(Motorsport) With Max Verstappen’s win at the United States Grand Prix, Red Bull Racing secured their 2022 Formula 1 Constructors Championship for the first time since 2014, breaking Mercedes’ eight year long domination. Ferrari needed to outscore Red Bull by 19 points to remain in contention but pole sitter Carlos Sainz’s DNF following a collision by George Russell in the very first lap meant that it was impossible for the Italian manufacturers to have that chance.
With Verstappen winning the US Grand Prix and Sergio Perez finishing fourth, Red Bull Racing are now at 656 points, a mammoth 187-point lead over Scuderia Ferrari and could extend this advantage with three races remaining for this season to conclude. The Constructors Championship victory was dedicated to Red Bull founder Dietrich Mateschitz who passed away at the age of 78 on Saturday after a lengthy battle with an illness.
Two time Formula 1 World Champion Max Verstappen said “We gave it everything out there today, and of course it's a very difficult weekend for us, so this one is definitely dedicated to Dietrich. We had a big chance to win the constructors' here, and you want to do that in style, and I think we did that today." Red Bull Racing have now won five Constructors Championships in their history, the other four coming consecutively from 2011 and 2014.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said “It means everything to us. Dietrich was a very private man but he was passionate about life, he was passionate about sport, he was especially passionate about Formula One. He had a dream which was to have a Formula One team and he did that and in the end he had two. He gave us all an opportunity, he believed in us, he backed us and this is for him. We are just tremendously grateful for everything that he has done for us as individuals, as a team and we are going to celebrate in his honour tonight."
It’s clear that no team on the Formula 1 grid has adapted to the change in regulations for the 2022 season better than Red Bull with Verstappen and Perez winning 15 out of 19 races so far this season. The team will head into the 2023 season with an advantage after a stellar performance in the ongoing campaign and could potentially dominate for years to come, just as Mercedes has during the hybrid era. The team has arguably the best driver on the grid, reliability, consistent development, strategy and a high performing engine to ensure they will dominate for the foreseeable future.
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