After a week off, Formula One returns for its third North American race of the 2022 season with the United States Grand Prix.
Currently hosted in Austin, Texas, the United States Grand Prix has been held 50 different times across 10 different locations during its time on the Formula One championship calendar. The track in Austin, known as the Circuit of the Americas, finished construction in 2012.
It officially opened with American motorsports legend Mario Andretti running ceremonial laps in the Lotus 79, which was the car he drove when he became the last American to win the Formula One Drivers’ Championship in 1978.
During the break since the Japan Grand Prix, major news broke, ending weeks of speculation regarding whether or not Red Bull violated the 2021 cost cap.
The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), the sport’s governing body, concluded that Red Bull was guilty of a “minor” breach of the cost cap, which means that they did not exceed 5% of the cap with their violation. The 2021 cost cap was set at $145 million, meaning that the team overspent anywhere from $1 to $7,250,000.
2021 was the first year with a cost cap in place, and nine of the 10 teams on the grid were found to be compliant. Two teams, Williams and Aston Martin, were found to have made procedural errors in their compliance but did not exceed the financial limitations.
Red Bull quickly put out a statement responding to the FIA’s conclusions stating that they note these findings “with surprise and disappointment.” The team continued to say, “Our 2021 submission was below the cost cap limit, so we need to carefully review the FIA’s findings as our belief remains that the relevant costs are under the 2021 cost cap amount.”
The team concluded by saying that while they will respect the process, they are considering “all the options available to us.”
McLaren CEO Zak Brown wrote a letter to the FIA arguing that there is no excuse for a breach of the cost cap by any team.
“The FIA has run an extremely thorough, collaborative, and open process, we have even been given a one-year dress rehearsal with ample opportunity to seek any clarification if details were unclear. So, there is no reason for any team to now say they are surprised,” Brown declared.
“We don’t feel a financial penalty alone would be a suitable penalty for [an] overspend breach or a serious procedural breach, there clearly needs to be a sporting penalty in these instances, as determined by the FIA,” he continued.
What exactly happens regarding the 2021 cost cap issue is still yet to be determined. However, Red Bull heads to Austin with the opportunity to clinch the 2022 Constructor’s Championship, which goes to the team who scores the most championship points throughout the season.
The only team still with a mathematical chance for the title outside of Red Bull is Ferrari, who must walk away from the United States Grand Prix with 19 more points than the frontrunner to stay in the fight.
In discussing the upcoming track conditions, Pirelli Motorsport Director Mario Isola commented, “The Circuit of The Americas is a balanced layout when it comes to the demands placed on cars and tyres [sic] in terms of traction, braking and lateral loads, but it’s mainly a flowing track that the drivers love, which nonetheless presents some challenging sections that shouldn’t be underestimated.”
Oddsmakers favor 2022 Driver Champion Max Verstappen (-225), expecting him to continue his unbelievable run this season and win at Austin. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton are tied with the second-best odds (+700), while Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez (+800) is close behind.
The United States Grand Prix is Sunday, October 23, at 2 p.m. CST.
