F1 Power Ranking GP USA 2022: Mercedes is catching up

Formula 1 has been waiting for Red Bull to lose since the Austrian Grand Prix, and at the moment it is waiting for nothing. Although the race track threw a beating between Red Bull’s legs. A failed pit stop threw Max Verstappen behind Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. However, the Dutchman celebrated his thirteenth victory of the season. This shows how powerful the driver and car are. In a duel, Verstappen outruns his opponents with the RB18’s astonishing top speed.

Ferrari was again ahead in one lap. This time with two cars. The F1-75 has the most downforce, which also makes it less susceptible to wind and weather. However, it still cannot be run with optimal parameters. However, Charles Leclerc’s first term offers hope. The runner-up in the World Championships had the lowest tire wear at the start of the race. In the third section, Leclerc overtook him. In an effort to fend off Verstappen, he ran the tires hard.

Mercedes is still waiting for its first win of the season, but team management ranked Lewis Hamilton’s second place, five seconds behind the winner, as an advance. Because Austin is not a Mercedes track. Too many bumps, too many winds, and too much difference in the types of bends. However, it only lost four tenths of a lap to the top. Half a year ago it would have been the second. The upgrade had an effect. Also almost five kilograms that has been slimmed by W13.

Aston Martin catches up

Alpine and McLaren are no longer alone in their battle for fourth place. Aston Martin can no longer meddle when it comes to points, but this time the green cars were on par with Alpine and McLaren in terms of pure speed. For one turn and at a distance. If the race had gone normally, Sebastian Vettel would probably have finished before Fernando Alonso and Lando Norris. Alonso brakes badly in Vettel’s pit stop.

In the duel for sixth place, Aston Martin continues to catch up with Alfa Sauber. The latest update to the Swiss race team has come true. Both drivers would have qualified for the third quarter if lap Guanyu Zhou had not been canceled. This was not the case for a long time. But in the race, the Swiss make a lot of mistakes.

Places 8 and 9 are also very close. The duel between Haas and Alpha Tauri went to Haas this time. Mick Schumacher and Kevin Magnussen didn’t advance in the second quarter, but they had solid races. With Alpha Tauri it was the other way around. And with Alexander Albon in the cockpit, you can’t ignore Williams either. Albon is useful for getting small points in the World Cup all over, so he can spit in soup to those who matter to each point.

Strength Ranking of Austin

Here’s the GP USA power rating in a nutshell. As always, you can find the detailed model check of all 10 teams in the gallery:

1. Red Bull (1)
2. Ferrari (2)
3. Mercedes (3)
4. Alpine (4)
5. Aston Martin (6)
6. McLaren (5)
7. Alfa Romos (8)
8. Haas (9)
9. Alpha Tory (7)
10. William (10)

* Post-Japan GP position in parentheses.