Max Verstappen scored a 13th win of the season Sunday in the F1 United States Grand Prix and easily one of his mot emotional, and hard-fought victories.
Verstappen took the lead on the opening lap when polesitter Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz slid wide and was spun by Mercedes’ driver George Russell, who was later given a five-second penalty for the contact.
Verstappen was in control most of the race, which featured two safety cars, but on the final pit stop the Red Bull crew had trouble with one of the front wheels. The slow stop saw Verstappen come out behind Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton.
Hamilton looked in position to win his first race of the season, but Verstappen rallied and got by first Leclerc than Hamilton with six laps left. Verstappen would stretch out his lead and take the win a day after Red Bull co-founder and owner Dietrich Mateschitz passed away. The win also secured a fifth F1 constructors’ title for Red Bull.
“It was not made easy for us but in the end of course, extremely happy to win in this difficult weekend for us. I think this was actually a race that he [Mateschitz] would have loved to see,” said Verstappen.
“Of course I’m sad, but I’m also incredibly proud of the whole team of the way they’ve operated the whole weekend – apart from the pit stop, but that was a gun failure and these things can unfortunately happen. But we kept it together and we won also the constructors’ [title], so I’m very proud of everyone.
“Also, the people who don’t even come to the track, back at the factory, the effort they put into the car this year has been enormous and I’m very proud of everyone to secure this.”
Though disappointed, Hamilton seemed satisfied with his runner-up finish.
“We were so, so close, I did everything I could to try and stay ahead [of Verstappen] but they were just a little bit too quick today,” Hamilton said. “But great strategy, great race by Red Bull and again my condolences to the team,” he said, after the passing of Red Bull co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz.
“I mean, I am shattered. The car was a handful today. It felt amazing firstly to be in the lead. That is something we have been working so hard on as a team through the year and I felt so much hope, but it’s okay.
“We’ll hold on to that, we’ll keep pushing and we’ll try and give it everything we have in the next three [Grands Prix]. It will come to us at some stage.”
Leclerc managed a podium finish for Ferrari as the Italian team mathematically dropped out of contention for the constructors’ crown.
Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez was fourth with Russell finishing fifth.
“It certainly means a lot for us,” Perez said. “You know, it’s been a big dominance by Mercedes in the last few years, so I really hope that the era of Red Bull starts now and that we are able to dominate the next few years.”
“What he has done for everyone, the only thing we could do today was win and even though after the pit stop it was not looking great, I gave it everything out there and pushed it to the limit to come back.”
McLaren driver Lando Norris was sixth. Fernando Alonso bounced back from an engine penalty and a dramatic collision with Lance Stroll midway through the race, which briefly sent him airborne, to claim seventh position, followed by Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel and the one-stopping Haas of Kevin Magnussen.
AlphaTauri driver Yuki Tsunoda, who started at the back of the grid after an engine penalty, also used the drama to his advantage to take a point in 10th.
FORMULA 1 ARAMCO UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX 2022 – RACE RESULT
| Pos | Driver | Time/Retired | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1:42:11.687 | 25 | |
| 2 | +5.023s | 18 | |
| 3 | +7.501s | 15 | |
| 4 | +8.293s | 12 | |
| 5 | +44.815s | 11 | |
| 6 | +53.785s | 8 | |
| 7 | +55.078s | 6 | |
| 8 | +65.354s | 4 | |
| 9 | +65.834s | 2 | |
| 10 | +70.919s | 1 | |
| 11 | +72.875s | 0 | |
| 12 | +75.057s | 0 | |
| 13 | +76.164s | 0 | |
| 14 | +81.763s | 0 | |
| 15 | +84.490s | 0 | |
| 16 | +90.487s | 0 | |
| 17 | +103.588s | 0 | |
| NC | DNF | 0 | |
| NC | DNF | 0 | |
| NC | DNF | 0 |
* Provisional results. Note – Russell scored an additional point for setting the fastest lap of the race. Gasly received a 10-second time penalty for not serving a safety car infringement penalty correctly. Latifi received a five-second time penalty for forcing another driver off the track. Schumacher received a five-second time penalty for exceeding track limits.
Greg has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.