What does the starting grid for the United States GP look like?

What does the starting grid for the United States GP look like?

United States GP

In a qualifying session that went down to the wire, it was eventually Carlos Sainz who took pole position, ahead of teammate Charles Leclerc (+0.065s) and Max Verstappen (+0.092s). One fact that is quite remarkable is that all three of them got purple sections, with Leclerc acing S1, Verstappen acing S2, and Sainz acing S3.

However, it won’t be a Ferrari front row, as Charles Leclerc is taking a grid penalty, due to exceeding his allocation of turbochargers and internal combustion images. As such, he will start in P12. At the start, his teammate will hope to hold off the world champion, but the Ferrari F1-75’s tyre degradation might kill his chances regardless.’

https://youtu.be/MAdVNFGDMW8

Mercedes lock out the second row, with Lewis Hamilton in P3 and George Russell in P4 (from P5 and P6). Lance Stroll drove to a surprising P7, which was upgraded to P5 post-grid penalties. Lando Norris will start alongside him. It is an important weekend for the P4 McLaren-Alpine battle, and he will be the only driver to start within the top 10. Further, Esteban Ocon will start from the pitlane.

Also Read: United States GP 2022 Predictions: Carlos Sainz to take the victory as Lewis Hamilton will draw up maximum points

Esteban Ocon will start the United States GP from the pitlane

Esteban Ocon
Esteban Ocon will start the United States GP from the pitlane

It certainly was not a great qualifying session for Esteban Ocon, who had no pace and could only manage a P18 (before penalties were applied). His teammate, Fernando Alonso, finished P9 and was scheduled to start P14 after being handed a five-place grid penalty for a new ICE. The team have made the decision to opt for a pitlane start for the Frenchman.

Other drivers taking penalties are Zhou Guanyu (P14 – P17/P18), and Red Bull’s Sergio Perez, who will start P9 after having qualified P4. Yuki Tsunoda has also changed a gearbox in parc-ferme conditions, which means he will be taking a 5-place grid penalty as a result. The Japanese driver will start P19. Tsunoda’s penalty means Alonso will be upgraded one position, and will instead start P13.

The ‘silver lining’ for Alpine is that Daniel Ricciardo will also start from towards the back of the grid (at P15), which means that they are unlikely to be overtaken in the championship again this weekend, even if Alonso and Ocon do not score points. However, anything can happen in motorsport, and on paper, they are at a major disadvantage, as Lando Norris will start P6.

The full expected grid:

  1. Carlos Sainz
  2. Max Verstappen
  3. Lewis Hamilton
  4. George Russell
  5. Lance Stroll
  6. Lando Norris
  7. Valtteri Bottas
  8. Alexander Albon
  9. Sergio Perez
  10. Sebastian Vettel
  11. Pierre Gasly
  12. Charles Leclerc
  13. Fernando Alonso
  14. Kevin Magnussen
  15. Daniel Ricciardo
  16. Mick Schumacher
  17. Zhou Guanyu
  18. Nicholas Latifi
  19. Yuki Tsunoda
  20. Esteban Ocon (Pitlane)

This weekend, Red Bull have a chance to seal the Constructor’s championship, and the two-time world champion, Max Verstappen has a chance to match a famous Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel record: For the most wins of the season. The current record is 13, but the Dutchman might just break it this year.

Also Read: “I do think they have a chance” – Jenson Button reckons that Ex-teammate Lewis Hamilton is on for a possible F1 victory on US soil

Also Read: “We are going to make him proud,” Max Verstappen determined to put in a stellar performance in memory of Dietrich Mateschitz at Austin