Verstappen seals Red Bull constructors’ title with comeback US GP drive

Red Bull's F1 constructors' title has long looked a formality, but a pitstop glitch for Max Verstappen added a late touch of drama at the United States Grand Prix, on an emotional weekend for the team

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Max Verstappen holds his face after winning the 2022 US GP and constructors championship

Emotional celebrations on the podium in Austin

Dan Istitene/F1 via Getty Images

Red Bull has won the 2022 F1 constructors’ title after an emotional Max Verstappen victory in America, a day after the death of Dietrich Mateschitz.

Verstappen dedicated his win to the late Red Bull co-founder, and team principal Christian Horner welled up as he watched the podium celebrations, having exhorted his team to do Mateschitz proud.

Red Bull’s title, which follows Verstappen securing the drivers’ championship at the previous race in Japan, has looked a formality since a series of Ferrari errors and failures ahead of the summer break.

A win at the Circuit of the Americas would be enough to clinch the double, with three races remaining, but it was in doubt until the final laps after a rare pitstop error.

Verstappen lost the lead of the race when mechanics struggled to fit his front-left wheel at his second stop. The delay dropped him to an effective third place behind Charles Leclerc and new race leader Lewis Hamilton.

Charles Leclerc ahead of Max Verstappen in the 2022 US GP

Battle with Leclerc brought cheers from the COTA grandstands

Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

Until then, Verstappen had looked to be on course for another straightforward win after George Russell and polesitter Carlos Sainz came together at the start, leaving Verstappen at the front in clear air.

But two safety car periods, and the pitstop error, dropped Verstappen behind Leclerc, who had started 12th.

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It brought a thrilling pursuit, with the Ferrari and Red Bull visibly on the limit as they careened through COTA’s S-bends: a resumption of the battles that we saw in the early stages of the season.

As for much of the year, however, the Red Bull’s pace proved too much. Despite a determined defence by Leclerc, Verstappen made it past and then set off in pursuit of Hamilton, whose fate looked inevitable.

There was little he could do on lap 50 of 56, as Verstappen dived up the inside of the Mercedes to take the lead, holding the position until the chequered flag.

“This one was for Dietrich,” Verstappen said over the radio, paying tribute to Red Bull’s co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz who died the previous day. “The only thing we could do this weekend was to win.”

The victory also takes Verstappen to 13 wins in 2022, equalling the record number of victories in a season shared with Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel.

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