The qualifying session for the 2022 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix was quite uneven within the Mercedes team. While with Lewis Hamilton they came close to pole position for moments, with George Russell they struggled to overcome the Aston Martins of Lance Stroll and Sebastian Vettel, although he was finally able to place sixth, just behind his partner.
In this way, and after applying the various penalties for changes in the engine components of Charles Leclerc and Sergio Pérez, they will start from the second row, where the silver bullets will want to surprise. To do this, they will have to beat Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari, who for the third time in his life achieved the fastest time on a Saturday at the Grand Circus [although he benefited from penalties at Spa-Francorchamps] and Max’s Red Bull Verstappen, something not unreasonable after hearing the statements of his boss, Toto Wolff .
The Austrian recognized that it was a good day at the Circuit of the Americas, with both cars fulfilling the objective of being third, but assured that in the case of Hamilton, his lap could have been even faster, which would have put him at the level of the RB18 of Sergio Pérez.
“It’s been a good session for us,” said the Brackley team principal. “I think we’ve seen that the last update of the season is working well, and there was one lap in the car that could have been up to three tenths quicker.
“But this car is still very difficult to drive, and that’s how it goes sometimes. Overall it’s working quite well, and we could have been closer to pole position, so I think we can get into some fun games in the front end on Sunday,” explained Wolff
Lewis Hamilton’s best time in Q3 was 1:34.947 , just three tenths worse than Checo Pérez, so the W13, if the words of the German team boss are true, would be very much on a par with the leaders of the highest category of motorsports.
However, not everything was joy on the American track, since a few minutes before the start of qualifying came the tragic news of the death of the founder of Red Bull, Dietrich Mateschitz , an inspiration in the world of motorsport and extreme sports. .
“Today is a sad day with the news of the passing of Dietrich Mateschitz. He was one of the most incredible entrepreneurs in the world, created a market for energy drinks that didn’t exist before him, and built one of the best brands in the world,” Wolff said. “This sport owes him a lot, not only for what he created at Spielberg, but also for the two teams he owned and developed. We send our deepest condolences to his family and friends.”
Do you want to read our news before anyone else and for free? Follow us here on our Telegram channel and you won’t miss a thing. All the information, at your fingertips!
