Max Verstappen overcomes heartache and rare pit stop fumble to win 2022 US GP

Red Bull Racing and Max Verstappen had plenty to celebrate after taking victory at the 2022 United States Grand Prix. Not only was it the 2022 Formula 1 Drivers' champion's 13th win of the season, but the team also secured the Constructors' title with three races to go.

It is the first time since 2013 that Red Bull has won the team's crown. Between 2014 and 2021, Mercedes-AMG dominated the sport.

For the Austrian team, though, the weekend was not the easiest. The energy drink company's founder, Dietrich Mateschitz, passed away on Saturday (22 October) after a long battle with cancer. Mateschitz has been instrumental in numerous sporting codes worldwide, with Red Bull as a sponsor of many of the events.

The addition of Red Bull Racing and Toro Rosso (now AlphaTauri) to the F1 grid is a testament to how highly he rated the pinnacle of motorsport.

"The news of his death is very difficult to take," Verstappen said.

"I will remember him as a man of gentle character who took care of people with extreme love. He didn't seek the limelight. I got to know him as a racer at heart with an enormous passion for the sport. I mean, who else in the history of F1 has ever started two teams?"

Stay up to speed on the latest Formula 1 news by subscribing to our FREE newsletter, 'The Undercut'

MAX: “It’s a very difficult weekend for us. This one is definitely dedicated to Dietrich. The only thing we could do today is win”#USGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/w3Sx1MK5Vd

Leclerc's epic drive

Having taken a 10-place grid penalty for taking new power unit parts, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc started the race in 12th place. He ran deep into the race's first phase on a set of Medium tyres, until the safety car was deployed on Lap 21 after future teammates, Fernando Alonso