Ferrari driver to get ahead of George Russell, who had already lost a lot of time due to his 5-second penalty. With the pack now regrouped, Leclerc could realistically aim for the podium.

Huge collision between Stroll and Alonso

The race was resumed on the 22nd lap, but was immediately halted again on the 25th lap following a very impressive collision between Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll. Being extremely close to the Aston Martin in front of him, the Spaniard fell victim to a sudden shift from the Canadian, but also to being too close to the exhaust of his future garage neighbor to avoid the accident. The Alpine number 14, hitting Stroll’s left rear tire, was then propelled into the air. The front of the blue single-seater remained suspended for nearly 2 seconds before crashing into the barriers. While the native of Asturias miraculously managed to continue the race, Lance Stroll, who had been having a brilliant race until then, was not as lucky. Fortunately, neither of the two drivers was injured after this visually frightening incident.

Disaster for Max Verstappen

As a little earlier in the race, Lewis Hamilton attempted the undercut on Max Verstappen. For a few laps, only 2 seconds separated the two men. The second time was the charm for Mercedes thanks to Red Bull’s mishap in managing Verstappen’s pit stop. Despite an almost perfect season in terms of pit stops, it seemed almost unrealistic that the Dutchman would go through this 2022 season without any issues during his tire changes. Problems with tightening his right front tire saw Verstappen come out nearly 7 seconds behind Hamilton but also just behind Leclerc.

In the Monegasque’s DRS ahead of him, Verstappen put a lot of pressure on the Ferrari before overtaking it in the 39th lap after a beautiful duel.

Hamilton and Verstappen reunited once again.

Having faced each other throughout the entire 2021 season, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen were once again going to have the opportunity to offer Formula 1 fans a thrilling battle for the win of a Grand Prix. After getting rid of Charles Leclerc on the 39th lap, the gap between the British and the Dutchman was only 4.4 seconds. The advantage for the Red Bull driver was to have medium tires while Mercedes had decided to put hard tires on Hamilton.

On the 50th lap, Max Verstappen had closed the DRS gap to Lewis Hamilton. The reigning world champion didn’t wait long to launch his first attack on the seven-time world champion. Diving on the inside of the Mercedes at turn 12, the Dutchman took advantage of his car’s superb top speed to prevail.

So it was Max Verstappen who crossed the finish line first in Austin. Lewis Hamilton must finally settle for 2nd place. The podium is completed by Charles Leclerc, who managed to climb 9 positions. Sergio Perez and George Russell complete the Top 5 ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris and the survivor Fernando Alonso. Despite a complicated pit stop, Sebastian Vettel delivered a very impressive performance to bring his Aston Martin to the 8th position.

This new career victory for Max Verstappen not only allows the Dutchman to equal the number of wins in a season by a driver but above all, it allows Red Bull to secure their first constructor’s title of the hybrid era. It is also a fitting tribute to Dietrich Mateschitz, the co-founder of Red Bull, who passed away on Saturday at the age of 78.