Has car-breaking COTA been tamed? 2022 US GP – what to watch for

One Formula 1 championship may have been decided, but there’s another still in play this weekend, as Red Bull looks to secure the constructors’ title at the US GP.

The cliche goes that everything’s bigger in Texas, and last year’s weekend attendance of 400,000 was claimed by F1 to be its biggest ever.

With the circuit apparently not being able to build grandstands fast enough, a huge crowd is expected to be witness to Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez attempting to close out the teams’ title for Red Bull.

Ferrari could still be competitive though, as right through the field there’s much to watch for this weekend.

 

Bumps in the road ahead

After a hail of complaints from F1 and MotoGP drivers about the severity of bumps on the COTA track last year, a major resurfacing has taken place in a bid to smooth things over – literally and laterally.

Pierre Gasly’s AlphaTauri suspension gave way at the 2021 race after it took a pounding, Aleix Espargaró said MotoGP should never return unless something was done about Austin’s undulations and Esteban Ocon warned F1 cars were on “the limit for reliability”  at the Texas track.

COTA has since emphasised the significance of the latest “large-scale resurfacing initiative” on a track built on soft soil and which therefore suffers from water erosion – particularly with 2022 F1 cars which are sensitive to surface change.

“COTA worked to repave Turns 2-10 and 12-16 and build a concrete pad to reinforce the areas at Turn 2 and 10,” it said. “Additionally, COTA worked with contractors to ensure the new asphalt and concrete foundations were even and flush, creating an ideal track for upcoming races and events.”

 

Cost cap sniping

The cost cap row now seems ready to run and run, so vague has been the FIA’s stance on the matter and so enraged are rival teams about Red Bull’s apparent breach.

In a letter to the FIA and other teams which has now been leaked, McLaren boss Zak Brown didn’t hold back in his criticism of Milton Keynes apparent budget bust.

“The overspend breach, and possibly the procedural breaches, constitute cheating by offering a significant advantage across technical, sporting, and financial regulations,” he said.

“The bottom line is any team who has overspent has gained an unfair advantage both in the current and following year’s car development.”

Christian Horner was fierce in his defence of his team before the allegations turned out to be – according to the FIA – true. What will he say this weekend?

 

Verstappen could equal wins-in-a-single-season F1 record

Max Verstappen could claim a number of F1 records this season, and he could equal one this weekend.

If the Dutchman clinches his 13th win of the season, he’ll match the benchmark set by Michael Schumacher in 2004 and Sebastian Vettel in 2013.

With four races left this season in total, he could break the record and set a new level for success in one year.

 

Local talent gets a run out

US Williams junior Logan Sargeant is in the frame for Grove’s second seat next year alongside Alex Albon, but this is dependant on him finishing high enough in F1’s feeder series to secure a superlicence.

As part of the required rookie running for GP teams, the young Florida native will get behind the wheel of the FW44 at COTA in FP1.

Also making their F1 weekend debut will be 2021 IndyCar champion Alex Palou. In echoes of Oscar Piastri’s Alpine saga, both McLaren and Ganassi claimed to have signed Palou for 2023. That has now been resolved, with the Spaniard remaining at Ganassi for next year’s IndyCar season, but also testing for McLaren.

The last American to compete in F1 was Alexander Rossi at the 2015 Brazilian GP for Manor. The most recent US national to even drive a Williams was Al Unser Jr in 1991, and it’s four decades since an American driver took part in an F1 weekend for the British team – Mario Andretti at Long Beach.

Will this new Stateside talent make a good enough impression to secure future F1 seats?

 

Battle for fourth continues

McLaren and Alpine have been fiercely fighting it out for what has essentially been ‘best of the rest’ title this year, i.e. fourth place in the constructors’ championship.

The former, whose car is clearly slower than that of Enstone’s, managed to claw back some significant points last weekend with a fourth and fifth respectively for Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo in Singapore, as both Alpines broke down.

The French team now has 143 points to McLaren’s 130. Though the Papaya car has tended to be slower, its better race execution and less reliability issues has kept McLaren in the hunt.

The Alpine A522 has tended like blasting down the straights whilst McLaren’s MCL36 prefers the twisty stuff – who will win the shootout in Texas?