United States Grand Prix – What to expect from the race?

There are 4 races left to go before the end of the Formula 1 2022 championship, and Max Verstappen is already recognized as the world champion of drivers. However, there are still other stakes in both the drivers’ and constructors’ world championship.

The struggle for the position of vice world champion

Charles Leclerc, 3rd in the constructors’ championship, is only 1 point away from second place. By achieving a better performance than Sergio Perez today at the Circuit of the Americas, he can ensure that he takes the lead to secure this runner-up position. The battle for Max Verstappen’s runner-up spot is therefore not over. For now, the advantage is with the Red Bull driver who will start 9th, while Leclerc, who has changed engine components, will start only 14th.

The battle for the 4th place in the constructors’ championship

Another important battle concerns the constructor championship. If Red Bull can be crowned champion as early as this Sunday, and behind them Ferrari and Mercedes seem comfortable in their positions, the fight for 4th place in the constructors’ standings is not over yet.

Alpine, long ahead of McLaren, gradually lost ground due to reliability issues. After Singapore, the French team even had to concede its 4th place to McLaren before regaining it in the following Grand Prix, at Suzuka.

Here in Austin, the advantage is currently in McLaren’s favor. Norris had a good qualifying session and, in addition to that, benefits from penalties on Leclerc and Alonso, making him the only one from the quartet in the top 10.

Daniel Ricciardo will start far back, just like Esteban Ocon and therefore Fernando Alonso. By scoring points today, Norris could close the gap on Alpine, even allowing his team to move ahead. Only 13 points separate the two teams. Norris, who starts in 6th place, would therefore need a podium finish.

Battle of small change for the backmarker teams

The positions in the constructor championship determine the revenue generated by the teams in terms of TV rights. By gaining a position in the world constructor championship, teams can significantly increase their budget. The battles for the small points between 7th and 10th places are therefore important, and currently, Alfa Romeo holds the 6th place with just an 8-point lead over Aston Martin. If Aston Martin achieves impressive performances, it is still highly possible to reverse the situation.

Similarly, further down the line, for the 8th place in the constructors’ championship, Haas and AlphaTauri are tied with 34 points. Therefore, every point must be a victory for the drivers of these two teams in order to make a significant difference in the championship.

Tight performances

The show should be interesting on the track this Sunday during the Grand Prix. Contrary to what was expected with Red Bull and Verstappen’s dominance, it’s a Ferrari in pole position. The Mercedes could also disrupt the party with impressive performances and a gap not so far from the two top teams in 2022.

Behind, the performances are also tight. In Q1 during Saturday’s qualifying, we saw 10 drivers within less than a second of each other. One driving mistake and it’s a guarantee of losing significant positions.

In terms of race strategies, two pit stops are recommended by Pirelli by initially using the medium tires, then making a change to the hard tires around laps 14 to 19, and switching back to the mediums around laps 34-42.

An alternative, still with two stops, is to put on hard tires again, a little earlier towards the end of the race. A third strategy could be to make three pit stops, this time with the soft tires for the final stint.