Verstappen and the Red Bull team dedicated their victory to Red Bull founder Dietrich Mateschitz, who passed away on Saturday.
AUSTIN, Texas—It was a record-breaking Sunday at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, TX. Max Verstappen passed Mercedes’s Lewis Hamilton just a few laps from the finish to win his record-tying 13th win of the season. His victory also clinched the 2022 Constructor’s Championship for Red Bull Racing. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished third.
The Dutchman is now tied with Sebastian Vettel and Michael Schumacher for most wins in a single season, and he has three races left in the season to become the new record-holder. The 2022 Constructor’s title was confirmed when teammate Sergio Perez finished fourth on the day.
Verstappen held off pole-sitter Carlos Sainz and his Ferrari at the start, and he kept going until lap 35, when a botched pit stop dropped Verstappen to 6th. But the newly crowned world champion kept working. With ten laps to go in the race, Verstappen and Leclerc began to gain on Hamilton and Vettel, who at that point were 1-2 in the race. But Leclerc could not match Verstappen’s speed, and Vettel made a pit stop. Hamilton was the last driver Verstappen had to pass, and he did just that on lap 49.
“It was a tough one, “said Verstappen. “It was all looking good, but then the pit stop was a bit longer than we would have liked, I had to find my way forward again, but we gave it everything out there today. Of course, it’s a very difficult weekend for us, and this one is definitely dedicated to Dietrich (Mateschitz) for what he has done for everyone.”
Lando Norris finished sixth in his McLaren, while Vettel passed Haas F1’s Kevin Magnussen just a couple of corners from the end to take eighth. Yuki Tsunoda gave his Alpha Tauri one point by finishing in tenth.
Things did not go well for pole-sitter Carlos Sainz. He only finished a bit over one lap on the day because Mercedes George Russell struck his car, and that incident put Sainz out of the race. The #2 Mercedes driver finished fourth in the race and had the fastest lap. Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas spun at turn 19 and found himself stuck in the gravel before having the crane pull out the Finn’s car.
A frightening incident occurred when future Aston Martin teammates Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso collided, sending Alonso’s Alpine airborne and knocking the wind out of the Spaniard. While Stroll’s car was totaled, Alonso managed to get his car back to the pits for a front wing repair. The car was deemed race-worthy, and Alonso finished a surprising seventh.
The teams have a quick turnaround for the Mexico Grand Prix, which will be run at the Circuit Hermanos Rodriguez with an expected sellout crowd. Friday’s Free Practices, scheduled for 2p and 5p Eastern, will be televised on ESPNN.
