Image shows cars racing beneath an LG banner at the Grand Prix.

Fiona Mansell

The Austin Grand Prix is the second of three races this Formula 1 season in the United States. This weekend was a sprint race, more points available for teams and additional viewing for fans. These crucial points could make a huge difference as we near the end of the 2023 season.

The Austin Grand Prix is also the home race of Williams driver Logan Sargeant. This weekend, he became the first American to score points in Formula 1 in the past 3o years.

It was a special race for many drivers, including Lando Norris and George Russell, who celebrated their 100th Grand Prix. Charles Leclerc also celebrated his 100th race with Scuderia Ferrari, as well as Daniel Ricciardo, who returned to racing after breaking his wrist.

Ahead of the weekend, Williams, Red Bull and Haas announced special livery; each of their cars were adorned with the stripes and stars of the American flag. Aston Martin, Mercedes and Haas also announced their cars’ upgrades for the Austin Grand Prix. They hoped the changes would give them a greater chance to score some vital points as we near the end of this year’s championship.

Free Practice

The Austin Grand Prix only had one practice because of the sprint race this weekend, meaning the drivers only had one hour to get adjusted to the track. The practice saw McLaren driver Oscar Piastri experience some difficulties as he ran wide at Turn 9. After the successful season, the Australian driver found himself in the dirt before impressively recovering to keep him and his team safe.

“Max Verstappen once again dominated after he set the fastest lap times, closely followed by Leclerc.”

Aston Martin’s upgrades appeared to cause some problems as Lance Stroll was forced to pit after technical issues. “We’ll need to box, we have an issue with the front-left corner so you need to cool the breaks in a straight line,” he was told during the session, which subsequently ended early.

During practice, Verstappen once again dominated after he set the fastest lap times, closely followed by Leclerc.

Qualifying

Once again, we see track limits come back to haunt drivers, which resulted in lap times being deleted and changes to the starting grid.

This time, Max Verstappen was demoted from P1 to P6. He seemed unfazed and clearly still confident in his and the car’s ability to progress, saying: “It’s probably not ideal but I’ve also started from further back.” This, however, gave pole position to Leclerc on his 100th race with Ferrari, with Norris and Hamilton following closely behind.

It was a disappointing day for Aston Martin as their upgrades didn’t work in their favour, with neither of their drivers progressing beyond the first segment. This marked the first time Fernando Alonso has failed to pass Q1 for the entire 2023 season.

Sprint Shootout

Ricciardo began to demonstrate why he was given a second chance on the Saturday sprint as he begins to outperform his Alpha Tauri teammate, Yuki Tsunada. He beat him by 8 places in the shootout, which sadly wasn’t enough to get him into Q3.

“It is clear they are strong contenders for this Grand Prix, with only one tenth of a second separating them in the shootout.”

Verstappen also had an issue in the shootout, briefly spinning out before recovering swiftly. However, he was still able to set the fastest lap time, so started the sprint race.

Leclerc, Hamilton and Norris followed, the four drivers continuing to battle it out during the weekend. It is clear they are strong contenders for this Grand Prix, with only one-tenth of a second separating them in the shootout.

Not such a good race for Russell, who received a three place grid penalty for impeding Leclerc, and subsequently started from 11th place.

Sprint Race

Verstappen once again dominated this race. Leclerc started in second and tried to challenge him as they headed into the first corner, but Verstappen closed in. After the first lap, Leclerc had lost his place as Hamilton took over, but still finished 9.4 seconds behind the Red Bull driver.

“Ferrari didn’t have the right strategy with cost driver Carlos Sainz.”

Rookie driver Piastri also had a disappointing race. After winning the sprint in Qatar, he found himself in tenth place and out of the points on this occasion. The problems continued with Aston Martin after Stroll had to retire during the race due to technical issues.

Ferrari didn’t have the right strategy which cost driver Carlos Sainz. All the other cars on the grid had medium tyres, including his teammate Leclerc, whereas he started with softs. While they had hoped he would be faster and keep good pace, it appeared that the mediums were quicker. “When I was the only car on softs I said we probably didn’t get it right,” Sainz said.

Race Day

Despite Leclerc starting in pole position, Norris was able to take an early lead in the first corner. Hamilton lost a place as Sainz worked his way up to third, but quickly gained it back.

Ferrari once again used the wrong strategy, costing Leclerc several places in the race. They aimed for a one stop strategy but the Monegasque driver slowly made his way further down the grid.

Other teams considered similar strategies, including Norris. However, his team reverted to a two stop strategy, allowing the McLaren driver to finish third. Leclerc started in P1 but finished in P6.

Esteban Ocon and Piastri had to retire their cars later in the race after contact with each other in the first lap. Ocon therefore adds to his record of being the driver with the most retirements this 2023 season. Aston Martin also had trouble after once again being forced to retire one of their cars β€” this time it was Alonso.

Verstappen upheld his incredible pace in the Red Bull car. He slowly worked his way up the grid with ease, even after complaining about issues with breaking. He won the Austin Grand Prix, becoming part of an elite club after securing fifty F1 wins.

Hamilton finished second, with Norris third.

Surprise Disqualifications

After the race, most European fans woke to the news that Hamilton and Leclerc had been disqualified due to a technical breach.Β  The FIA have claimed that there were irregularities after a plank wear inspection.

They found that the plank underneath the car had been worn too thin and was in breach of FIA regulations. “The high wear on the skid pads was probably a result of the unique combination of the bumpy track and the Sprint race schedule that minimized the time to set up and check the car before the race,” they concluded.

Both teams argued their case, but the drivers were ultimately disqualified.

For the rest of the grid, Norris was moved to second place and Sainz secured a podium position in third place. Sergio Perez moved up to fourth, securing a bigger lead over Hamilton in the Constructors’ Championship battle for second. Russell jumped from seventh place to fifth, Pierre Gasly to sixth and Stroll to seventh.

Austin Grand Prix Key Take-aways

It was an eventful weekend, with many drivers having difficult and disappointing races, followed by upset among the Ferrari and Mercedes teams. This weekend also highlighted the importance of a good strategy to ensure successful races.

Norris had a successful weekend, demonstrating his potential to go further in F1 after celebrating 100 races. However, Verstappen once again showed his pace in the Red Bull car. He proved to us all why he is the deserving three time World Champion and winner of the Austin Grand Prix.

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Featured image courtesy of via Flickr. No changes have been made to this image. Image license found here.

Fiona is now undergoing a master's degree in 'Visual Journalism' in Cardiff after recently graduating with first-class honours in 'Performance and Media.' Most of her writing focuses on her passion for motorsport.

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