F1 News
Preview | Will Red Bull finish the job in the United States?
This weekend, the United States Grand Prix is on the calendar. Max Verstappen is already champion, but his team Red Bull Racing can claim the constructors' title in Austin. We look ahead to the race weekend and list all the things to look forward to at the Circuit of the Americas.
Red Bull could go for title
With just four races to go and the drivers' championship already in Verstappen's hands, the final phase of the 2022 F1 season has arrived in Texas. The biggest event next weekend is Red Bull possibly winning the world title again after nine years and restoring old glory. The team is currently 165 points ahead of Ferrari and will therefore be keen to beat the Italian formation.
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What can Ferrari do with new '2023 engine'?
This brings us to the second thing to look forward to this weekend; the battle between Ferrari and Red Bull. Although as the season ends, development of the 2022 cars is also winding down and stopping at some teams, leaving few improvements to the cars, Ferrari will still appear on the grid with an updated engine. Charles Leclerc is likely to receive a grid penalty as he will use his sixth engine of the year. This engine will already be an FIA-approved 2023 specification.
Although this means Ferrari is taking a risky step in the fight for P2 among drivers (Leclerc is one point behind Sergio Perez), the new engine may allow the team to use more aggressive engine modes. Also, the new ERS system will reportedly be fully available to Leclerc for 2023. As COTA is a circuit where there are good overtaking opportunities, grid penalties need not be a particularly big problem this weekend. It is therefore possible that teams who feel reliability problems coming may opt to use a new engine for the last few races and take the penalty at face value.
Mercedes on diet and Pirelli tests
Despite the lack of major upgrades to the cars, some teams will still come up with minor aerodynamic improvements. For instance, Mercedes, still looking for its first win of the season, will come to the US with some new parts that will improve weight and aerodynamics. At Alfa Romeo and Alpine, some more improvements to the floor are expected.
Finally, we will see another extended FP2 this weekend. The second free practice session will be extended by half an hour to test the Pirelli rubber for 2023. These tests were also scheduled in Japan, but rain meant that the rubber manufacturer felt compelled to postpone the tests. The wet conditions meant there was no usable data to extract. Tests in Austin were already scheduled, so there will be another extended free practice in Mexico later in the year. In America, there is no chance of a repeat of the wet track in Japan. In fact, it promises to be a dry and warm weekend.
