Austin GP
Race 19 Summary
October 23, 2022
It was an odd Sunday for us. Evan and I started the race, watched about half, and then had to stop because we had tickets to a show. As soon as we got home, we resumed the race where we left off. Let’s talk about COTA.
George Russell and Toto Wolff both said that they were going to be aggressive this race, and go for the win (hey- have y’all been reading my blog posts?!). Russell certainly went aggressive at the start, locking up due to some late breaking, and colliding with Sainz. Russell was able to continue, while Sainz had to retire from the race. Russell was slapped with a 5-second penalty for causing the incident, which I have to be honest- I don’t fully understand or agree with. I’m not going to really second guess the experts, who definitely know the rules a bit better than I do, but based on the leniency Race Control has shown on lap 1 incidents this season, I’m not 100% sure why the same leniency wasn’t given to Russell. It feels like some instances locking up and hitting someone is a racing incident, and others it’s driving too aggressively… I understand that George was driving aggressively at the start, but at the last second, Carlos moved off the racing line to avoid colliding with the back of Max Verstappen, which gave George less room to attempt to make the corner. Would he have still hit Carlos even if he didn’t come off line? Probably. But it likely wouldn’t have knocked Carlos out of the race, as he could have run wide with the generous space around turn 1.
So with Sainz out, it was Verstappen P1, Hamilton P2, and Stroll (briefly) in P3. Russell was able to quickly overtake Stroll for P3. Leclerc and Perez both took engine penalties, which put Leclerc in P12 and Perez in P9. By lap 5, Perez was already up to P4, with Leclerc still clawing his way up the field in P7. On lap 22, there was a scary incident between Stroll and Alonso, which saw the front of Fernando Alonso’s Alpine up in the air. Fortunately, both drivers were okay, and Stroll was penalized (rightfully so), as he moved at the last second, causing the contact with Alonso. There was a ton of debris from the wreck, with affected other cars/drivers, including Lando Norris who sustained damage from some debris. Alonso was surprisingly able to continue in the race, as he limped his car back to the pits. He would end up finish P7, but not without controversy. In a bizarre (but understandable) move, Haas disputed the race results for Red Bull (I can’t remember which driver, but I think it was Perez), and Alpine (Fernando Alonso). After the incident with Stroll, one of Alonso’s mirrors fell off on track. Haas’s Kevin Magnussen has been shown the Black and Orange flag several times this season, and they felt that the same strictness wasn’t applied to Red Bull and Alpine. Haas withdrew their challenge of Red Bull, but kept their challenge of Alpine. Honestly, the whole situation was very bizarre. The FIA ruled that Alonso entered the track in unsafe condition (because of the mirror) and was awarded a 30-second penalty after the race, dropping him well out of the top 10. Alpine challenged that decision, and the FIA reinstated Alonso’s P7 finish. While Haas’s tactics may be unorthodox, I think they have a point. The whole point of the Black and Orange flag is to require teams to fix their cars after an incident, especially with loose parts that could fall off and it a fan, marshal, or another car. Both Red Bull and Alpine had parts fall off during the race before they could be shown the Black and Orange flag. In both instances, something was loose for several laps before it eventually fell off. Race Control has been more strict about this during the 2022 season, so the fact that they let 2 cars continue during the race without the Black and Orange flag is on them. But who’s shocked by a lack of consistency within Race Control and the FIA?
Anyways, this was actually a really exciting race to watch. “Hammertime” returned, as Lewis had a great shot for the win. Red Bull had an uncharacteristic 12-second stop, which should have sealed the win for Lewis, but the Red Bull was just too fast. Max eventually caught Lewis on lap 50. Lewis held onto him for a few laps, but eventually dropped back as his tires degraded. Leclerc was able to climb up to P3, and secure an impressive podium. After serving his 5-second penalty, George finished P5 with the fastest lap. Sebastian Vettel had a great race, and overtook Magnussen (in an awesome battle) for P8.
>SILVER ARROW POINTS
>Merc, you finally listened. It was clear that the hunger was there amongst the whole team. Good pitstops, and decent race strategy. Other than George’s early mistake, both drivers had great races, but it just wasn’t meant to be. I’m proud of the progress and the fight. We have 3 more shots to get Lewis to the top step, let’s keep pushing!
FAVE CREATORS
Quickstop F1: US GP Review. “This week, Nyasha and Thandie are joined by our favourite ex-athlete, podcaster, content creator and host on ESPN's First Take - Darius Butler to break down an enthralling US Grand Prix in Austin, Texas which nearly saw Lewis Hamilton's first win on the season.”
On the Chicane: 2022 US GP. “Paris and Marium break down the United States F1 GP at the circuit of the Americas. A thrilling race from start to finish that saw Alonso fly and Sainz fall at the hands of Russell.”
So… Red Bull officially secured the Constructor’s championship for 2022 in the wake of the news that they exceeded the cost cap for 2021. Regardless of what they spent their money on, it is undeniable that Red Bull has a substantial advantage over the competition in this new era of regulations. Ferrari spent 2 years focusing on the new regulations, which cost them during those seasons as their focus was on 2022. Mercedes was in a highly contested battle with Red Bull in 2021, which split their focus, and basically led them to make a few poor decisions with car design. Red Bull, despite the battle with Mercedes and cost cap regulations in 2021, have managed to create a rocket ship, which Ferrari and Mercedes can’t seem to touch. Ferrari, Red Bull’s toughest competition over the course of the season, is struggling to keep up with Red Bull at this point of the season, and they have been focusing on this year’s car for several years! It’s getting difficult to stay locked in or interested in this season with on Red Bull and Ferrari winning races this season so far. With Mexico City, Brazil, and Abu Dhabi left this season, will another team be able to snatch a win?