The Austin Grand Prix was round 19 of the 2023 calendar. This race is always exciting due to the number of celebrities that often attend and the track itself. The Austin track was designed to incorporate the many amazing turns at other notable circuits. It also is one of the few circuits that runs counterclockwise. The race itself I did not get to watch this week due to a mock trial tournament, but I did review the live blog to catch the notable portions of the race.

This weekend was a sprint weekend (disgusting) and taking home the sprint trophy was none other than Max Verstappen. As for qualifying Charles Leclerc took pole position with Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton behind. Max Verstappen was to start 6^th due to a track infringement. At the start of the race Norris swiftly stole the front of the grid from Leclerc and led the race. Verstappen was fast in making up the positions he lost to his qualifying penalty. Norris had a lock-up with Verstappen following close behind and eventually Norris was overtaken. They were very neck and neck for most of the rest until the two made a pit stop. This allowed Hamilton to catch up to the two and pass Leclerc in P3. The fight between the lead of the race was an interesting testament to the ability of the Mclaren and the advancement of the Mercedes. Lewis Hamilton has immense skill but the car that Mercedes has provided him is fighting against him. As for Lando Norris, with time it is clear he is going to be a world champion. In this race, he fixed exactly what was lacking in his performance from the last race, and his dedication to the sport will never be in question. This is a quality that all the greats have and is important to maintain.

As for the drama that went down at the Grand Prix… something has to happen right? What is a race without an absurd number of penalties and investigations from the FIA right? The original ending result of the race was:

P1 Max Verstappen

P2 Lewis Hamilton

P3 Lando Norris

P4 Carlos Sainz

P5 Sergio Perez

P6 Charles Leclerc.

As a background, every F1 car has a wooden plank attached to the bottom of the vehicle by the FIA. At the end of every race, the car is inspected by the FIA for plank wear. They then measure the width of the plank to see how low to the ground the vehicle is off the track. This is why Red Bull’s RB19 is so spectacular, it is extremely close to the ground without wearing down the plank. Both Lewis Hamilton’s and Charles Leclerc’s cars had extreme plank wear at the end of this race. The Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff explained that with the sprint weekend, the team only had one practice session to refine the vehicle before solidifying their setup. And considering the major wear that presents itself at the Austin circuit they were unable to adapt past the sprint race. This was a major downfall for those who were at the front of the grid during the sprint race, such as Hamilton and Leclerc. The FIA came back and said that it is the constructor’s job to adapt ahead of time for the Grand Prix. And so, the two were disqualified from the race. That moved Sainz up to a podium position. Needless to say, the two were not happy with the results.

Lewis co-posted this photo with Charles to instagram captioned “mood” after the announcement of the disqualification.

As we move to the next race, Hamilton and Perez are very close in points for P2 in the Driver’s Championship. For Hamilton, the disqualification meant another race he lost points towards beating Perez. For Perez, this could mean his career in Formula One. Red Bull has been vocal about his poor performance and uncertain seat for 2024. Their reserve driver is becoming more and more of a possibility. If he does not get P2 he will most likely be dropped, and this late in the season it is not likely there will be another seat for him. Lucky for him his home race in Mexico is the next race, and he will be expected to win.

The next Grand Prix will be round 20 in Mexico!