Formula One was back in the U.S.
Formula One’s return to the United States was celebrated by not only US fans who were able to watch the race at a reasonable hour, but by any who simply enjoy open wheel racing.
From the outset, it was clear that F1’s new owners, Liberty Media, were determined to impart a sense of Americana on this year’s race. This was clearest in the blatantly American, Michael Buffer narrated, rah-rah America intros we were all privy to at the start of the race. Now, there are many within the racing community, specifically those I’ve spoken to from England, that thought the spectacle was ‘nothing short of ghastly.’ They believe that F1 should be a sport that prides itself on its pedigree and regality.
Well, anyone who says that the intros Sunday were ridiculous is exactly right. They were ridiculous. Ridiculously amazing. They were exactly; yes exactly, what Formula One needs in their new era of Liberty ownership. They were completely over the top. They were absurd. But, dammit, they were American. They clearly telegraphed to the viewing public just where this race was taking place, ‘Murica (as my more NASCAR-centric readers may choose to put it). The intros added a sense of fun and flair that is noticeably absent from most F1 races.
Should these intros continue at every other race? God no. But for the only race on American soil, they should become a staple. It’s the kind of thing America does best, being ludicrously over the top. It’s a great hallmark for a race that so often has struggled to find its identity at previous circuits and it should continue to happen for years in the future.
But onto the race itself. And what a race it was!
From the start, it looked like Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari may have finally gotten back to their winning ways, as the German beat Hamilton off the line and into the first corner. But within a few laps, it became clear that neither Vettel nor Ferrari had the pace to keep Hamilton at bay for the entire race.
As Ferrari opted to go with the Pirelli recommended 2-stop strategy, counter to Hamilton’s 1-stop, the chances of a drag out, race long, wheel to wheel fight between the two title contenders slipped away as Hamilton extended his gap to Vettel by seconds per lap.
Hamilton loves this track. He is the only winner on it since the start of the V6 hybrid era began and he proved, once again, why he must be in contention for the “Greatest of All Time Conversation.” As his teammate slipped farther and farther back into the field, Hamilton pushed farther ahead. He was untouchable.
And, so has often been the case this year, as Hamilton pulled farther and farther away from the rest of the field, the attention was turned to the mid-field as, once again, we were gifted with some fantastic racing.
Fernando Alonso, for the second time this year, saw his hopes of succeeding on American soil thwarted by a Honda engine that seems to prefer breaking down than to actually running. Daniel Ricciardo, likewise, seems to have inherited his teammate’s mechanical gremlins as his Renault gave out in the early laps, denying us what could have been a spectacular podium scrap for the Australian.
Carlos Sainz, on his debut for Renault, showed just how good he actually is, tying the team’s best result of the season by coming home in 6th. I have been a big fan of Sainz since his entrance to the sport. Despite some thoroughly avoidable first lap incidents earlier this year; Sainz showed the bosses at Renault that he truly has the potential to be a championship contender in the future.
Sainz is a driver that responds to adversity and a good challenge. He did some of the best racing of his career two years ago when trying to prove that we was better than young Max Verstappen. So when Hulkenberg has a car that won’t die on him, look for the Spaniard and German to engage in a truly fantastic inter-team rivalry that will push both drivers to the top of their game.
And now we come to the main point of this article. Verstappen.
Penalty or not, Max Verstappen drove a truly incredible race, coming from the back of the field to finish fourth. He proved once again that he possesses a sheer, raw talent that cannot be underestimated. As fans, we can only hope that his recent re-signing with Red Bull means that either the team has a new engine manufacturer lined up or that Renault has assured them that their engines will stop breaking down. Either way, the young Dutchman seems happy with his present team and has been in back in the form that earned him accolades when he first entered the sport. Imagine what could have been if he hadn’t been the victim of such bad luck during the course of this season. We very well could have been privy to a three-way title bout between Verstappen, Hamilton, and Vettel.
However good he was, you can’t talk about his charge without talking about his last lap.
In the closing laps of the race, Verstappen found himself behind the gearbox of Kimi Raikkonen. Raikkonen defended well for several laps, but as the final lap began, it became clear the Verstappen was willing to do anything to get around Kimi. And at turn 17, Verstappen did just that. Not able to pass Raikkonen down the backstretch and into 12, he tried an opportunistic move on the Finn, throwing his car inside around the multi-apex corner.
Verstappen was slightly ahead, then flicked to the right, straight across the curbs, through the rumble strips, and across the white line. It was a spectacular move, one that reminded me very much of Alex Zanardi’s pass on Bryan Herta at Laguna Seca in 1996. It reminded me of it in that it was both spectacular and illegal.
Yes, I said it. What Verstappen did was illegal and the FIA were completely and totally I the right to levy a five-second penalty to the Red Bull driver.
Verstappen left the track, plain and simple.
The track is defined by the white lines painted around it and by sending all four tires over that line, Verstappen violated the width of the track. He exceeded track limits to make that pass. Simply: he cheated.
It was a great move, don’t get me wrong. But it was an illegal move.
Now, there are plenty of those out there complaining about the FIA not enforcing track limits at other corners, but in each and every one of those cases, drivers left the track to take a longer route around the corner, either by being forced to do so by another car or by their own error. Verstappen, on the other hand, made the track shorter. He skipped a corner. And however interesting of a crossover it may be, F1 is not Mario Kart. You can’t simply use a red mushroom and rush over the lines to get around the car in front. You have to adhere to the limits of the track.
And Verstappen did not.
