United States Grand Prix: the Tops/Flops of the editorial team

Tops

1. Norris: when will victory come?

The British man, who took part in his 100th Grand Prix in F1, has shown an enormous amount of good things since several Grand Prix: a recovered (and astonishing) pace, a great consistency and a lot of flair behind the wheel. It is quite logical that he arrived in the tops of the editorial team unanimously!

It’s a wonder how a driver with such precise execution hasn’t already won a Grand Prix. But, in 2023, Max Verstappen played the spoiler to the competition and it’s certain that with an even more competitive McLaren, there would have been a match. And when Verstappen isn’t there, it’s Sainz who takes over!

In Austin, the young Englishman got off to a superb start, which led him to the lead at the first turn. His series of podiums (four!) is also a testament to the rebirth of McLaren, who had to recover from the terrible Honda years and two engine changes in the following years.

With all these qualities, and if all the planets finally align for him, Lando Norris has all the necessary arguments to go for a victory this season. Otherwise, it will almost certainly be in 2024!

2. Finally a clean weekend for Gasly

It is true that the No. 10 of Alpine has not been the center of attention during the weekend, but let’s say it clearly: it has delivered a perfect copy!

Never, from Friday to Sunday, did he leave the Top 10. His Sprint and his race were conducted with intelligence, wisdom, and above all the good strategic execution of Alpine. The French team anyway has nothing left to play for in this championship: might as well continue to do things well.

The only thing missing from the Blues is the perennial performance, which is slow to push the Enstone team up the hierarchy. The A523s are not ridiculous in race pace, but it is clear that efforts must be doubled in view of next year. Such work deserves to be praised, despite the withdrawal of Esteban Ocon in the 6th lap.

Lance Stroll: finally!

A vast majority of observers allowed themselves the guilty pleasure of questioning the validity of keeping Lance Stroll at Aston Martin. The AMR23 was a rocket at the start of the season, but the Canadian never knew how to harness the potential that Fernando Alonso, himself, knew how to utilize.

And in Austin, Stroll finally produces, after a long time, a well-executed race! His 8th place on the track (the 7th being secured after the disqualifications of Leclerc and Hamilton) was achieved through effective driving, which put him in the rhythm of Alonso, until the latter’s withdrawal.

Thus, it is appropriate to give Caesar what is Caesar’s: Stroll had a great race! And, even if questions remain about him, we would like to be able to say more good about him after the Grand Prix. Still, it must be confirmed in the next round.

Flops

1. Ferrari is doing Ferrari again

Ah this Scuderia…how much noise it has made for several years. The strategic farces indeed stick to Ferrari, who decided to take away as many chances as possible from Charles Leclerc, author of the pole of the Grand Prix.

If everyone makes two stops, in order to have more attacking margin, what are we doing? We only give one stop to the Monegasque! Moreover, he missed his start and quickly fell back into line. This option could have prevailed if one of the two cars was far away (and even then). But what is the benefit of wanting to do everything contrary to everyone else? That is also the question.

To say how much this strategy didn’t hold up: Carlos Sainz, despite starting from behind, benefited from a classic two-stop strategy. And, oh surprise: he finished ahead of Charles Leclerc!

It is certainly not as serious as the tires not ready at Zandvoort. But still, one has to wonder what is going through the heads of the strategists. The competition must have watched this with a somewhat mocking smile… and one can’t really blame them.

2. Hamilton: what if…

With “ifs”, Nick Heidfeld would have won a Grand Prix and Nikita Mazepin would have been world champion. And Lewis Hamilton could have chased down Max Verstappen. On paper at least it was possible.

The rhythm of the Brit was conducive to a 104th victory in Formula 1. But facing Max Verstappen, especially when he is not as dominant as usual, the slightest mistake is costly. This was the case of his big wheel block at the 11th turn, Mercedes’ choice to extend his stint on worn mediums and, above all, a pit stop that was far too long (3.6 seconds).

Mercedes had accustomed us to strategic excellence during its golden years. Of course, the competition was nowhere or almost at that time. But a stable of this caliber should not shoot itself in the foot in this way. It must be recognized that with a less performing car, even improved, it is already not the same.

In any case, the car was deemed non-compliant after the arrival and the seven-time world champion finally left Austin with a score of seven points (his 2nd place in Sprint) instead of 25 in total. Everything suggests that this Grand Prix will remain frustrating for a good while.

3. Haas and Alfa Romeo: anonymous

There is not much to say about the two teams equipped with Ferrari engines. The Haas had new upgrades. But it seems that the term “upgrade” does not necessarily have a positive connotation: the VF-23s returned empty-handed from their second home stage.

The Grand Prix was concluded in 11th place by Nico Hülkenberg, who did his best, far ahead of a non-existent Kevin Magnussen. Starting from the pits with the Aston Martins, didn’t solve the problem.

As for Alfa Romeo, both cars performed a grouped shot out of points, whether in Sprint or in race. This is unfortunate, as the single-seaters marked with the Transalpine Clover were a very pleasant surprise in the Qatar Grand Prix, showing great rhythm.

But in Austin, everything has returned to order (in the wrong sense of the term). In Hinwill, the upcoming arrival of Audi will require much stronger foundations. At the risk of scaring away the future F1 constructor.