What a nice tribute to the boss of the Red Bull company, the Austrian entrepreneur Dietrich Matechitz, who died the day before yesterday Saturday 22 October, at the age of 78 following a long illness, we no longer saw him on the circuits. last appearance in Zeltweg during the Austrian GP in summer 2019!
By winning this Sunday 23 October, the very recent Mode Champion crowned at Suzuka and for the second consecutive year, has with his new victory – the 13th of this season where he equaled the unforgettable Schumi in 2004 and Seb Vettel in 2013– couldn’t honor his memory better …
Max Verstappen then emerged victorious at the end of an action-packed United States Grand Prix, overhauling and dismissing Lewis Hamilton in a tense finish, while his Red Bull team won their first constructors’ world title since 2013.
Verstappen’s record 13th win this season, and the Red Bull team’s triumph in the championship, comes the day after the death of Red Bull co-founder and owner Dietrich Mateschitz and this fifth F1 constructors’ title for the Milton Keynes team. naturally arouses party emotions …
Having taken the lead at the start, avoiding the drama behind when Carlos Sainz Jr and George Russell collided at Turn 1, Verstappen looked ready for another comfortable win at the Circuit of the Americas, facing several restarts after the appearance of the safety car and managing its pace with expertise. .
But a slow final pit stop then suddenly opened the doors to his pursuers, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, the reigning World Champion who had to overtake them both to try to pass the checkered flag first … a quick successful operation on a Ferrari driver. and on Hamilton only six laps to go!
Despite considerable efforts, a Hamilton of the big days had to settle for second place, continuing his Mercedes team’s wait for their first win in 2022, while Leclerc saved the podium for Ferrari as the Italian team mathematically abandoned the race at constructors title!
Leclerc previously took advantage of an early break under a safety car caused by Valtteri Bottas spinning on the gravel to pass and climb up from twelfth on the grid after changing his engine.
Perez took fourth place after his own engine penalty. Russell, on the other hand, took a five-second penalty for his accident with Sainz Jr and moved up to fifth place, stopping late in the pits to make the fastest lap on the soft tires, having kept a sufficient margin on the McLaren driver, Lando Norris, sixth.
Fernando Alonso recovered after first a penalty to the engine and then a dramatic collision with Lance Stroll, author of an indelicate maneuver that earned him a red card in the middle of the race, who briefly sent the Alpino into the air, before returning to the box and then miraculously managing to continue the GP, finishing in an unexpected seventh position, followed by Sebastian Vettel of Aston Martin and Haas of Kevin Magnussen.
Finally, the AlphaTauri driver, the young Japanese Yuki Tsunoda, left at the bottom of the grid due to an engine penalty, takes one point out of ten, slightly beating Esteban Ocon of the Alpine who started from the pits, Alex Albon of Williams and Zhou Guanyu of the Alfa Romeo!
As for the other French driver, Pierre Gasly, he had a black Sunday! Pierre Gasly, in fact, occupied the afternoon of the FIA commissioners!
First of all, he was punished with a five-second penalty for leaving too much space with the car in front of him under the safety car, a penalty to be taken during his pit stop.
But this penalty was handled poorly by his AlphaTauri team and this time he was given a second ten second penalty, which was finally added to his final time!
Suddenly, he loses a place at the finish line, passing – one but less – not being in the points zone from thirteen to fourteen …
Norman, who is having a difficult season at AlphaTauri, must be relieved to join the French Alpine team next season!
John Rowberg
Photo: F1 – TEAMS
THE RANKING OF THE TEXAS GRAND PRIX AT THE AUSTIN COTA
1 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull-Honda) – 56 tours
2 – Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) al 5 ″ 023
3 – Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) a 7 ″ 501
4 – Sergio Perez (Red Bull-Honda) à 8 ″ 293
5 – George Russell (Mercedes) a 44 ″ 815
6 – Lando Norris (McLaren-Mercedes) a 53 ″ 785
7 – Fernando Alonso (Alpine-Renault) a 55 ″ 078
8 – Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin-Mercedes) al 1’05 ″ 354
9 – Kevin Magnussen (Haas-Ferrari) a 1’05 ″ 834
10 – Yuki Tsunoda (Alpha Tauri-Honda) a 1’10 ″ 919
11 – Esteban Ocon (Alpine-Renault) a 1’12 ″ 875
12 – Alexander Albon (Williams-Mercedes) a 1’15 ″ 057
13 – Guan Yu Zhou (Sauber Alfa Romeo-Ferrari) a 1’16 ″ 164
14 – Pierre Gasly (Alpha Tauri-Honda) a 1’21 ″ 763
15 – Mick Schumacher (Haas-Ferrari) a 1’24 ″ 490
16 – Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren-Mercedes) at 1’30 ″ 487
17 – Nicolas Latifi (Williams-Mercedes) at 1’43 ″ 588
ABANDONMENTS: Lance Stroll – Valtteri Bottas and Carlos Sainz Jr
THE PROVISIONAL GENERAL RANKING OF THE DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP
- Verstappen: 391 points – 2.Leclerc: 267 – 3.Perez: 265 – 4. Russel: 218 – 5. Sainz Jr: 202 -6. Hamilton: 198 – 7. Norris: 109 – 8.Ocon: 78 – 9.Alonso: 71 – 10.Bottas: 46 – 11.Vettel: 36 – 12.Ricciardo: 29 – 13.Magnussen: 24 – 14. Gaseous: 23 – 15. Walk: 13 – 16, Schumacher et Tsunoda: 12 – 18. Zhou: 6 – 19. Albon: 4 – 20. Latifi and De Vries: 2.
THE PROVISIONAL GENERAL RANKING OF THE MANUFACTURERS CHAMPIONSHIP
- Red Bull-Honda: 656 points – 2.Ferrari: 469 – 3. Mercedes: 416 – 4.Alpine-Renault: 149 – 5.McLaren-Mercedes: 138 – 6.Sauber Alfa Romeo-Ferrari: 52 – 7.Aston Martin-Mercedes: 49 – 8. Haas-Ferrari: 36 – 9.Alfa Tauri-Honda: 35 – 10.Williams-Mercedes: 8.
