John N
Max Verstappen may have already wrapped up the title, but the 2022 season is far from over, with the constructors’ championship yet to be clinched and plenty of battles still being fought down the grid – and between teammates.
Constructors’ championship
- Battle for first
Austin will be the first time Red Bull – on 619 points – could close out the constructors’ championship, but Ferrari – who is 165 points behind – will be hoping that a strong showing in America could put the Milton Keynes team’s celebrations on hold.
- Second in the championship
Ferrari may still have half an optimistic eye on Red Bull, but they will also be looking over their shoulders at Mercedes in third. The current gap between the two is 67 points and while Ferrari has extended that lead in recent races, expect the Silver Arrows to be hot on their heels till the end.
- Top of the midfield
It has been a back-and-forth affair between McLaren and Alpine for much of the season. After losing the fourth position to McLaren in Singapore, Alpine hit back in Japan to regain P4. The gap is now 13 points between the two teams as the pressure ramps up, with both squads knowing that one bad weekend could play into their rivals’ hands.
- Battle for sixth
On 52 points, Alfa Romeo at one stage looked to be in the fight for fourth, but having only taken one point since Montreal, their sixth position is now under threat from a resurgent Aston Martin team who are only seven points adrift. Also in contention are Haas and AlphaTauri, who are both tied on 34 points.
Drivers’ championship battle
- Battle for P2
The second in the championship battle is far from over, with Sergio Perez currently on 253 points, just a solitary point in front of Charles Leclerc, in third. While those two are the favourites, George Russell, with 207 points, in fourth and Carlos Sainz, in fifth, are mathematically still in the hunt. Lewis Hamilton is still technically in with a chance, although his odds appear slim as he is 73 points behind Perez.
- Midfield tussle
Lando Norris is currently at the top of the midfield with 101 points and could still technically catch Hamilton – who is 79 points ahead of him in sixth. The Alpine duo of Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso are on 78 and 65 points, respectively, and will have hopes of beating each other and catching Norris.
- Top-10 finish
At one stage, Valtteri Bottas – on 46 points – competed to be the leading driver in the midfield, but he has failed to score a point in his last eight outings. His 10th position is now under threat from an in-form Sebastian Vettel, who is 14 points behind the Finn and has scored two top-10 finishes in a row.
Three drivers also in contention for P10 but with slim chances are Daniel Ricciardo, Pierre Gasly and Kevin Magnussen, on 29, 23 and 22 points, respectively. Although, one significant result could do wonders for their chances.
- Looking for a solid end to the year
While their hopes of making it into the top 10 in the championship standings appear slim, the likes of Lance Stroll, Mick Schumacher, Yuki Tsunoda, Zhou Guanyu, Alex Albon, and Nicholas Latifi – who are in the bottom five of the table – will be setting their sights on a solid final four races this season.
Records
MAX VERSTAPPEN
He may have already sealed his second consecutive title, but Verstappen still has a few more accolades to target in the season’s remaining weeks.
- Wins: The record for the most wins in a season is 13 – held by Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel – and with his triumph in Japan, Verstappen now has 12 victories this year. This means the Dutch driver needs two wins in the next four races to break the record, which the form book tells us is possible.
- Points: Verstappen has already accumulated 365 points so far this season, meaning he has a chance to break Hamilton’s record of most points in a campaign – 419. Could the Briton’s record be threatened with four races left and a Sprint?
- Largest Championship Win: Verstappen currently has a 113-point lead over his teammate Sergio Perez, which means he could eclipse the record for the largest margin of victory in a season – the record being Vettel’s 155-point victory over Fernando Alonso in 2013.
LEWIS HAMILTON
Win in every season: Hamilton is currently tied with Schumacher for the record of having won a Grand Prix in 15 consecutive seasons – every year the Briton has been in the sport. But after 18 races, he has yet to stand on the podium’s top step this year. With four races to go, can Hamilton find a way to get that W13 to the front of the pack to break this record?
FERNANDO ALONSO
Longest gap between race wins: Ricardo Patrese went six years and 211 days between victories, and on the day of the United States Grand Prix, it will be 9 years and 166 days – 3,451 days in total – since Fernando Alonso’s last victory – which was at the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix. So he’ll take this record if he ever takes another F1 win.
GEORGE RUSSELL
Most laps led without a win: Chris Amon currently has the record of having led for 183 laps without winning a Grand Prix, but it is possible that this record could be broken this year. Russell has led 87 laps in his career but has yet to win a race. With 256 laps left in the season, could the Briton take this dubious accolade?
CHARLES LECLERC
Most poles in a season for Ferrari: Leclerc has been the man to beat in qualifying this year, with nine pole positions already. The record for the most pole positions by a Scuderia driver in a season is 11 – set by Michael Schumacher in 2001 – and the Monegasque will have his eye on eclipsing the German’s record in the next few weeks.
RED BULL
Most points in a season: Currently on 619 points, the team from Milton Keynes are not only within touching distance of the constructors’ title, but they are also closing in on breaking Mercedes’ record for the most points in a season – which is 765 – set in 2016. They would need to score a one-two finish in all four races left, but with the form they are in, it is not beyond the realms of possibility.
Intra-team qualifying battle
Many of the teams qualifying battles have been decided, but there are still four squads where the fight for Saturday supremacy is still up for grabs.
- MERCEDES: Lewis Hamilton 11 – 7 George Russell
Hamilton could seal the season series in Austin if he out-qualifies his teammate next weekend. Since we returned from the summer break, Hamilton has been the lead Mercedes on five consecutive Saturdays, but can Russell fight back?
- ALPINE: Fernando Alonso 9 – 8 Esteban Ocon
If their form this season is anything to go by, this contest will be decided on Saturday in Abu Dhabi at the season finale. It has been a tight affair between the two racers all year, which saw Ocon close the gap to one in Japan.
- ALPHATAURI: Pierre Gasly 11 – 7 Yuki Tsunoda
The battle with the Faenza-based team could be concluded in Austin if Gasly out-qualifies Tsunoda. The Japanese driver has been much closer this season after beating Gasly twice last year, but the French racer has still been a touch quicker this year.
- ASTON MARTIN: Sebastian Vettel 10 – 6 Lance Stroll
Vettel has always been a strong qualifier, shown again this season as he also sees himself in a position to close out the season series against teammate Stroll in Austin. In recent races, stroll has been closer to Vettel, although the German was quicker on Saturday in Japan.
The battle between Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso has been close throughout the season.
Intra-team Grand Prix battle
Half of the teams’ intra-team race day battle is over, but the remaining five are still wrestling it out over who will be the dominant driver on a Sunday. While some teams’ fight could be wrapped up in Austin, others look set to go down to the wire in Abu Dhabi.
- FERRARI: Charles Leclerc 10 – 7 Carlos Sainz
While Leclerc has been the dominant driver of the two on Saturday, the battle between the pair on Sunday has been closely matched for much of the season. However, Leclerc has beaten Sainz in the last four races, and if he makes it five in a row in Austin, he will take an unassailable lead to Mexico.
- MERCEDES: Lewis Hamilton 8 – 10 George Russell
Russell was on fire to start the season, beating Hamilton in seven of the opening eight races, but since Montreal, the seven-time world champion has fought back – leading seven of the next 10 Grands Prix, including the last two races. This is a tight battle that could go down to Abu Dhabi.
- ALPINE: Fernando Alonso 8 – 9 Esteban Ocon
Close on Saturday and just as close on a Sunday. Alonso may be leading in qualifying, but Ocon has the upper hand in the race, gaining the lead after finishing higher than the Spaniard in Japan. Another remarkably close battle that could go down to Abu Dhabi.
- ASTON MARTIN: Sebastian Vettel 8 – 7 Lance Stroll
It has been a tight affair on a Sunday between the two Aston Martin drivers, but Vettel is ahead of the Canadian heading to Austin. The races they have finished since the summer break are tied at two a piece, so expect this close battle to continue until the end.
- HAAS: Mick Schumacher 10 – 6 Kevin Magnussen
Magnussen has already wrapped up the qualifying contest between the two Haas drivers, but the German has shone the brightest on race day so far. Schumacher may not have as many points as Magnussen, but he has finished higher on more occasions this season and could wrap up the head-to-head battle in Austin.
Awards
- Crypto Overtaking King Award
In 18 races so far, 12 different drivers have won the award for the best overtake. Leclerc and Hamilton have achieved this three times – the most so far this season – followed by Alonso and Vettel, who have won it twice. Let’s see who will make the best moves over the next four race weekends.
- DHL Fastest Pitstop Award
Red Bull is at the top of the constructors’ championship and is also the leader of the fastest pitstop award. The team from Milton Keynes have recorded the fastest pitstop on eight occasions this season, most recently in Singapore. McLaren, with four, is the only team that could equal their total come to the end of the season.
- DHL Fastest Lap Award
Having achieved the fastest lap on five occasions this season, Verstappen has won this award more than any other driver, ahead of teammate Perez and Leclerc – who have three. Also, with an opportunity to have the fastest laps come to the end of the season, Hamilton – has already done so twice.
- Driver of the Day
Verstappen has been voted the driver of the day the most so far this season – having won the award five times. Leclerc closely follows him, with four, Perez with three and Hamilton with two.
- Pirelli pole position award
Leclerc has been a man on form in qualifying this season, having taken nine pole positions this year, with Verstappen – having won the award six times – the only driver that could topple the Monegasque for the most starts from pole at the end of the year.
