Formula One F1 – United States Grand Prix – Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas, US – October 23, 2022 Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner, Mentor Helmut Marko, Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez, Red Bull Team and Staff members celebrate the victory of the REUTERS Championship constructors / Mike Segar
Max Verstappen fought back from a slow pitstop to win the US Grand Prix in Austin on Sunday as his Red Bull team won the Formula One constructors title a day after the billionaire owner’s death Dietrich Mateschitz.
The title, which includes three backup races, ends an eight-year streak for Mercedes, who are yet to win a single race this season.
Their seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton looked like he could do it, taking the lead with 15 laps but finishing in second at Circuit of the Americas after being swept away by Verstappen.
“That’s for Dietrich,” Verstappen said after holding the checkered flag.
The title is Red Bull’s first since 2013, when they completed a fourth consecutive title double with Germany’s Sebastian Vettel at the end of the sport’s V8 era.
What an incredible season @redbullracing team
Congratulations on becoming Constructors’ 2022 champion! # F1 pic.twitter.com/nfNytbaQsw
– Formula 1 (@ F1) October 24, 2022
Ferrari needed to score 19 points more than Red Bull at the Texas track but Charles Leclerc was the Italian team’s lone finisher, fighting for third from 12th on the leaderboard.
Teammate Carlos Sainz, who started at pole, retired with a damaged car following a first-round collision with Mercedes’ George Russell.
Red Bull is currently 656 points unbeaten compared to Ferrari’s 469.
Verstappen’s win was his 13th of the season, equaling the Formula One record held alongside Ferrari great Michael Schumacher and Vettel, and the 33rd of his career and the second in a row. next in Texas.
The 25-year-old Dutchman won his second title in Japan two weeks ago.
“Max Verstappen, you are world champion, we are world champion, thank you very much,” team boss Christian Horner told him via team radio after his eighth straight win. of Red Bull and 15th in 19 races.
“And thank you Dietrich Mateschitz for everything you have done for us, for this team. These championships are for you,” he added.
Extremely fun long stop
Verstappen took the lead on the first corner and took control as he made the second stop to switch from hard to medium tire in 36th of the scheduled 56 laps.
The stop lasted a painful 11.1 seconds with the left front wheel unscrewed and the mechanics scrambling for another wheel gun.
He returned to the track in sixth, jumped up by Leclerc, who had also pitted and effectively led Hamilton in fourth as the three men ahead of the British had yet to pit.
“Beautiful,” Verstappen said sarcastically over the radio.
He then determined to shorten the distance, overtaking Leclerc after a brief burst of excitement and heading back six laps from the finish line to cross the 5.023 second line ahead of Hamilton.
“It was a tough match… I had to fight my way again. We gave it everything there today,” said the champion.
Red Bull’s Sergio Perez was fourth with Russell, who ran the fastest, fifth and Lando Norris sixth for McLaren.
Doubles world champion Fernando Alonso finished seventh for Renault-owned Alpine, but after Haas’ call, was penalized 30 seconds after the race and dropped to 15th.
Haas protested that the Spaniard was allowed to race in an unsafe car after his rearview mirror flipped around and ended up flying away.
Alonso damaged his car in a collision with future Aston Martin teammate Lance Stroll, an incident that made the car safe for the second time. Stroll was given a three-place grid for the next race in Mexico.
The first safety car activated by Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas crashed into lap 18.
Alonso’s demotion lifted Vettel, who led briefly and also suffered a long pitstop, to seventh place for Aston Martin. Haas’ Kevin Magnussen advanced to eighth, Yuki Tsunoda ninth for Red Bull-owned AlphaTauri and Esteban Ocon 10th for Alpine.
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