Fernando Alonso, during the dispute of the United States GP. /
United States GP
The Asturian starred in the image of the day after an ugly accident with Stroll, his next teammate, and the Dutchman beat Hamilton
Max Verstappen already holds the record for the most victories in a season, thirteen, tied with those achieved by Vettel in 2013 and Michael Schumacher in 2004, after winning a difficult United States GP in which he fought tooth and nail with rivals from the hardness of Lewis Hamilton, who still does not know what it is to win in this 2022, and of Charles Leclerc, who saved the furniture for Ferrari.
And it is that the race began in the worst possible way for Carlos Sainz. The man from Madrid started with a lot of optimism, but he got complicated at the same moment the traffic light went out. Verstappen passed him in the opening meters, forcing him to attack down the outside line at the first corner, where Russell rammed him.
Sainz, just ten seconds after starting, saw how his participation in the United States GP was over, because that blow, in addition to causing him to spin, affected the hydraulic system and caused a fatal water leak. Sixth abandonment of the year, second in the first lap and a new disappointment for him. Seen the punishment and the final result, the five seconds of penalty that this action earned Russell know very little.
The race then entered a period of calm that was only disturbed by the pit stops. Tire management entered a critical phase, since the temperatures made it necessary to think about whether it was optimal to wait for the hard ones or keep the medium ones, who were going for that strategy, or vice versa, in the case of Fernando Alonso.
The decision of when to stop ended up being forced by Valtteri Bottas’ spin on lap 18, when he was left lying in the curve with the same number. The subsequent deployment of the safety car to remove the Alfa Romeo stuck in the gravel caused the group to regroup. This time not even half a risk was taken, given what happened in Japan, and the race was neutralized until the crane was removed. which is not what the pilots demanded either, who directly asked for a red flag. This time there were no complaints.
Prelude to 2023?
The resumption of the race was marked by one of the most spectacular accidents in memory. The protagonists will be partners from 2023: Lance Stroll and Alonso. The Asturian launched an attack on the Canadian to gain position when the latter, as he had already shown on other occasions, made it clear that he does not look in the mirrors. It is incomprehensible that he gave that swerve that the one who will be his next ‘partner’ could not avoid.
The blow they took ended with Alonso flying and falling violently to the ground, but still in the race. He entered the pits as best he could, they changed the nose and the tires and he started racing. The Asturian not only did not give up on following, but ended up fighting for points.
In a race that seemed like it was going to be bland, there was one more script coup, and this time it had an unexpected protagonist: Max Verstappen. When Lewis Hamilton entered the pits to make his second stop to look for an ‘undercut’, Red Bull’s response failed what never fails. The left front wheel gun didn’t fit right and the “terrific” (Verstappen’s word for complaining) tire change cost him the lead.
The last laps were frantic for it. The two-time champion had to attack Hamilton, who sought to maintain his streak of having won at least one race in all the seasons he has been in Formula 1, while behind him Pérez and Leclerc played for third place in this race and a little plus.
at the edge of the track
Verstappen was warned until receiving a black and white flag (a yellow card, in football terms) that his fight to reach Hamilton could lead to a penalty if he continued to cross the track limits. With the Brit complaining (he too was warned), he eventually got past him to make his team champion.
In a very complex weekend, both emotionally due to the death of Dietrich Mateschitz, founder of Red Bull, and sporting due to that failure in the pits, Verstappen made them constructors’ champions by winning ahead of their great rivals. Next week, in Mexico, the opportunity will be for Sergio Pérez to show more.
Alonso: “In the last 20 laps, I was only thinking about the accident”
Fernando Alonso appeared before the media after the United States Grand Prix with a tired face. He admitted it himself: he was extremely lucky, not only to emerge unscathed from the tremendous accident he had with Lance Stroll, whom he freed from all blame, but also to finish the race.
“First of all, I am happy to talk to you because I could be in the medical center. Happy about that. We were already lucky with the first safety car, and then when overtaking I wanted to pass Lance, I moved and he moved at the same time… It was bad luck, we didn’t understand each other », he explained about the incident. The worst was the feeling of insecurity and not knowing what was going to happen when landing. “When I was in the air, I was a little scared,” Alonso confessed below.
The surprise was that the car did not end up wrecked. “When I saw that it landed on the asphalt I thought that the car was going to be destroyed, but I got to the pits, they changed my tires and I was able to continue the 32 laps until the end,” he recounted. “Finishing seventh seems incredible to me,” she explained, before confessing that it was 32 laps from hell. “In the last 20 laps, I was only thinking about the accident,” he said, still noticeably sore.
Sainz, sunk
Carlos Sainz didn’t even break a sweat at the United States Grand Prix. The man from Madrid said goodbye in the first corner, after a George Russell who did not even know where he was going took him. He hit her right at the point where he broke her radiator.
«We have come out regularly, or rather Max has come out very well. We had already seen it before the race, that for some unknown reason the second always comes out better than the first. I was struggling with him, and Russell came like crazy and hit me. It is a summary of what is happening this year, ”the Spanish lamented. “Things are not going out on Sundays, and you have to turn the page,” he resigned himself.
“Now we have to focus on Mexico, there is no other option but to continue taking small steps with the car. The time will come when things stop happening », she tried to reassure herself.
