Austin 2022! Everything you need to know...
- Ella Simmons
- Oct 21, 2022
- 6 min read
Updated: Oct 28, 2022
This post will be updated over the weekend.
Welcome to the 2nd US Grand Prix, now at Austin! We go to COTA (Circuit of The Americas) which has been apart of the Formula 1 calendar since 2012.
Excitingly, we are seeing a LOT of new faces for F1 during FP1 as teams fulfill their requirements to allow young drivers to try driving a F1 car. These include Logan Sargeant for Williams, Theo Pouchaire for Alfa Romeo, Alex Palou for McLaren, Antonio Giovinazzi for Haas, and Robert Schwartzman for Ferrari.
JUMP TO
Austin Schedule (BST):
Friday 21st October 2022:
Free Practice 1: 20:00-21:00
Free Practice 2: 23:00-00:30
Saturday 22nd October 2022:
Free Practice 3: 20:00-21:00
Qualifying: 23:00-00:00
Sunday 23rd October 2022:
The Race: 20:00-22:00
About The Track:
Used since 2012, this season marks 10 years of COTA being apart of the catalog of circuits at F1's disposal.
It's a home race for the Haas team.
The race will have 56 laps of the 5.513km circuit.
The lap record was set by Charles Leclerc in 2019 at 1:36.169.
Image taken from official F1 website
Free Practice Updates:
Free Practice 1
Time by Teams -
Alfa Romeo
Theo Pourchaire driving Valtteri Bottas' car: P18. 1:40.175. Completed 19 laps.
Zhou Guanyu: P12. 1:38.276. Completed 20 laps.
AlphaTauri
Pierre Gasly: P8. 1:37.810. Completed 23 laps.
Yuki Tsunoda: P14. 1:38.898. Completed 22 laps.
Alpine
Esteban Ocon: P11. 1:38.102. Completed 23 laps.
Fernando Alonso: P6. 1:37.713. Completed 24 laps.
Aston Martin
Sebastian Vettel: P10. 1:38.041. Completed 24 laps.
Lance Stroll: P4. 1:37.460. Completed 23 laps.
Ferrari
Carlos Sainz: P1. 1:36.857. Completed 18 laps.
Robert Schwartzman driving Charles Leclerc's car: P16.
Haas
Mick Schumacher: P15. 1:38.922. Completed 20 laps.
Antonio Giovinazzi driving Kevin Magnussen's car: P20. 1:43.063. Completed 4 laps.
McLaren
Lando Norris: P9. 1:37.856. Completed 22 laps.
Alex Palou driving Daniel Ricciardo's car: P17. 1:39.911. Completed 21 laps.
Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton: P3. 1:37.322. Completed 19 laps.
George Russell: P7. 1:37.802. Completed 22 laps.
Red Bull
Max Verstappen: P2. 1:37.081. Completed 14 laps.
Sergio Perez: P5. 1:37.515. Completed 18 laps.
Williams
Alex Albon: P13. 1:38.422. Completed 20 laps.
Logan Sargeant driving Nicholas Latifi's car: P19. 1:40.325. Completed 22 laps.
OVERALL RANKINGS FOR FP1:
Position | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 1:36.857 |
2 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:37.081 |
3 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:37.332 |
4 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 1:37.460 |
5 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull | 1:37.515 |
6 | Fernando Alonso | Alpine | 1:37.713 |
7 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:37.802 |
8 | Pierre Gasly | AlphaTauri | 1:37.810 |
9 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:37.856 |
10 | Sebastian Vettel | Aston Martin | 1:38.041 |
11 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine | 1:38.102 |
12 | Zhou Guanyu | Alfa Romeo | 1:38.276 |
13 | Alex Albon | WIlliams | 1:38.422 |
14 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri | 1:38.898 |
15 | Mick Schumacher | Haas | 1:38.922 |
16 | Robert Schwartzman | Ferrari | 1:38.951 |
17 | Alex Palou | McLaren | 1:39.911 |
18 | Theo Pourchaire | Alfa Romeo | 1:40.175 |
19 | Logan Sargeant | Williams | 1:40.325 |
20 | Antonio Giovinazzi | Haas | 1:43.063 |
Free Practice 2
Time by Teams:
Alfa Romeo
Valtteri Bottas: P2. 1:37.525. Completed 37 laps.
Zhou Guanyu: P14. 1:40.664. Completed 26 laps.
AlphaTauri
Pierre Gasly: P9. 1:39.840. Completed 26 laps.
Yuki Tsunoda: P12. 1:40.178. Completed 26 laps.
Alpine
Esteban Ocon: P16. 1:41.310. Completed 26 laps.
Fernando Alonso: P17. 1:41.334. Completed 26 laps.
Aston Martin
Sebastian Vettel: P19. 1:41.857. Completed 26 laps.
Lance Stroll: P15. 1:40.806. Completed 26 laps.
Ferrari
Carlos Sainz: P4. 1:38.232. Completed 26 laps.
Charles Leclerc: P1. 1:36.810. Completed 36 laps.
Haas
Mick Schumacher: P5. 1:39.507. Completed 26 laps.
Kevin Magnussen: P11. 1:40.084. Completed 24 laps.
McLaren
Lando Norris: P6. 1:39.547. Completed 26 laps.
Daniel Ricciardo: P3. 1:37.627. Completed 40 laps.
Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton: P8. 1:39.698. Completed 26 laps.
George Russell: P13. 1:40.562. Completed 26 laps.
Red Bull
Max Verstappen: P7. 1:39.575. Completed 26 laps.
Sergio Perez: P10. 1:39.852. Completed 26 laps.
Williams
Alex Albon: P18. 1:41.853. Completed 26 laps.
Nicholas Latifi: P20. 1:42.317. Completed 26 laps.
OVERALL RANKING OF FP2:
Position | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:36.810 |
2 | Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo | 1:37.525 |
3 | Daniel Ricciardo | McLaren | 1:37.627 |
4 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 1:38.232 |
5 | Mick Schumacher | Haas | 1:39.507 |
6 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:39.547 |
7 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:39.575 |
8 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:39.698 |
9 | Pierre Gasly | AlphaTauri | 1:39.840 |
10 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull | 1:39.852 |
11 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas | 1:40.084 |
12 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri | 1:40.178 |
13 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:40.562 |
14 | Zhou Guanyu | Alfa Romeo | 1::40.664 |
15 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 1:40.806 |
16 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine | 1:41.310 |
17 | Fernando Alonos | Alpine | 1:41.334 |
18 | Alex Albon | Williams | 1:41.853 |
19 | Sebastian Vettel | Aston Martin | 1:41.857 |
20 | Nicholas Latifi | Williams | 1:42.317 |
Free Practice 3 -
Time by Teams:
Alfa Romeo
Valtteri Bottas: P11. 1:37.310. Completed 22 laps.
Zhou Guanyu: P20. 1:39.735. Completed 3 laps.
AlphaTauri
Pierre Gasly: P10. 1:37.290. Completed 17 laps.
Yuki Tsunoda: P16. 1:37.888. Completed 18 laps.
Alpine
Esteban Ocon: P13. 1:37.468. Completed 17 laps.
Fernando Alonso: P6. 1:36.928. Completed 13 laps.
Aston Martin
Sebastian Vettel: P8. 1:37.151. Completed 18 laps.
Lance Stroll: P9. 1:37.215. Completed 19 laps.
Ferrari
Carlos Sainz: P3. 1:36.271. Completed 24 laps.
Charles Leclerc: P2. 1:36.145. Completed 17 laps.
Haas
Mick Schumacher: P19. 1:38.132. Completed 3 laps. (Suffered ERS water pump issues and so had to return to pits for repairs).
Kevin Magnussen: P14. 1:37.519. Completed 20 laps.
McLaren
Lando Norris: P12. 1:37.449. Completed 18 laps.
Daniel Ricciardo: P15. 1:37.622. Completed 15 laps.
Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton: P5. 1:36.401. Completed 16 laps.
George Russell: P7. 1:37.064. Completed 20 laps.
Red Bull
Max Verstappen: P1. 1:35.825. Completed 21 laps.
Sergio Perez: P4. 1:36.397. Completed 19 laps.
Williams
Alex Albon: P17. 1:37.904. Completed 17 laps.
Nicholas Latifi: P18. 1:38.028. Completed 17 laps.
OVERALL RANKING FP3:
Position | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:35.825 |
2 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:36.145 |
3 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 1:36.271 |
4 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull | 1:36.397 |
5 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:36.401 |
6 | Fernando Alonso | Alpine | 1:36.928 |
7 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:36.064 |
8 | Sebastian Vettel | Aston Martin | 1:37.064 |
9 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 1:37.151 |
10 | Pierre Gasly | AlphaTauri | 1:37.215 |
11 | Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo | 1:37.290 |
12 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:37.310 |
13 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine | 1:37.449 |
14 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas | 1:37.468 |
15 | Daniel Ricciardo | McLaren | 1:37.519 |
16 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri | 1:37.622 |
17 | Alexander Albon | Williams | 1:37.888 |
18 | Nicholas Latifi | Williams | 1:37.904 |
19 | Mick Schumacher | Haas | 1:38.028 |
20 | Zhou Guanyu | Alfa Romeo | 1:39.735 |
Qualifying Updates:
Eliminated in Q1 -
Kevin Magnussen
Daniel Ricciardio
Esteban Ocon
Mick Schumacher
Nicholas Latifi
Eliminated in Q2 -
Yuki Tsunoda
Zhou Guanyu
Alex Albon
Pierre Gasly
Sebastian Vettel
Through to Q3 -
Valtteri Bottas
Charles Leclerc
Lando Norris
Max Verstappen
Carlos Sainz
George Russell
Lewis Hamilton
Sergio Perez
OVERALL RESULT OF QUALIFYING:
*this does not take into account any penalties, final starting grid can be found under 'The Race' section*
The time listed shows the driver's fastest qualifying lap for their respective final qualifying sessions. Blue is for Q3, red is for Q2, and no background colour is Q1. For the driver's times for Q1, Q2, Q3, see below in 'Qualifying Results by Team'
Postion | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 1:34.356 |
2 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:34.421 |
3 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:34.448 |
4 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull | 1:34.645 |
5 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:34.947 |
6 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:34.988 |
7 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 1:35.598 |
8 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:35.690 |
9 | Fernando Alonso | Alpine | 1:35.876 |
10 | Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo | 1:36.319 |
11 | Alex Albon | Williams | 1:36.368 |
12 | Sebastian Vettel | Aston Martin | 1:36.398 |
13 | Pierre Gasly | AlphaTauri | 1:36.740 |
14 | Zhou Guanyu | Alfa Romeo | 1:36.970 |
15 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri | 1:37.147 |
16 | Kevin Magussen | Haas | 1:36.949 |
17 | Daniel Ricciardo | McLaren | 1:37.046 |
18 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine | 1:37.068 |
19 | Mick Schumacher | Haas | 1:37.111 |
20 | Nicholas Latifi | Williams | 1:37.244 |
Qualifying Results by Team -
Alfa Romeo
Valtteri Bottas: P10. Q1 = 1:36.746. Q2 = 1:36.321. Q3 = 1:36.319
Zhou Guanyu: P14. Q1 = 1:36.656. Q2 = 1:36.970
AlphaTauri
Pierre Gasly: P13. Q1 = 1:36.577. Q2 = 1:36.740
Yuki Tsunoda: P15. Q1 = 1:36.808. Q2 = 1:37.147
Alpine
Esteban Ocon: P18. Q1 = 1:37.068
Fernando Alonso: P9. Q1 = 1:36.446. Q2 = 1:36.988. Q3 = 1:35.876
Aston Martin
Sebastian Vettel: P12. Q1 = 1:36.695. Q2 = 1:36.398
Lance Stroll: P7. Q1 = 1:36.860. Q2 = 1:36.032. Q3 = 1:35.598
Ferrari
Carlos Sainz: P1. Q1 = 1:35.297. Q2 = 1:35.590. Q3 = 1:34.356
Charles Leclerc: P2. Q1 = 1:35.795. Q2 = 1:35.246. Q3 = 1:34.421
Haas
Mick Schumacher: P19. Q1 = 1:37.111
Kevin Magnussen: P16. Q1 = 1:36.949
McLaren
Lando Norris: P8. Q1 = 1:36.465. Q2 = 1:36.341. Q3 = 1:35.690
Daniel Ricciardo: P17. Q1 = 1:37.046
Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton: P5. Q1 = 1:36.148. Q2 = 1:35.732. Q3 = 1:34.947
George Russell: P6. Q1 = 1:36.195. Q2 = 1:35.692. Q3 = 1:34.988
Red Bull
Max Verstappen: P3. Q1 = 1:35.864. Q2 = 1:35.294. Q3 = 1:34.448
Sergio Perez: P4. Q1 = 1:36.163. Q2 = 1:35.864. Q3 = 1:34.645
Williams
Alex Albon: P11. Q1 = 1:36.932. Q2 = 1:36.368
Nicholas Latifi: P20. Q1 = 1:37.244
Pre-race Penalties:
It's been nice having a few races without any penalties, but alas, it couldn't last forever. So far, 4 drivers will take penalties:
Charles Leclerc: 10 place grid penalty for having another Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) fitted (this is his 6th of the season, with 3 being the limit), and the sixth of three allocated turbochargers.
Fernando Alonso: 5 place grid penalty for having a 6th ICE fitted to his car.
Zhou Guanyu: 5 place grid drop for having a new ICE fitted on Friday.
Sergio Perez: 5 place grid drop for having a new ICE fitted on Friday.
Esteban Ocon: Has to start from the pits as car was modified in parc ferme (additional power unit added).
Yuki Tsunoda: 5 place grid penalty for additional number-restricted components being used.
The Race:
Starting Grid
Position | Driver | Team |
|---|---|---|
1 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari |
2 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull |
3 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes |
4 | George Russell | Mercedes |
5 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin |
6 | Lando Norris | McLaren |
7 | Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo |
8 | Alex Albon | Williams |
9 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull |
10 | Sebastian Vettel | Aston Martin |
11 | Pierre Gasly | AlphaTauri |
12 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari |
13 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas |
14 | Fernando Alonso | Alpine |
15 | Daniel Ricciardo | McLaren |
16 | Mick Schumacher | Haas |
17 | Nicholas Latifi | Williams |
18 | Zhou Guanyu | Alfa Romeo |
19 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri |
PITS | Esteban Ocon | Alpine |
Fastest Lap -
George Russell = 1:38.788
Race Updates -
Lap 1 - Verstappen gets away best, overtaking Ssainz. Sainz is knocked by Russell leading to a spin. Sainz has to retire. Russell given a 5 second penalty.
Lap 7 - Perez overtakes Stroll into P4, but he is missing his front right end plate.
Lap 13-16: Hamilton, Verstappen, and Russell pit on consecutive laps. Russell is comes out P8 after serving his penalty.
Lap 18 - Bottas spun out, another safety car deployed.
Lap 19 - Leclerc and Vettel pit under safety car.
Lap 21 - Just as the safety car ends, it is recalled as Alonso and Stroll make contact, leaving stroll spinning out with severed damage to the car and Alonso up in the air.
Lap 26 - Race restarts. P1 = Verstappen, P2 = Hamilton, P3 = Perez
Lap 29 - Perez and Leclerc battle for P3
Lap 30 - Leclerc brilliantly overtakes and is into P3. Schumacher P10 in the fight for P7 with Gasley, Tsunoda, and Norris
Lap 35 - Hamilton pits and emerges P6
Lap 36 - Vertsappen pits, but it's an 11 second pit stop, and he comes out behind Hamilton and Leclerc
Lap 38/39 - A great tussle between the Ferrari and Red Bull, with Verstappen succesful in his overtake
Lap 42 - Vettel, who had been leading the race for a good few laps, has a slow pit and loses many positions
Lap 46 - Hamilton leads, but Verstappen is closing in on him
Lap 50 - An amazing battle between Hamilton and Verstappen, but Verstappen manages to overtake and takes the lead
Lap 53 - Hamilton is in DRS range but Verstappen defends brilliantly
Lap 56 - Verstappen takes the win (his 13th this season), matching Micheal Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel for most race wins in a season.
Race Results -
Position | Driver | Team | Gap | Pit Stops |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | | 2 |
2 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | +5.023 | 2 |
3 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +7.501 | 2 |
4 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull | +8.293 | 2 |
5 | George Russell | Mercedes | +44.815 | 2 |
6 | Lando Norris | McLaren | +53.785 | 2 |
7 | Sebastian Vettel | Aston Martin | +1:05.354 | 2 |
8 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas | +1:05.834 | 1 |
9 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri | +1:10.919 | 2 |
10 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine | +1:12.875 | 2 |
11 | Alex Albon | Williams | +1:15.057 | 2 |
12 | Zhou Guanyu | Alfa Romeo | +1:16.164 | 2 |
13 | Pierre Gasly | AlphaTauri | +1:21.763 | 2 |
14 | Mick Schumacher | Haas | +1:24.490 | 2 |
15* | Fernando Alonso* | Alpine | +1:25.078 | 2 |
16 | Daniel Ricciardo | McLaren | +1:30.487 | 2 |
17 | Nicholas Latifi | Williams | +1:43.588 | 2 |
*Fernando Alonso had originally placed 7th with at 55.078 second gap to the race leader. However, after the race, the FIA applied a 30 second penalty for driving whilst his car was in an 'unsafe condition' as one of his mirrors had come off after a collision, however they were never given a black and orange flag during the race to tell them to pit.
**Alonso has since (28/10/22) had his penalty retracted and his position in P7 reinstated.
DNFs -
Lance Stroll - Aston Martin
Valtteri Bottas - Alfa Romeo
Carlos Sainz - Ferrari
Driver of the Day - Sebastian Vettel (so well deserved, very unfortunate with his pit stop!)
Any Other News:
Haas announced their title sponsor for 2023 (MoneyGram) in a multi-year deal.
Logan Sargeant announced as Williams' second driver for the 2023 season as long as he has enough points for his super licence by the end of this season.
Red Bull have now secured their first constructor's championship since 2013!
Championship Standings:
World Driver Championship
Position | Driver | Points |
|---|---|---|
1 | Max Verstappen | 291 |
2 | Charles Leclerc | 267 |
3 | Sergio Perez | 265 |
4 | George Russell | 218 |
5 | Carlos Sainz | 202 |
6 | Lewis Hamilton | 198 |
7 | Lando Norris | 109 |
8 | Esteban Ocon | 79 |
9 | Fernando Alonso | 65 |
10 | Valtteri | 46 |
11 | Sebastian Vettel | 38 |
12 | Daniel Ricciardo | 29 |
13 | Kevin Magnussen | 26 |
14 | Pierre Gasly | 23 |
15 | Lance Stroll | 13 |
16 | Yuki Tsunoda | 13 |
17 | Mick Schumacher | 12 |
18 | Zhou Guanyu | 6 |
19 | Alex Albon | 4 |
20 | Nicholas Latifi | 2 |
21 | Nyck De Vries | 2 |
22 | Nico Hulkenburg | 0 |
