Has the US GP already left expectations tempered for F1 in 2023?

OPINION: In the latter stages of 2022's Formula 1 season, Max Verstappen has proved irrepressible as he collected another inspired win at the US Grand Prix. With Red Bull at the top, Ferrari losing its edge, and Mercedes still in recovery, hopes of a two- or three-way battle for 2023 look increasingly slim

Matt Kew Oct 26, 2022, 8:30 AM

Upd: Oct 26, 2022, 9:29 AM

Just how potent is the combination of Max Verstappen driving a Red Bull RB18? Well, last weekend’s United States Grand Prix produced yet another pretty good gauge. Despite a faulty front-left wheel gun creating an 11.1s pitstop that would have been agony for the two-time world champion in the cockpit, he still managed to catch and pass his two biggest rivals to grab first place with six laps to spare before securing the win by over 5s.

That Verstappen has won his second championship with four races still to play and has now matched the Formula 1 record of 13 wins in a season are clear reads of his dominance. But it was his final stint at Austin - to go with his recovery from 14th on the grid to lead at Spa after only 12 laps, plus his rapid rise to win in Monza - that really hit home the rich vein of form.

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Author Matt Kew

Matt Kew is Autosport’s F1 Editor, a role he has held since March 2022 following stints covering Formula E, Extreme E and the British Touring Car Championship.

Matt joined Autosport in 2018 to work predominantly on the magazine, but his relentless quoting of Alan Partridge meant office colleagues soon thought he would be better-suited to increased field work.

Needless to say, Matt had the last laugh when he won the Motorsport UK Young Journalist of the Year Award in 2019.

His interest in motorsport was sparked by regular trips to watch ASCAR crash around Rockingham’s banked oval.

Matt read politics and philosophy at the University of Sheffield - receiving first-class honours for his dissertation assessing the lack of female participation in top-tier motor racing.

He covered a wide variety of national race and rally meetings for Autosport as a freelancer before joining full-time. His best efforts to argue the merits of historic racing are undone by a questionable taste in music and James Bond actors.