Lewis Hamilton came so close to winning in Austin, Texas. The U.S. Grand Prix was the closest he got to finishing first. But Max Verstappen was once again unstoppable and Red Bull Racing crowned themselves Constructors Champions as well.
Red Bull was flooded with messages and tributes after the passing of Dietrich Mateschitz. But the show had to go on and what a show it was in Texas. The race reminded viewers and spectators of the good ol’ racing when overtaking was routine. The crashes though overshadowed the day. First, George Russell sent the pole sitter Carlos Sainz into a spin and forced him to retire early due to a water leak. “I apologize to Carlos,” George said after the race. The Mercedes driver immediately received a 5-second penalty following the incident.
Then it was Fernando Alonso who was sent airborne into the side barrier, following a collision with Lance Stroll. The Spaniard though returned to the racetrack as he did not have a care in the world and worked his way up to P7. He eventually hit with a post-race 30-second penalty that makes him drop out of points. Lance Stroll got himself a three-place grid penalty next week in Mexico.
At the top, Max Verstappen was complaining about wind. And that was not the only thing he complained about. The very slow pit with issues on one of the wheels propelled Lewis Hamilton in the lead. “Beautiful!” Max ironically told his team, as the Dutch felt the win slipping through his fingers. But his racing car and his driving skills were good enough to overcome the setback and he was soon within the DRS range of Lewis Hamilton. He overtook the Mercedes driver six laps before the end of the race.
The one waving the checkered flag at the finish line was Tim Cook, Executive Director of Apple. But he looked as if being there was the last thing he wanted to do. His lackluster performance with the flag was eventually trolled and the footage of the CEO being unenthusiastic about a mission others would have killed for turned viral. “He’s waving it like he has to touch a Windows PC,” was one of the best jokes online
Next up for Formula 1 is the Mexican Grand Prix.
PHOTO GALLERY:
Tim Cook waving that flag as if he’s having to touch a Windows PC 😆 pic.twitter.com/Y2BQfm32Em
— Tom Warren (@tomwarren) October 23, 2022
