2022 United States Grand Prix – Race Review

A thrilling day at the Circuit Of The Americas in Austin, Texas saw several high profiles incidents, thrilling battles throughout the field as well as the crowning of new constructors champions. Join Supercars.com.gh as we take a deep dive into the events of the 2022 United States Grand Prix.

Heartbreak For Sainz

Carlos Sainz would have been elated to start the race from the front of the pack after securing pole position for the second time in his career. However, a series of misfortune events brought that happiness to a quick and unfortunate end.

The Spaniard was beaten off the line by Verstappen, dropping him to P2 immediately. As they made their way to turn 1, the Ferrari driver tried a move on the inside, landing him on the path of a charging George Russell. The resulting collision dropped Sainz to the back, and he retired from the race a few moments later due to a water leak. To mention that the “smooth operator” had a day to forget would e an understatement.

Alonso Goes Airborn

The fast winds at the racetrack proved troublesome for several drivers, as proven by Nicholas Latifi and Valtteri Bottas spinning their cars. But nothing was comparable to the massive collision between Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso.

Luckily, both drivers were unharmed due to the incident, which goes to show how safe modern F1 cars are. Additionally, Alonso would go on to finish the race and impressively score some points. However, a time penalty after the race saw him drop out of the points to P15.

A Battle For The Lead

During the closing stages of the Grand Prix, we were treated to some thrilling battles for the podium positions. The first of the notable ones was the battle between Leclerc and Verstappen for P3. In what was reminiscent of their battles earlier in the season, the two young drivers fought tooth and nail to protect the second place. Ultimately, the pace of the Red Bull RB18 along with the picture-perfect driving of Verstappen was too much to handle for Leclerc, and Verstappen passed him to be on his way to chase down the race leader.

As this battle was taking place, Lewis Hamilton passed Sebastian Vettel, who led the 3500th lap of his career, into turn 1 to take the race lead. At the closing stages of the race, he found Verstappen right on the back of his rear wing.

In what was reminiscent of their battles last season, the two drivers fought hard for victory. Hamilton for his first win of the season and Verstappen for a record-equalling 13th. With a few laps to go, the Dutchman got past the Mercedes, which put him in the company of Michel Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel as the drivers with the most victories in a single season. With this victory, he also handed Red Bull their 5th constructors championship in history, the day after the team’s founder Dietrich Mateschitz sadly passed away.

With the driver’s and constructor’s championships out of the picture, the victories of the remaining races will be fought simply for bragging rights. Who will succeed the next weekend? Stay with Supercars.com.gh to find out.