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Formula 1
United States GP
F1 United States GP Live Commentary and Updates - Race day
Minute-by-minute updates for the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas
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The 2022 F1 world title might be decided after Max Verstappen clinched the drivers’ crown in Japan last time out, but there’s still plenty at stake and many talking points both off and on the track.
Red Bull can clinch the F1 world constructors’ title at the Circuit of the Americas if it outscores Ferrari by 19 points this weekend, although Carlos Sainz starts the race on pole from Max Verstappen
Elsewhere, Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez will battle for the runner-up spot in the drivers’ standings, with just a point separating the pair with four races to go - but the two will contend with grid penalties at the start.
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"These brakes are something else, I'm struggling," Hamilton reports, finding those new brakes not to his taste. Safety car is due in this lap, at the end of lap 21.
Race control has sent an update to state a recovery vehicle is on the track at Turn 19 to recover the stricken Alfa Romeo. That's a new message, fresh from the learnings of the Japanese GP incident, when many drivers didn't even know a crane was on the track.
It's worked out nicely for Ferrari and Aston - Leclerc is fourth, and Vettel assumes sixth.
Pit stop
All those hard tyre starters have also profited big time in this safety car period with a cheap pitstop. Alonso comes out in ninth, Ocon in 12th, Schumacher in 13th and Magnussen in 15th.
Pit stop
That's quite convenient for Leclerc, who grabs his pitstop under the safety car. Hard tyres for the Monegasque, as Vettel also does a stop for mediums.
Crash
"I lost the rear," Bottas says over team radio. He can't get going again and that's his race run.
Safety car
Bottas has gone off and become beached in the gravel trap at Turn 19! That triggers a safety car!
"It doesn't feel amazing, it doesn't feel bad," Verstappen says of the hard tyres. He's not a huge fan.
All the drivers who started on the hards - Alonso, Schumacher, Ocon and Magnussen - have floated up to the points places, with Gasly in 12th leading the charge of the midfield runners who have pitted.
Hamilton, in the meantime, has cleared Vettel and moves up to third - and will begin to catch Leclerc. Russell's back into the top six, 4.9s behind Perez in fifth.
Stroll duly pits, and comes in for a fresh set of mediums. It's about a second longer than it should be, but locks Aston Martin in for a two-stopper at the least.
It's lap 15, then, and it's Verstappen out front, with Leclerc and Stroll second and third but yet to pit. Vettel also needs to pit from fourth, with Hamilton fifth.
Pit stop
Going for a longer opening stint on the mediums has cost Norris track position as he pits, comes out on the hards, and drops to 14th behind Gasly and Bottas.
Pit stop
Leclerc, meanwhile, has now cleared Stroll with DRS. Perez comes in to pit, with no front wing change - so he'll come out a few seconds behind Hamilton.
Russell's pitstop and penalty has pushed him back to ninth place in the current running.
Verstappen got out ahead of Stroll, Leclerc, and Vettel - with Hamilton just behind them.
Pit stop
"Free to push," Verstappen is told, as Red Bull reacts to Hamilton and brings in the leader. Russell also pits from second, and to serve his penalty.
New hard tyres for Hamilton, which bumps Russell up to second for the time being.
Pit stop
"Mind that single bump on the run down to Turn 12," Verstappen is told. Meanwhile, Hamilton gets the "hammer time" command and is coming in for new tyres having shipped further time to the leader.
On lap 12 Leclerc gets ahead of Vettel, diving up the inside in the braking zone at the end of the back straight. He's up to sixth.
Pit stop
Gasly pits to defend from the undercut move by Bottas and it works as the AlphaTauri comes out ahead of the Finn by a second.
"I'm struggling a lot with the wind out there," Verstappen says. It's very gusty, so not easy for anyone to contend with.
Pit stop
A lap later Bottas, Tsunoda and Ricciardo all pit to hunt the undercut on the cars they had been battling on track.
Pit stop
At the end of lap nine Albon and Zhou both pit, Albon opting for more mediums while Zhou goes for the hards.
"Starting to see a little bit of tearing on the front left," Hamilton reports, as there's a little bit of wear starting to form. He's trying to keep pace with Verstappen, but the gap's opened to 3.2s.
Leclerc's progress through the pack has stalled somewhat, staying one second behind Vettel. The Ferrari is in seventh and already 17.5s off the leader Verstappen.
The Gasly vs Albon incident from earlier will not be investigated by the race stewards. As you were.
In terms of the pace out front, Hamilton is 2.8s behind Verstappen, but he's currently quicker on this lap. Possibly Verstappen just managing the pace, but Hamilton wants to make a race of it.
Gasly makes a smart move to overtake Norris and moves into eighth place. Their scrap has invited Bottas on to them.
Ferrari has stated the cause of Sainz's retirement was a water leak, triggered by contact with Russell at the start.
Perez now passes Stroll for fourth, but with a broken front wing endplate. As it's no longer flapping about, perhaps he won't get the Magnussen flag to pit for damage...
Pit stop
Oh, Latifi. The Williams driver has spun off at Turn 6 all on his own, which wrecks his tyres. He pits for new mediums and comes out in last and a long way back. Was he caught out by the wind?
Penalty
Russell did get a five-second penalty for his clash with Sainz, so he'll have to serve that at the next pitstop.
Leclerc is making light work of climbing up the midfield, as he gets by Gasly and Norris in quick succession.
And Perez has indeed cleared Vettel for fifth, and will be duly closing in on the Stroll-Russell scrap for third. Vettel's keeping tabs on them, however, as Russell gets the move done on Stroll with DRS.
A Turn 12 incident involving Gasly and Albon has been noted. Gasly is currently in seventh, then comes Norris, Leclerc and Bottas, as the Finn dives by Albon into 10th.
Perez is having a crack at Vettel now, trying to take the inside line for turn 1. Vettel's position at the start was impeccable to move from 10th to fifth.
Russell is catching Stroll now, as the Canadian is five seconds away from the leading Verstappen. Hamilton remains second, 2s behind Verstappen.
Albon is slipping and sliding around in his Williams, trying to find grip while keeping Bottas behind him in a fight for the final points position.
Tsunoda was the other driver with a mega start, gaining five spots and is up to 14th place. But Magnussen was the biggest loser dropping five places and is 18th - paying for starting on the hards?
By: autosport.com
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